Abdominoplasty Procedure

Abdominoplasty or tummy tuck procedure is cosmetic surgery to reshape and firm the abdomen. It involves the removal of excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen in order to tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall. This type of surgery is usually sought by woman (who are not considering having any or more children) and individuals who have abdominal fat deposits which do not respond well to diet and exercise.

There are two types of abdominoplasty:

• Complete. Requires from about two to five hours
• Partial. Requires from about one to two hours

Abdominoplasty Procedures
A complete abdominoplasty involves five steps:

1. An incision is made from hip to hip just above the pubic area
2. Another incision is made to free the navel from the surrounding skin
3. The skin is detached from the abdominal wall to reveal the muscles to be tightened
4. The skin flap is reattached with any extra skin being removed. A new hole for the navel is made and stitched into place
5. All stitches are dressed and any excess fluid from the site is drained

A partial abdominoplasty involves three steps:

1. A smaller incision is made
2. The skin in removed between the incision and the navel. The skin is stretched down and excess skin removed
3. The flap is stitched back into place

Read More About Abdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty information

In-depth description of abdominoplasty
from the American Society of Plastic Surgery