Tummy tuck tidbits

Thursday November 23, 2006 ins: Body Contouring Tag(s):

Technorati Tags: tummy tuck, abdominoplasty

Tummy tucks have become as common as hotcakes these days. You can hear it from almost anybody who is quite dissatisfied with the way his or her bulging tummy looks. You can even hear it from your favorite Hollywood star who just got tired of diet and exercise without getting the desired results. Aside from that, the Internet is filled with a lot of information concerning the subject; so there is no doubt you have at least the basic idea of what a tummy tuck is all about.

Now, Charlotte Observer has something prepared for us regarding the things that we should know about this cosmetic surgery procedure. Here are the five things that people normally didn’t know about tummy tucks, compiled by the Charlotte Observer.

• Abdominoplasty is the medical term for a tummy tuck. The two- to five-hour procedure removes excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen and tightens the muscles of the abdominal wall. The surgeon makes an incision from hipbone to hipbone, just above the pubic zone. A second cut frees the navel from surrounding tissue, and a new hole is cut for your bellybutton. In a partial abdominoplasty, the incision is smaller and the bellybutton remains in place.

• Thinner people can expect better results, says Dr. Zachary Gerut, assistant clinical professor of plastic surgery at the Montefiore-Albert Einstein Medical Center in New York. "The heavier you are, the more fat remains under your skin after the surgery, affecting your healing adversely."

• If you start out in good shape with strong abdominal muscles, recovery will be faster. Exercise will help you heal better. Also, quit smoking at least two weeks before the operation, Gerut advises. "A tummy tuck disconnects a fair amount of the blood supply to the skin and smoking decreases the efficiency of your blood flow all over your body," he says. "Put the two together and you could end up with dead skin instead of a flat belly."

• Your doctor should place your scar so that it is covered by your usual underwear and bathing suit style. If the doc doesn't ask to see where you usually wear underpants or bathing suit bottoms, you may want to show him or her beforehand so your scar can be properly placed.

• The birth process is tough on any woman, even Britney Spears. But word is that right after her second child popped out -- via Caesarean -- in September, the 24-year-old pop star got a tummy tuck, a growing trend with body-conscious new mommies.

Well, there you go. They sure don’t look like they really are hardcore tummy tuck bits of information but they sure do give a novice reader the important things to know about the procedure.

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