Tummy Tuck Procedures for Mom

A tummy tuck is the kind of cosmetic surgery that tightens the abdominal muscles and sometimes removes excessive amounts of skin and fat to make the abdominal area flat and attractive. It is most popular perhaps with women who have had children, since long after the baby is old enough to walk or even be in school, mom's belly can still remain soft and out of shape. The reason is not a lack of diet or exercise. It usually comes down to the muscles of the abdominal wall becoming too weak from the pregnancy, and without anything to tighten them up physically, the weak muscles create the look of a post-baby belly that simply doesn't get better on its own.

The term tummy tuck actually covers about seven different types of procedures that all have the same goal but accomplish it differently. The first and probably the one most women associate with this procedure is a complete abdominoplasty surgery. This surgery can take between one to five hours depending on how much work you need done and is the option for patients who require the most corrective work. Think Kate Gosselin, for example, who had two multiple pregnancies that likely destroyed her body. If you have seen Kate Gosselin's bikini photos that are post-mommy makeover, you know that no mommy is beyond helping surgically. With this procedure, the incision is made from hip to hip, just above the above the pubic area, and a second incision is made to free the navel from the surrounding skin. The skin is then pulled back to reveal the muscles, and the plastic surgeon tightens the muscles back to their pre-mommy days with sutures. The skin is then closed back up and sutured closed with a drainage tube in place to drain the excessive blood and fluids that accumulate in surgery.

A less severe tummy tuck is a partial abdominoplasty, also known as a mini or partial tuck, and the incision needed for this partial tuck is smaller and the detachment of skin from muscle is not as extensive as a full tuck. A partial tuck is far less invasive, as you can probably imagine, and leaves a much smaller scar. It is even known as a scar-less tuck because the incision that is made is less severe. Other options for this procedure itself include the extended abdominoplasty, the high lateral tension tummy tuck, the circumferential abdominoplasty, and a combination of any aforementioned procedures. These procedures are designed to meet the needs of the patient who may need more or less of a tuck. The extended tuck, for example, includes a lateral thigh lift which helps to improve the waist and makes the contour of the thigh smoother.

Talk to your plastic surgeon about these various options and discuss which technique is best for you and your overall goals of having a flat tummy again. After all, if Kate Plus Eight can wear a bikini in public and look great, anyone can.