Abdominoplasty Surgery
All You Need to Know about Abdominoplasty Surgery including different procedures, risks, costs, and recovery.
Abdominoplasty is the medical term for a tummy tuck; a cosmetic surgery procedure to firm up the abdomen through the removal of excess skin and fat and subsequent tightening of the abdominal muscles. The removal of the excess fat and skin also sees the reduction in wrinkles around the navel area. Typically sought by females after pregnancy causes loose tissues in the abdomen area, abdominoplasty surgery for men is also on the increase and is especially beneficial for those who have undergone major weight loss. Benefits of abdominoplasty surgery include the reduction of a stomach bulge, a firmer and flatter abdominal area, less visible stretch marks, and possibly improved self esteem and confidence.
Abdominoplasty surgery for men procedures vary from a full abdominoplasty to a partial, or mini-tuck, abdominoplasty. A full procedure can take anywhere from one to five hours depending on the patient’s age, weight, and condition. A partial abdominoplasty does not involve the repositioning of the belly button and can often be performed in less than two hours, yet has a similar recovery time.
Steps for a complete abdominoplasty for men
- Incision made from hip to hip above the pubic area
- Navel freed up from surrounding through another small incision
- Skin detached from abdominal wall revealing muscles
- Abdominal muscle fascia tightened with sutures
- Flap of skin and fat pulled down over muscles and excess removed
- New hole made for belly button to keep its original height position
- Belly button sutured into place
- Liposuction perhaps also employed to refine abdominal shape
- Everything sutured up and compression garment applied
- Excess fluid drained
There may be some bruising and discomfort following abdominoplasty surgery for men and you will often need to spend a night or two in hospital. It should be a few hours before you take to your feet, but the earlier you get moving after this time the better it will be for achieving a faster recovery. A compression garment should be worn to minimize swelling and bruising. Recovery can take up to four weeks depending on the age, health and condition of the patient and most of this time should be taken off work. Performing any sort of heavy lifting is not recommended for at least the first six weeks after the operation. A full recovery could take up to six months or less and the scars will eventually fade. Avoiding nicotine during this time, as well as before the operation, is important.
The cost of abdominoplasty surgery for men depends greatly on the age, weight and state of health of a given patient. There may be other costs involved after the tummy tuck, not inclusive of post-op care, while anesthesia and post-op medications also need to be taken into consideration. There is no 100 percent guarantee with any surgery and complications could see further surgeries and extra post-op care. Costs for abdominoplasty in the USA range from around $4,000 for the straightforward procedure up to $20,000 for those with complications.
