Tummy Tuck

If you’ve tried diet and exercise, but still can’t achieve your ideal abdominal contour, you may be a good candidate for this procedure. We regularly perform this procedure on both men and women with excellent results. Ideally, patients are close to their target weight with excess skin and fat in the abdominal area. We’ll talk about your candidacy for the procedure in more depth at your consultation.

Our abdominoplasty patients typically require 10-14 days off from work. If you receive a mini tuck, recovery times may be shorter. Expect tenderness, bruising, and swelling. Patients will have activity restrictions for 4 weeks and slowly resume their daily activities as directed by their surgeon.

Scarring is inevitable after a tummy tuck, but skilled plastic surgeons like Dr. Malhotra and Dr. Ballard use techniques to minimize the scar as much as possible. Our incisions are low, just above the pubic bone, and are easily hidden, even when wearing low cut jeans or bikini bottoms. We use advanced suturing techniques to optimize the way the scars heal and often perform liposuction around the incision sites to ensure that excess fat doesn’t create a ridgeline along the incision.

A patient care coordinator at Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery will contact you regarding the next steps to prepare you for your consultation

Dr. Ballard typically places one drain, which comes out from an opening along the incision line. No extra scars are created for the drain. The drain is secured with a suture, and you will need to empty it several times a day. The drain usually stays in until your 1-week follow-up appointment, but sometimes it has to stay in longer to be safe. The drain is easily removed in clinic by cutting the suture and sliding it out.

Dr. Ballard nearly always repairs the rectus muscles in female patients, except if there are no signs of separation, which is rare. Male tummy tuck patients typically do not have any separation and the male physique does not involve creating a small waist.

Repairing the rectus muscles alone does not automatically result in muscle definition and visible abs. However, with exercise and core work, patients can achieve visible muscular definition.

A tummy tuck is not a weight loss procedure, but rather a recontouring procedure. Many patients will experience some weight loss due to the volume of the resected tissue that is removed. However, the best outcomes are achieved when patients are near their goal weight prior to surgery. A tummy tuck serves as the final step to the body of their dreams.

Dr. Ballard will remove sutures from the belly button at 1 week following surgery. The other sutures will all dissolve.

1. Natural, tucked-in belly button that is at the appropriate height
2. Low, thin scar line that easily hides below undergarments
3. Repaired rectus muscles that provide a smooth, thin profile

Swelling is the most pronounced during the first month after surgery, but it can last for up to 3 months. Patients can manage swelling by wearing an abdominal binder or compression garment.

Yes, patients can get pregnant following a tummy tuck. However, most of the time we recommend waiting until after patients are done having children to have an abdominoplasty to ensure a long-lasting result. If you do get pregnant after surgery, you may feel added tightness in the abdominal region as your body expands to accommodate the growing baby, and you may have recurrent skin laxity, muscle separation, and stretch marks.

Recovery typically takes 4-6 weeks.

Patients will often have numbness scattered throughout their abdomen initially following surgery. This usually improves over the first 3 months, but the scar on central lower abdominal area may always be numb. Patients rarely have a suture that comes to the surface, called a spitting suture. 

Dr. Malhotra and Dr. Ballard often perform tummy tucks in combination with liposuction to other areas, most commonly the love handles, upper back, or thighs. During your consultation, we will discuss all of your areas of concern and develop a safe plan to meet your goals.

Following a tummy tuck, most patients can return to exercise at 4 weeks post-op. Dedicated abdominal exercises can be resumed around 6 weeks.

Strenuous activities and lifting anything over 10 lbs must be avoided for 4 weeks following surgery. These restrictions are in place to ensure your incisions and repaired abdominal muscles have a chance to heal properly.

Gentle, everyday movements and walking will not harm your results. Strenuous exercise and lifting, however, must be avoided for 4 weeks.

Tummy tucks do cause discomfort, mainly due to the muscle repair and liposuction that is performed in conjunction with the surgery. This is managed with prescription pain medication and tends to subside after 3-4 days.

Yes, I use your own belly button. Anatomically, your belly button marks the spot where your umbilical cord was once attached when you were a baby. During a tummy tuck surgery, I cut around your belly button to release it from the surrounding skin. Once I pull the excess skin down and remove it, I make a new hole to bring your belly button back out and suture it in place. I use special suturing techniques to ensure the belly button scar is tucked in and looks more natural.

We spend time during your consultation looking at your anatomy and discussing your goals. We also take multiple photos of your mid-section that we use for pre-operative planning and study these photos prior to your surgery.

A tummy tuck typically takes around 3 hours of operating time. This time increases if liposuction is performed as well.

You should look for a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon to perform your tummy tuck that you feel comfortable with. Your surgeon should perform tummy tucks frequently as part of their practice and have safe, predictable results. You should view before and after photos of his or her work and research their reviews. You should also feel well-cared for and have a positive interaction with their staff from the first inquiry with their office.

Contact our office at (734-913-5100) to schedule your personalized consultation and learn more about the cost of abdominoplasty at Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery.