The female body has significant hormone and physiologic changes following delivery of an infant. The surgery of a Cesarian section involves cutting through tissue adjacent to the surgical site of a tummy tuck.
Initially the patient has the adjustment of a new baby to care for as well as the healing from the surgery. This may be a reasonable time to consult with a plastic surgeon; however, timing of a tummy tuck will be dictated by the rate of your recovery and the additional burdens on your life.
It is not unreasonable to consider upwards of a 6-month interval between C-section and tummy tuck. With that in mind each patient is different and some patients may be ready sooner and some may take longer.
A Board certified plastic surgeon who is a member of ASAPS is a good place to start.
Also consider a surgeon who has experience using “No Drain” surgery with concomitant liposuction for results which may be superior.
Dr. Claytor has taught the Tummy Tuck Course as an instructor at The Aesthetic Society meeting for the past 3 years.
For abdominal rejuvenation there are 4 types of abdomen anatomy.
Type 1 is amenable to liposuction alone.
Type 2 is best suited for a mini tummy tuck which takes out loose skin from below the belly button and does not address the upper abdomen.
Type 3 is a limited situation where the belly button is high and can be lowered or “floated”. The elevation of the tissue up to the level of the xiphoid allows for tightening of the abdomen.
Sometimes if the lower abdomen is tight and the upper abdomen is loose, a reverse abdominoplasty or tummy tuck can remove this skin. However it does create a scar across both lower inframammary folds of th/procedures/body/tummy-tuck-abdominoplasty/e breast and a scar across the lower chest which is not possible to “hide”
Type four is the patient who is a full tummy tuck candidate.
Minimally invasive options are Smart Lipo suction which can provide tissue tightening with laser based technology.
It is best to obtain a consult with a board certified plastic surgeon who is a member of ASAPS. Check the Smart Beauty Guide.
Before & After Gallery
Dr. Brannon Claytor uses advanced techniques to provide natural-looking outcomes. See the results for yourself in our patient gallery.
The operative swelling has a progressive resolution over time.
Your best results should be more apparent at 3 to 6 months. More extensive surgery will often require longer time to achieve final results. This is also a great time to consider your nutritional choices and exercise program. Once you clear these with you plastic surgeon you may find that the surgery that you underwent now allows you further sculpt and define you abdominal shape and contours.
A follow up visit with your plastic surgeon with these questions will give you an opportunity to further clarify what nutritional and exercise options are best for you.
Before & After Gallery
Dr. Brannon Claytor uses advanced techniques to provide natural-looking outcomes. See the results for yourself in our patient gallery.
Recovery from your tummy tuck is both physical and emotional.
The physical recovery is significant and blocking out time from work and ensuring that you have the right support system in place prior to undergoing surgery will promote your success in your transformation. Often is will take 4 weeks before you are able to resume full activity. Setting a bench mark of being at 50% activity level at 2 weeks provides appropriate levels of expectations and minimizes disappointment.
Another import aspect of being ready is acknowledging your emotional state leading up to surgery and during your recovery. This may not be a large consideration as you prepare for surgery but being emotionally prepared will enhance your mental wellbeing and smooth out your recovery.
You may have some doubts, (“why did I choose this procedure”) during recovery just as often as the thoughts of joy and elation (“I am so glad that I finally fixed that sagging belly!”). It is comforting to know that these mood swings are not uncommon and natural.
Several suggestions to help you prepare emotionally for your recovery:
1) Have your support team set up prior to surgery. If you can have several meals prepared ahead of time, this will decrease the stress on everyone in the family.
2) Expect that you will feel a little “run down” and fatigued in the post operative period. Often this is from the effects of the anesthesia and will resolve with time.
3) Plan for a light work load at work so that you are not stressed about taking some time off.
4) Patience with the healing process and not expecting too much of yourself in the early post operative period
5) Keeping active mentally. Get some good books that you have been meaning to read anyway.
6) Check in with your plastic surgeon regularly and call if any questions come up. We would rather hear from you and put you at ease than have you worry.
Before & After Gallery
Dr. Brannon Claytor uses advanced techniques to provide natural-looking outcomes. See the results for yourself in our patient gallery.
What option you choose to take is based on your anatomy and your desired outcomes.
Some patients are concerned about keloid scars. These scars are often associated with individuals who are a higher Fitzpatrick number, meaning that patients with more melanin in their skin have darker skin and are more prone to keloids. Some patients mistake hypertrophic scars with keloids. Hypertrophic scars may be from tension across a wound and increased collagen production as a result during the healing process. Scar management during wound healing may aid in final results.
The options for a patient who is 5’7″ and weighs 145 pounds translates into a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 22. This is considered a Normal Weight BMI.
Meaning that stable body weight is achieved and no additional weight loss would be indicated prior to surgery.
If you have had a pregnancy, that would suggest that rectus muscles have been pulled apart and central diastasis of the rectus muscles has resulted in abdominal muscle imbalance. A full or modified tummy tuck will be able to address rectus diastasis during the procedure which allows the surgeon to address rectus fascia from the pubis all the way up to the xiphoid (Central lower portion of the rib cage) during the repair.
