How Abdominoplasty is Performed at Our Tummy Tuck NY Surgery Centers

An abdominoplasty provides our New York patients with a permanent way of removing loose skin from the abdomen while also tightening the stomach muscles. Often times, this extra skin on the abdomen is covered in stretch marks and can contain more fat than on other areas of the body. Once that flap of extra skin is removed, what remains is smooth and has far fewer stretch marks. 

In most cases, our tummy tuck NY surgeon performs the procedure under general anesthesia and under the care of an anesthesiologist, or doctor who specializes in administering anesthesia. In some cases, we use our unique method of local anesthesia with sedation to perform tummy tucks. At Advanced Cosmetic Surgery of New York, we require that our patients carefully follow our Pre-Operative Instructions sheet to make sure that they have the safest experience and best results possible.

If tumescent liposuction, with or without the use of laser, is to be used to rid the area of unwanted fat, it is done prior to any incisions being made for the tummy tuck. Once the liposuction has been completed, the cosmetic surgeon makes an elliptical, or half-moon, shaped incision from one hip bone to the other. The incision is discreetly placed where it can easily be hidden underneath the panty line or bikini bottom.

The skin is then separated from the abdominal muscle layer and the umbilicus, or belly button is left attached to the abdominal wall. The surgeon then works on tightening the rectus abdominus muscles, or the vertical muscles that run lengthwise up the tummy from the ribs to the pubic bone. This stitching up of the muscles works much like a corset in that it holds the abdomen in a flattened, tightened state to give it a thinner appearance.  

This is especially necessary for our New York abdominoplasty patients who have had children or for those who were once obese. These two scenarios can stretch the abdominal muscles to the point of no return. Thus, when the patient returns to a normal size, the muscles are left completely stretched out to their former size.

Once the layers of muscle have been tightened and brought together, our cosmetic surgeon can move on to correcting the patient’s excess skin. The skin flap that is attached at the top is pulled down so that it is taught and looks to have the right amount of tension with no loose areas. Once the cosmetic surgeon decides how much skin needs to be cut away, the skin is removed and discarded.

The proper placement for the belly button is marked and a small circular incision is made in the upper flap of skin for the new position of the belly button. The belly button is then gently guided through the new circular incision and closed with stitches. The final step in the tummy tuck procedure is for the upper skin to be joined to the lower skin for a newly flattened tummy. The incision is then closed with dissolvable stitches in the deep layers of skin and the outer layer of skin is closed with either liquid stitches or micro-thin dissolvable stitches.

Mini Tummy Tuck (or Partial Abdominoplasty)

For New York abdominoplasty patients who need minimal intervention to fix sagging skin, our mini tummy tuck may be the best option. This procedure differs from a tummy tuck in that it only involves removing the extra skin from the abdomen below the navel and tightening it. The incision is smaller and the procedure is less complicated; the extra skin is simply removed and pulled down, then attached in its new position. There is no need to involve the abdominal muscles or repositioning of the navel with a mini tummy tuck. Our tummy tuck NY cosmetic surgeon will share with you whether this is an option for you when you come in for your consultation.

Tummy Tuck Healing and Incision Scar

All of the steps involved in our New York abdominoplasty procedure are aimed at correcting the problem issues while leaving minimal evidence of the procedure being done. Patients find that incisions heal from being red to turning a purplish color after the scabbing is gone to fading out to nearly invisible after about a year or so. Our NY cosmetic surgeon may also prescribe a post-surgical scar solution (such as No-Scar) that contains silicone to help speed up the production of collagen in the new scar tissue. It takes the body a full two years to complete lying down the collagen in a scar, so be patient as your body is healing in its own time frame.

African-American patients as well as some of our other New York abdominoplasty patients of certain ethnic backgrounds will sometimes develop a scarring phenomenon known as keloids. This type of scar is an abnormal production of skin cells and collagen at the incision site and can result in lumpy, raised bumps all along the incision. Our expert NY cosmetic surgeons can help correct this for you if this occurs spontaneously. If you are prone to keloids, be sure to share this information with us beforehand so we can prepare for how to handle scar revision if necessary.

Recovery After Having Tummy Tuck Surgery

Since a tummy tuck is a major undertaking, expect to have some down time afterward. Typically our tummy tuck NY patients feel significant discomfort for the first one to two weeks (we will prescribe narcotic pain killers to help you through the first two weeks). After that, pain may be easily managed with nothing more than extra strength Tylenol. Moving around can be painful and difficult for the first few days, so it is essential to have someone there to prepare food for you, to help you out of bed and to the bathroom, and to assist you with sitting up or lying down.

You will be wearing a compression garment over your abdomen immediately after abdominoplasty surgery and will likely have drains inserted in the area with a small flexible negative pressure (vacuum) container attached to the tubing that is protruding from either end of the tummy tuck incision. The compression garment is to be worn for a full 4-6 weeks while the drains can be removed as soon as one to two weeks post operatively.

We encourage our patients to walk around a little after a few days following the abdominoplasty procedure and then to mildly increase activity as they can tolerate it. Physical movement aids in blood flow to the surgery site, can prevent blood clots in the legs (from inactivity) and can boost a patient’s immune system as well. Please see our Post-Operative Guide for more information and for recommendations after surgery in our tummy tuck NY surgery centers.

Results: Better than You Expected

We have never had a patient say that they liked their tummy better before they had surgery! The abdominoplasty procedure gives every one of our tummy tuck patients an improved figure and a tightened, flat tummy.

• We have many New York abdominoplasty patients who have come in for tummy tucks and reported months later that they feel like they have “just started living again”.
• They feel a boost of confidence and self-esteem when they are able to get into the slim-fitting clothes they used to wear.
• Many of our patients tell us that they no longer feel ashamed to have their tummy seen or touched.
• This opens up a whole new world for those whose lives were severely and negatively affected by the way they used to feel about their body.

For a free consultation with one of our abdominoplasty surgeons, call us at (631) 499-1831 or (212) 206-0023. You can also request a tummy tuck consultation online through our contact us page. We have locations on Long Island (Commack) and in New York City (Manhattan).

Though medical insurance will not cover the cost of abdominoplasty, we can help you apply for CareCredit financing as well as work with your budget to help you arrive at a cost that you can afford.

Cost of Abdominoplasty

Abdominoplasty Before and After

Tummy Tuck Testimonials

Abdominoplasty After Weight Loss for Tummy Tuck NY Patients.

Info from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for Our Abdominoplasty New York patients.