If you have been steadily losing weight and need some help to remove those last few areas of loose skin and fatty tissue around the midsection and back, a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) performed by our surgeon Dr Anh may be your solution to a tighter, flatter tummy.
What is an abdominoplasty?
An abdominoplasty, or ‘tummy tuck’, is a surgical procedure designed to remove excess fat and skin from the abdominal wall, tighten the abdominal wall muscles and to re-contour the torso.
It is not an alternative to diet and exercise but it can help you achieve a flatter and tighter tummy. Generally it is a preferred option for patients who cannot shift stubborn areas of flabby excess skin with diet and exercise alone and cannot flatten a tummy bulge due to separated abdominal wall muscles, that can occur after pregnancy.
Acceptable candidates for a Tummy Tuck
Tummy Tucks are generally performed on men and women of healthy weight range who may have an apron of excess skin and fat and weakened abdominal wall muscles that no amount of diet, exercise, weight loss can correct. Your plastic surgeon, Dr Anh, will assess your candidacy during your initial consultation.
To find out more about Tummy Tucks and other body procedures please download our e-book.
What you can expect from your initial consultation for a Tummy Tuck
The initial consultation can be daunting for you. It is only natural to feel nervous about revealing your concerns about your body and it is only natural to feel self-conscious about sharing your personal feelings about your appearances with someone you have never met before. Dr Anh Nguyen understands that you may feel this way and will try to make the consultation as comfortable for you as possible.
Dr Nguyen and her cosmetic consultants will spend about 45 minutes with you to gain a better understanding of why you are seeking an abdominoplasty, what results you want to achieve from the tummy tuck and what your expectations are of having the procedure. Dr Nguyen will obtain a medical and surgical history and then examine you. Thereafter, she will discuss with you what options are available to you, the pros and cons of each, the recommended treatment, the risks, complications and implications if a complication were to occur, the steps that will be taken to minimize these complications, the aftercare and expected postoperative recovery.
She will show you before and after photos of her patients who have had tummy tucks, answer any of your questions and provide you with written material about abdominoplasty and its alternatives (Liposuction, non-surgical fat reduction techniques) for you to take home. A quote will be given to you at the end of the consultation and the practice manager will explain all of the costs involved in the surgery.
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Discover why the Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) procedure may be right for you.
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FAQS
Dr Anh will try to make your consultation as comfortable for you as possible.
Dr Anh and her cosmetic consultants will spend about 45 minutes with you to gain a better understanding of why you are seeking an abdominoplasty, what results you want to achieve from the tummy tuck and what your expectations are of having the procedure. Dr Anh will obtain a medical and surgical history and then examine you. Thereafter, she will discuss with you:
What options are available to you
The pros and cons of your options
The recommended treatment
The risks involved including complications and implications
The steps taken to minimise these complications
The aftercare and expected postoperative recovery
She will show you before and after photos of her patients who have had tummy tucks, answer any of your questions and provide you with written material about abdominoplasty and its alternatives (Iiposuction, non-surgical fat reduction techniques) for you to take home. A quote will be prepared by the practice manager and your surgeon and given to you at the end of the consultation or sent out via email or post.
Dr Anh believes that the decision to undergo cosmetic surgery is a very personal and important one and should not be made without considerable research, information and understanding. That is why she will recommend you go and seek other opinions, obtain as much information as possible and be comfortable with the surgeon you choose to perform the cosmetic surgery for you.
Dr Anh will recommend a second consultation with you, to go over things again and cover any further questions that you might have.
Yes you can receive liposuction and a tummy tuck during the same operation depending on your personal needs and state of health.
Since there is no one-size-fits-all approach to a tummy tuck, it’s difficult to determine an exact cost without a personalised consultation. In some instances, excess skin is the only issue that needs to be addressed. In other cases, the abdominal walls also need to be repaired. Hospital, anaesthetist and aftercare costs will be other factors to take into account. If a tummy tuck is performed for reconstructive reasons, there is a chance that Medicare might cover a part of the costs. We highly recommend obtaining a GP referral prior to your consultation with Dr Anh if you would like to take advantage of a rebate.
Many men and women consider having a tummy tuck for cosmetic and functional reasons.
A recent study in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal in June 2012* asked abdominoplasty patients what having a tummy tuck has done for their quality of life, emotional stability and self-esteem. The study showed that over 84% of patients were very satisfied with the aesthetic/cosmetic result, 93% would undergo the procedure again, 89% would recommend the operation.
*Papadopulos, Nikolaos A. M.D.; Staffler, Vera M.D.; Mirceva, Vesna M.D.; Henrich, Gerhard Ph.D.; Papadopoulos, Othon N. M.D.; Kovacs, Laszlo M.D.; Herschbach, Peter Ph.D.; Machens, Hans-Gunther M.D.; Biemer, Edgar M.D. Does Abdominoplasty Have a Positive Influence on Quality of Life, Self-Esteem, and Emotional Stability? PLASTIC RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY JUNE 2012: 20 (6) pg. 957e-962e [Article] DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e31824ecc2b