Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) Procedure Steps
A tummy tuck cosmetic surgery procedure, also called abdominoplasty in medical terms, involves the elimination of lax skin, tightening of the muscles, and removing heavy fat deposits in the abdominal area.
This effective treatment can be entirely individualized to address the unique aesthetic objectives and health requirements of a patient.
During the initial consultation, the surgeon will explain the steps involved in the tummy tuck procedure. It often helps to improve a patient’s confidence when they know what the procedure will actually entail. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Bryson Richards provides tummy tuck surgery to patients in Las Vegas, NV, and surrounding communities and cities in The Battle Born State.
Anesthesia
The tummy tuck procedure can be performed with the patient under local or general anesthesia. For reasons of safety, many surgeons choose to perform an abdominoplasty under general anesthesia when the patient is fully sedated.
The idea is that when the patient is completely unconscious, the muscles in the abdomen are relaxed allowing the surgeon to perform the surgery with increased efficiency and safety. The surgeon’s precision work is not hindered by a sudden body or muscle movement.
Placing the Incisions
The particular technique chosen to perform tummy tuck plastic surgery will determine the length and size of the incisions placed by a surgeon during abdominoplasty. For instance, a mini tummy tuck surgery requires a minor incision placed just beneath the navel.
On the other hand, a circumferential abdominoplasty surgery needs a long, continuous incision to be placed across the circumference of the waist as it includes removing sagging skin from the hip region and back. Traditional abdominoplasty involves placing a single incision in the front side of the abdomen between both the hip bones.
Reattaching the Navel and Sculpting
Most abdominoplasty procedures include altering the location of the navel to ensure that the tauter skin in the abdomen looks more natural. Another vertical incision is placed across the abdomen’s middle section. The surgeon will take a call on what would create a more aesthetic outcome, and either reattach the navel through another minute incision or create a new navel artificially.
Making the Muscles Tauter
Commonly, the abdominal muscles become loose with age. An abdominoplasty surgery provides the surgeon with a chance to tighten lax muscles in the abdomen and eliminate surplus skin and fat from the stomach region. The skin is disjoined from the abdominal walls through placing incisions. Then the muscles in the abdomen are pulled in and stitched to provide the stomach area with a more toned look.
Removing Skin
If you have a discreet scar after a tummy tuck procedure, it may appear as if the sagging skin around the stomach area has been folded into your body. But it hasn’t been tucked. The skin has been removed. The abdominoplasty procedure involves stretching the skin downwards and trimming it after tightening the muscles in the abdomen. At times, surgeons perform liposuction to remove stubborn fat deposits before pulling the skin tight.
Closing the Incisions
After the tummy tuck surgery is over, the skin is sutured via surgical stitches. The skin cells will help heal the location of the incision and will close the wound naturally after some time. Reliable cosmetic surgeon Dr. Bryson Richards receives patients from Las Vegas, NV, and nearby areas in this section of the southwest for tummy tuck.
If you would like more information on cosmetic surgery procedures and treatments performed by Las Vegas, Nevada plastic surgeon, Dr. Bryson Richards please contact us at 702.870.7070
Taking new patients from Las Vegas, Bullhead City, Laughlin, Pahrump, Mesquite NV and surrounding areas.