Minimal skin stretch or striae of the abdomen from pregnancy means that the skin has relatively good elasticity still present. Once the skin develops striae it cannot be repaired or restored with topical treatments such as lasers or cream. Often the only option is to surgically remove it with a full abdominoplasty or tummy tuck.
If the skin is not injured from striae then, liposuction or mini tummy tuck may be a reasonable option to address lipodystrophy (or unwanted fat in the lower abdomen)
Best options are determined with a full consultation and physical exam with a board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Brannon Claytor. Call our office today to schedule your abdominoplasty on its own, or as part of a comprehensive mommy makeover.
Dr. Claytor discusses the challenges for aesthetic breast augmentation of a 24-year-old patient who is self-conscious of her small breasts. She is not able to find clothes that fit comfortably. She desires a more natural shape and would like to feel comfortable in a bikini.
The challenges for the surgeon are to achieve symmetry and place the implants in the area behind the nipple-areola complex. The inframammary fold is too high and the base of the breast is constricted.
Treatment for her includes lowering her inframammary fold, and releasing the pectoralis muscle with a dual plane technique to achieve an aesthetic curve shape to the lower pole of the breast. The patient requested a silicone implant which is a good option for her anatomic challenge.
Before & After Gallery
Dr. Brannon Claytor uses advanced techniques to provide natural-looking outcomes. See the results for yourself in our patient gallery.
Dr. Claytor teaches the advanced course in abdominoplasty and liposuction at The Aesthetic Society. The meeting is the national meeting for aesthetic plastic surgeons and brings together the thought leaders to teach the membership of the society the latest and safest innovations in cosmetic surgery.
This year the meeting has a more international feel as it is located in Montreal.
Dr. Claytor invited Dr Vasconez to present Dr Costa-Ferrera’s level 1 evidence on abdominoplasty which was published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal this year.
While surgical correction of loose skin and excess adipose tissue is frequently the best option for treatment with an abdominoplasty, some patients are candidates for a non-surgical treatment.
Dr. Claytor is on staff as a Plastic Surgeon at Bryn Mawr Hospital which is in the Main Line Health Network.
Dr. Claytor presents at the Aesthetica Meeting in Las Vegas. This meeting brought together hundreds of top Plastic Surgeons to a special meeting which focused on Cosmetic and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. The topics included; facelifts, tummy tucks, blepharoplasty, breast augmentation, breast lift, abdominoplasty, fat grafting, non surgical facial rejuvenation, brachioplasty, total body lift.
Dr. Claytor’s presentation was on abdominoplasty which is also known as a tummy tuck. The unique aspects of Dr. Claytor’s talk included special preservation of lymphatics which facilitate the body’s own capacity to absorb fluid at the operative site. For selected patient’s who are candidates for this procedure, your surgery can be performed without the use of drains.
A consultation with Dr. Claytor is the best way to determine if this operation is tight for you.
Dr. Claytor has been invited to the Aesthetica ASPS meeting in Las Vegas this month to discuss drainless abdominoplasty with associated liposuction. The meeting is ASPS’s inaugural meeting focusing just on cosmetic and aesthetic surgery. The meeting will cover facelift, blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, body contouring, liposuction, brachioplasty, breast augmentation and mastopexy surgery. The ASPS society endorses plastic surgery by board certified plastic surgeons.
Dr. Claytor’s talk with focus on abdominoplasty and flank liposuction with no drains needed. This is possible in certain patients when the abdominal anatomy of the patient is maximized to utilize existing lymphatics to drain fluid in place of using drains which can be uncomfortable. Dr. Claytor will be sharing his expertise and results with other board certified plastic surgeons.
No Drain Abdominoplasty with liposuction
Excess abdominal skin and adipose tissue cannot be removed by diet and exercise alone. The rectus abdominal muscles that developed diastasis during pregnancy will not return to midline with sit-ups and Ab crunches. Diastasis or separation of the rectus muscles alters the functional strength of the abdomen and can result in an unsightly bulge with forced exertion. No amount of exercise will return these muscles to their original anatomic position.
These elements of abdominal aging are immune to conservative measures.
Abdominoplasty surgery has long been the gold standard for abdominal rejuvenation. Until recently the “tummy tuck” procedure has been performed with relatively traditional steps. These steps were to remove the excess skin and fat and repair the torn and separated muscles. With this technique drains are placed to prevent fluid accumulation.
Now there is a new, drain-free method available.
Certain elements of the old, tried and true procedure still hold; however, newer developments have allowed for simultaneous liposuction of the abdominal flap and the lateral flanks. This enables the surgeon to fine-tune and improve the waistline and create the hourglass figure which so captivates and defines the shape of aesthetic beauty.
Long acting local anesthetic medication delivered at the time of surgery can block the initial nerve receptors thereby limiting post-operative discomfort.
No drain surgery is possible by capitalizing on the body’s own internal plumbing system. The body has built-in lymphatic drainage which draws away fluid from the abdominal wall. By preserving these anatomic structures during surgery and using liposuction to remove the excess fat tissue, the body’s own structural drainage system precludes the need for drains.
When this technique is employed the surgery may be done without the use of drains. Call our office to schedule your abdominoplasty on its own or as part of a full mommy makeover surgery.