Abdominoplasty
Tighten your waist, flatten your tummy
An abdominoplasty or tummy tuck is one of the most performed operations in plastic surgery. It has both aesthetic and functional goals and can be a very welcoming procedure for a variety of patients. On the aesthetic side, it is an elegant procedure to restore body shape, improve your silhouette and achieve a flatter abdomen that looks great in both normal clothes and swimming outfits. Functionally, this procedure has several advantages to strengthen the abdominal wall, repair possible hernias, improve lower back pain, and give a boost to your level of exercise and self-confidence. There is a certain recovery time to be respected, but in return you get an enormous improvement of your quality of life and huge impact on your daily activities.
The essentials
An abdominoplasty or tummy tuck is a procedure to improve the overall aesthetics of the abdomen, as well as strengthen the abdominal wall and repair any hernias or muscle weakness.
On the aesthetic side, it flattens the abdomen, removes any excess fat and skin, tightens the waistline, slims down the entire torso, enhances the pubic area, and restores the proportions and looks of a pleasing silhouette.
On the reconstructive side, it repairs the muscle separation (diastasis) and possible hernias, strengthens the abdominal wall, improves lower back pain and overall core strength, and treats possible skin irritation due to disturbing skin folds.
In most cases, the final scar is completely hidden in de bikini line, swimming clothes, and underwear.
Consider a downtime of 2 weeks with easy wound care. Avoid physical activity for 6 weeks.
Respect the recovery time well and you will profit from the transformation for the rest of your life.
What is an abdominoplasty ?
An abdominoplasty involves much more than only the removal of excess fat and skin. This may be your main complaint and we are certainly going to address that issue. But there is a lot of additional work that I offer "on the inside" that contribute to your result. This includes:
Repairing the dilated muscles of the abdominal wall (diastasis). This will not only enforce your abdomen, but also contribute to a flatter abdomen, better defined waist line and improved waist-to-hip ratio.
Repairing any hernia of the umbilicus or abdominal wall. These can be diagnosed beforehand or sometimes only be visible during surgery. A hernia may occur after laparoscopic surgery, pregnancy, weight gain, or without any clear cause. During surgery I will repair the hernia if present, to remove any risk of future complication (a hernia can cause problems later on if not diagnosed and treated).
Liposuction of the abdomen, flanks and back. To limit the length of the incision and to improve your waist line and body silhouette, it is important to even out the fat distribution of your entire torso. I do not only focus on the "roll" you have below the umbilicus, but I tackle your complete upper body to restore the proportions and improve the overall body contour.
Improved aesthetics of your pubic area. Some patients complain about a bulge or ptosis of the pubic area. During a tummy tuck, I address that region as well and I make it flatter and tighter. I may even bring it up during the consultation myself, as some patients often forget about that zone. But the satisfaction rate is huge when I restore the aesthetics of the pubic area and I love to offer that to patients as well.
Improved look of your umbilicus. The umbilicus or belly button is a remnant of your birth and an important item in the overall aesthetics of the abdomen. Perhaps you may not like the look of your umbilicus, especially if it bulges or looks to wide. I strive to make your umbilicus look natural again and pay a great amount of attention on the look and positioning of it.
By combining several surgical procedures all in one, I am able to give you not only a better looking abdomen on the outside, but also a stronger abdominal wall on the inside and tighter waist that looks great in any clothing. During the consultation, I will explain to you the procedure in more detail, with pictures and photographs, as well as which scars to expect and the post-operative care that will be needed. You can expect a down time of 2 weeks, with light dressings.
An abdominoplasty is an all-in-one procedure with strategic areas of tissue excision, liposuction, and muscle strengthening to achieve both an aesthetic and reconstructive improvement.
By repairing the muscle separation and hernias, as well as reinforcing the abdominal wall, we achieve a flatter abdomen, tighter waist, improved lower back pain and 360-degree core strengthening.
Which incisions are needed for an abdominoplasty ?
