Tummy Tuck Forum - Plastic Surgery of the Stomach Message Board, Chat, and Experiences

Tummy Tuck Forum & Group

To help those with abdominal and stomach deformity and their families better understand the problems, emotions involved, experiences, and possible options. Explore skills of the various surgical sculptors. Defining details can help with fear of the unknown.

Resources

Tummy Tuck Overview is an introduction to our forum, boards, and an introduction to the surgery.

Tummy Tuck Information learn about examination, evaluation, consultation, the learning process, and about surgery.

Tummy Tuck Pictures shows details about photos and videos of the abdomen. Find before and after photographs and movies. Learn what views help define the problem and show issues about the results.

Tummy Tuck Surgeon learn how to pic your surgeon.

Liposuction Forum for talk about liposuction, lipoplasty, and suction lipectomy managing of localized fat.

Tummy Tuck Abdominoplasty Forum is your board to discuss issues about the stomach and surgical solutions for tightening.

Belly Button Umbilicoplasty Board For discussions about navel deformity and plastic surgery sculpture.

Lower Body Lift Forum is your place to discuss problems extending around the body and surgical solutions.

Thigh Lift Forum is for issues about the thigh, upper leg, and thigh lift surgery.

Buttock Lift Board for discussion and help abut the back torso and buttock lift concerns.

Revision Tummy Tuck, Belly Button, and Lower Body Lift Forum feel free to discuss issues after surgery and concerns about revision and operations to revise prior tummy tuck, belly button surgery, and lower body lift.

Before and After Tummy Tuck Pictures and Movies Resource presents a large collection of problems and surgical solutions. How to take abdominal photos and video are particularly important for those posters who want to show their concerns with images.

Lower Body Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Forum Feel free to discuss anything about general issues about the lower body deformity and reconstructive plastic surgery issues.

The Deformed Abdomen

The stomach can be deformed by excess fat, loose tissues, weak muscles, defects such as hernia or diastasis recti (spread apart stomach muscles,) congenital deformity, scars, or a combination. This is a three dimensional problem that also has a motion component. That is why seeing the problem and result from views around the entire body is so important. Lean more about documenting the problem and solutions with Tummy Tuck Pictures and Movies which also has an extensive gallery of before and after surgery examples.

Global Fat Contour Issues

"I do not like the way I look, but I am tired of trying to lose the weight myself, Doc can't you just remove it for me?"

The Fat Abdomen does not look good. If there is a global body fat deformity, surgery is not the first choice. Body fat is deposited inside the stomach compartment in the omentum wrapping the intestines. This region is too dangerous for liposuction. Excess inside will overcome any attempt to tighten the abdominal wall. Tightened tissue will just stretch out again. Weight loss before surgery is usually better than after. Dr. Bermant views this as surgical sculpture and prefers a coarse tool first, and then the tool of refinement second. Tighten tissues and then lose weight will probably mean that they will become loose again. Although Revision Tummy Tuck might be an option, it is more expensive, 2 recoveries and some options may be limited.

The Normal Stomach

The shape of the stomach is formed by tension of the abdominal contents, the tone of the muscle fascia skin envelope. Lying down on your back, the stomach should not bulge above a line between the pubis and chest bone. The rectus muscles should be together without a major gap between them. Standing there should be no significant sagging of the skin or abdominal structures. With reasonable body fat, muscle shape should show through. Some fat is normal and tends to collect in a band around the belly button. The belly button should be present, close to midline, have a pleasing shape, and tether the surface structures to the deeper muscles. Bending over, there should not be too much drooping.

Tummy Tuck Stories and Surgical Experiences

Weight Loss & Surgery Timing

Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss can help tighten tissues that did not recover. Dr. Bermant recommends his patients get to a weight they are happy with before considering surgery. BMI Calculator / Body Mass Index Calculation is a good starting point to see what is going on. However, this number does not take into consideration what is fat, muscle, or bone. For that adding a Body Fat Analysis helps understand changes we make as fat gets changed into muscle and the scale stays the same.

After losing the weight be patient, wait for the skin to catch up. This can take several months to 18 months after massive weight loss. Then explore the compromises of what if any structures should be sculpted.

A similar issue exists after pregnancy. Tissues should stabilize first. Tummy Tuck During Birth or C-Section Delivery is not a good choice and adds unacceptable risks.

Extent of Surgery

Age, weight loss, and pregnancy take their toll on the tone of these retaining walls. Loose Abdominal Skin comes in different degrees. Tightening the tissues requires an exit point for the extra skin. Mini Tuck Abdominoplasty has a small surface scar and becomes an option when there is only a small amount of extra skin. The Mini-Tuck cannot manage larger skin excess problems. Tummy Tuck Abdominoplasty comes in many different forms managing different degrees of deformity.

When the problem extends all around the body, then a Body Lift and Belt Lipectomy Surgery is needed. This more extensive surgery can Tighten Loose Skin After Weight Loss extending through the thigh and down the leg.

When the problem is restricted to the belly button alone, then Belly Button Umbilicoplasty - Plastic Surgery of the Navel becomes an option. The scar for navel surgery is smaller. Many ask why not just do the entire abdominoplasty through this smaller incision. The Belly Button Tightening Tummy Tuck just does not work.

Revision Tummy Tuck is often an option for those unhappy after failed stomach surgery. There are limitations. Scars cannot be erased, but instead are replaced with new scars. The extend involved depends on many factors. Additional surgery sometimes can be done outside the original region. This can be a demanding operation the scars making the surgery much more difficult. Look for a surgeon who had demonstrated skills in revising other doctors' problems.

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