There are times when working out, following the proper diet and basically changing your lifestyle to a healthier one is not enough to achieve the body goals you have. This is especially true for people who either drastically lost weight in a short span of time or were massively overweight during the course of their lifetime and developed a lot of excess skin.
At Marina Plastic Surgery, we perform stomach lift procedures as part of our body contouring surgery operations on patients most in need of the service. We offer high-quality services discreetly with results aimed at improving your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Overview
A stomach lift is one of the most common procedures done in body contouring surgery. This is because it affects a large portion of your body which is oftentimes also the hardest to improve because of many factors like age, skin density, other prevailing health conditions or time needed to achieve your body goals to count just a few.
In this case, your surgeon will make a long cut around your navel which extends from opposite points of your hipbone. Skin, tissue and muscles are then repaired or “tucked in” to achieve a firmer, flatter stomach area.
There will be a scar where the cut was made but this fades away in time. There may also be a need to make a secondary cut to remove excess skin in the upper abdomen.
Best Candidates
Men and women with good general health and realistic expectations who are as close as possible to their ideal BMI based on age, height and other physical factors who want to improve their physical appearance and self-confidence.
Men or women who are following weight loss and want to tighten the excess skin or people who are affected by abdominal fatty deposits and skin laxity that won’t respond to diet or exercise.
Women following pregnancy where abdominal skin and musculature may have stretched.
What to Expect
An initial consultation will be done to assess what you essentially need for functionality with a secondary assessment done for the aesthetic purpose of the operation.
Treatment is highly dependent on the degree of looseness of skin, amount of excess skin, age, and other factors.
A single cut along the navel to perform the stomach lift or tummy tuck may be done. For patients with excess skin, another cut may be done above the abdomen to remove excess skin. There will be scarring but it will fade in time.
After Surgery / Recovery
As with all types of surgical procedures, caring for the areas where sutures were made is the highest priority. Following your body contouring surgeon’s instruction for the proper care of affected areas is highly advised.
A dressing will cover the incisions with drains installed for fluid and blood drainage. This will be removed 5 to 10 days after the operation.
Compression garments will be advised for 6 weeks to assist in the healing process and to avoid swelling.
Pain management can be administered by hospital staff or by the patient. It can be oral or through intravenous methods.
Physical therapy will be introduced gradually for muscle strengthening and fortifying the areas operated on.
Liposuction may be advised to completely remove fatty deposits.
Procedure Planner
Initial Meeting
45 – 60 minutes
Pre-op
30 – 60 minutes
Procedure Time
2 hours. Longer if additional procedures are done.
Recovery Time
2 – 8 weeks longer for people who do physical work
Post-op Follow Up
1 week to 10 days for removal of dressing and drains.