I am aware that a lot of patients are concerned about the incisions that are needed to perform a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty. The truth is, to create a beautiful, tight, and flat abdomen, I need to perform an incision that allows me to remove all the fat and skin excess of your abdomen. In addition, it gives me access to the structures beneath the skin to give you a tighter, stronger abdominal wall and narrow waist line. There is no way around it. But my experience has taught me that patients truly appreciate the amazing and positive effect of a tummy tuck on their daily life. The scars are then a very small price to pay to get the changes you wish to have. In addition, I am very strict on a meticulous, seemless skin closure to ensure the least visible scars as possible. Most patients even forget about the scars after a while, as they are so happy with their body and the scars themselves become practically invisible. So try not to worry too much about the scar, as you will be missing out on all the other benefits that you will achieve after the operation. It is also good to know that:
I put all my efforts in giving you the lowest scar as possible. In most cases, the scar is completely hidden in de bikini line, swimming clothes, and underwear.
If you already have a caesarian scar, a tummy tuck will often improve the result. The new scar of your tummy tuck will often look thinner, less visible and more supple.
If you have stretch marks on the lower abdomen, a tummy tuck is a great way to remove most or all of them. It makes your abdomen and skin look young and healthy again.
There are many additional scar care treatments that I will recommend after the surgery to keep your scar as flat and soft as possible.
During the consultation, I will draw for you the pre-operative design and the incisions that I plan for your particular body. The design depends on a couple of factors: the amount of skin excess, the amount of fatty tissue to remove, the laxity of your abdomen, the possible presence of a caesarian scar, and the amount of skin elasticity and skin tone. As you see, I apply a very patient-tailored approach to this type of surgery. My goal at the end of the consultation, is that you really understand what I will do, why I do it, and which results you can expect.
The scar of an abdominoplasty is low enough to be covered by normal clothing and underwear.
What are the benefits of an abdominoplasty ?
An abdominoplasty is extremely rewarding for the patient and surgeon, as it is one of those surgeries that really changes your life for the better. It offers a ton of aesthetic and functional benefits that bring a positive impact to your daily activities and quality of life:
A flatter abdomen that fits better in clothes
A new look that looks perfect in a bikini or swimming clothes
A tighter waist line and harmonious hour-glass shape
A tight approximation of your abdominal muscles that re-enforces your abdomen but also helps to relieve back pain
A rejuvenated pubic area that follows the flatness of your abdomen
Repaired abdominal hernias that eliminates the risk of future complications
Removed stretch marks between the umbilicus and pubic area
A stronger abdominal wall that is ready to hit the gym again
A boost in self-confidence
Long-lasting results
Are you a good candidate for an abdominoplasty ?
If you experience abdominal bulging or skin excess after pregnancy, weight loss or in a later stage of your life, then you may benefit from an abdominoplasty. There is no specific age requirement, as women or men of every age may experience disturbing skin and fat excess of the lower abdomen. It speaks for itself that if a female patient plans to get pregnant in the near future, she should hold off of any type of surgery beforehand.
The only decision that we need to make, is whether you are the best candidate for a liposuction (with additional skin tightening through radio-frequency), a mini-abdominoplasty (with a limited scar, if you only have moderate skin excess) or a full abdominoplasty (with a slightly longer scar). The decision between these surgeries is based on your wishes, your expectations, your current concerns, and the clinical investigation. At the end of the consultation, I assure you that we both will have a clear idea of what the best option is for you.
In general, you are a good candidate for an abdominoplasty if:
You suffer from a bulging of the (lower) abdomen, often after pregnancy of weight loss
You do not like the aspect of your caesarian scar and also have some fat and skin excess of the abdomen
You would like to have a flatter abdomen and tighter waist line
You experience a weak abdomen and may suffer from back pain as well
You experience skin redness and irritation under the skin fold
You have stretch marks on the abdomen after pregnancy or weight loss
You have realistic expectations
If you recognise some of these signs, I recommend you to plan a consultation in order to see how we can improve your overall body shape and bring a positive impact to your life.
