A tummy tuck, also known as abdominoplasty, is one of the most common cosmetic surgeries performed in the United States today. The procedure has been around for nearly half a century and has undergone many changes over that time. Although there are still some risks involved with any type of surgery, this operation—when performed by an experienced surgeon—is safe for most people who are considering it. The goal of a tummy tuck is to tighten loose skin on the abdomen after pregnancy or significant weight loss (such as from gastric bypass surgery), and to remove stretch marks caused by these events
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What is a Tummy Tuck?
A tummy tuck is a surgical procedure that removes excess skin and fat from the abdomen to tighten the muscles and improve body contour. This procedure can also be performed on both men and women.
The tummy tuck is also known as abdominoplasty, which means “plasty” for surgical tightening, and “abdomen” for belly.
During this type of surgery, an incision is made in order to remove excess fat deposits, loose skin pockets around your waistline (love handles), muscle tissue in areas such as your lower back or underarm area (often called saddlebags), stretch marks along with any additional tightening needed depending on what you want done.
What is the Difference Between Abdominoplasty and Mini-Abdominoplasty?
The difference between the two procedures is the amount of skin and fat that is removed. In a traditional tummy tuck, an incision is made from hipbone to hipbone and down through the belly button. The skin is sutured back together, leaving only a small scar around your navel (usually no more than an inch long). A mini-abdominoplasty is generally performed with smaller incisions in the shape of an inverted triangle or trapezoid shape under each breast. The smaller incisions allow for less pain during recovery while also making it easier to create natural looking results with less visible scars.
While both surgeries are usually performed under general anesthesia, patients who undergo a mini-abdominoplasty may experience significantly fewer complications when compared to those who go under full anesthesia due to their smaller size and reduced risk of swelling/healing issues post surgery
What Happens During a Tummy Tuck Procedure?
To perform the surgery, your surgeon will make a small incision on your abdomen. The excess skin and fat are removed from the area. The muscles of your abdomen are tightened, and then stitches are used to close up the incision.
What Do We Mean By Tummy Tuck Scars?
Tummy tuck scars are the marks left on the skin after a tummy tuck procedure. Tummy tucks, also known as abdominoplasty, are used to reshape the abdomen and remove excess fat. During this surgery, an incision is made along your lower abdomen in order to remove excess tissue from your belly area. Your surgeon will then use sutures or staples to close up your skin flaps and weave them together so that they can heal properly without much tension on them.
The location of these scars depends on what type of tummy tuck procedure was performed:
- The traditional horizontal scar runs across your lower abdomen just above your pubic bone; it may extend down toward each hip bone or end at just below each hip bone (see below). This type of scar is typically created when there’s not enough excess skin to fold over itself onto itself as much as possible so that it doesn’t show through clothes very much at all times; instead most people who go with this option wear pants most days anyway! While this may be ideal if you still want some visibility while wearing tight-fitting clothes like leggings, etc., don’t let yourself feel bad about choosing something else if those aren’t going to work out either because there’s always an option for everyone!
How to Minimize the Appearance of a Tummy Tuck Scar
You may be wondering how to keep your tummy tuck scar as flat and unnoticeable as possible. To help you out, we’ve created a list of tips that will help you minimize the appearance of a tummy tuck scar:
- Keep it covered until the stitches are removed. Your doctor will remove the stitches after one week or so. In the meantime, cover your skin with Vaseline or antibiotic ointment to prevent it from drying out (you can also try using silicone sheets or gels).
- Use vitamin E gel on your incision site daily for three months after surgery to reduce inflammation and scarring. You can also apply aloe vera gel as often as desired; this is especially useful if you suffer from dry skin after surgery since it helps moisturize and heal damaged tissue more quickly than other products that contain artificial fragrances or preservatives (this is particularly true for women who are breastfeeding).
- Avoid direct sunlight for several weeks following surgery; remember that ultraviolet rays can cause sunburned scars!”
The scars of a tummy tuck will fade in time.
The scars of a tummy tuck are unavoidable and will fade over time. Scars should be treated with proper aftercare, however, because they can be minimized with the right products and techniques.
If you’re concerned about the appearance of your scars after surgery, you may want to consider laser therapy as an option for treating them. Laser treatments are often used on skin discoloration and scarring after cosmetic procedures like tummy tucks; they use light energy to stimulate new collagen production that helps reduce the appearance of both fine lines and raised scar tissue over time.
That’s why it is important to have realistic expectations about your tummy tuck scars. In most cases, the scars will fade over time and become less noticeable. However, they are permanent and can never be completely removed.
