Some Facts On Tummy Tucks Somerville Residents Should Understand

By Matthew Allen


There are many ways of losing weight and achieving a better body shape. Regular involvement in physical activity and having a proper diet are among the most effective but tend to take quite long to achieve results. Although it is mainly done as a cosmetic surgical procedure tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) may help with weight loss as well. There are a number of things on tummy tucks Somerville clients need to understand.

Tummy tuck is mainly performed to get rid of extra fat deposited in the anterior abdominal wall and to tighten the loose tissues at the same time. Potential clients are advised to first try out the non-surgical options first before signing up for the procedure. Another common reason as to why people request for the operation is rapid weight gain such as that associated with the pregnancy period.

There are different types of abdominoplasty that exist. The classification depends on the extent of fat removal. They include partial abdominoplasty, complete abdominoplasty, extended and circumferential types. The time required for each of these procedures varies. The longest will take about 5 hours and the shortest an average of 2 hours.

A complete abdominoplasty is performed by making two surgical cuts in the lower abdomen. One of the cuts is made between the hip area and the pubic area. The other is made around the belly button to release it from the skin. Two flaps will then be created on the right and left side using these incisions to access the underlying fat tissues. The fat is removed through liposuction.

The general recommendation is that the amount of fat that is removed from the body during a single operation should not exceed three liters. If more of it has to be removed, then additional surgical operations have to be planned for. After the removal of fat, the muscle layers and the overlying fascia are stitched in a manner that increases their tautness. Redundant skin is then removed and the wound closed.

Partial abdominoplasty is a bit limited just as the name suggests. The incisions that are used are smaller and the amount of fat that is removed is also relatively less. Tightening is done on just a portion of the fascia. Extended abdominoplasty involves a complete abdominoplasty and another procedure known as a lateral thigh lift. Circumferential abdominoplasty is the most extensive and includes a buttock lift in addition to the extended abdominoplasty.

The results of abdominoplasty tend to vary from one person to another. The factors that bring about these differences include the magnitude of the initial problem, the type of surgery that is conducted and the surgical skill of your attending surgeon among others. During the recovery process, you will be asked to stop drugs that may delay the process of healing. Such may include aspirin and blood thinning agents.

There several complications that may result from the operation. One of them is fluid accumulation within the operated site. This is why surgical drains are inserted by some surgeons and these are left in place for a few days. Other likely complications are skin discoloration, wound separation, pain at the incision sites and infections among others. Get in touch with your doctor if you experience these problems.




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