Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) in Fort Worth

Liposuction removes fat below the skin to improve contour. It does not improve excess skin or stretch marks. An abdominoplasty procedure does several things:

• Removes some fat from the midsection
• Removes excess, loose/stretched-out skin
• Tightens the abdominal muscles which helps flatten the abdomen when viewed from the side and helps narrow the waist when viewed from the front.
• Redistributes the skin from the upper abdomen to the lower abdomen. This tightens the skin and helps thin the fat layer of the abdomen as well.

A Fort Worth tummy tuck will reverse the changes of pregnancy and weight loss, while awake liposuction is useful for removing fat from isolated areas. In order to get a good result with liposuction, the patient should be close to an ideal weight and have good skin tone. If liposuction is performed in an area without good skin tone (lots of stretch marks), the patient will very likely be left with loose skin that does not contract or shrink down.

Mini-Abdominoplasty:

A tummy tuck with a shorter incision to remove an isolated, small amount of loose skin in the lower abdomen. The abdominal muscles may or may not be repaired in a mini-abdominoplasty.

Umbilical Float Abdominoplasty:

In this procedure the belly button is left attached to the upper abdominal skin and moved inferiorly. The muscles are typically tightened. This procedure is reserved for patients with good skin quality who desire a very low incision/scar or those patients who have a very high belly button that may result in undesired scars from the previous belly button location.

Standard Abdominoplasty:

A stomach tuck with an incision that runs from hip to hip with muscle repair.

Circumferential Abdominoplasty:

Also known as a Body Lift, Belt Lipectomy, Around the World Tummy Tuck, etc. The incision goes all the way around the trunk. This type of procedure provides a buttock and lateral thigh lift and is typically reserved for massive weight loss patients.

A abdominoplasty is not a weight loss surgery. It is designed to improve contour and remove excess skin and some fat. Dr. Steele advises abdominoplasty patients to be as close to their ideal body weight as possible, with a body mass index (BMI) between 25-30. Patients who lose significant weight after their tummy tuck can be left with recurrent loose skin due poor skin tone. Also, patients who are obese (BMI > 30) do not get as good a result compared to patients of normal weight and are at higher risk for complications including delayed healing, fluid pockets (seroma), and deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

You will have a graduated return over several weeks to 2 months. It is important to return to light activity right after a tummy tuck surgery to minimize the risk of DVT (blood clots). Most abdominoplasty patients are back at work by 10-14 days. Cardio activity can be resumed at 4 weeks and heavy lifting (>15lbs) at 6 weeks. Core activity can start at 2 months.

Yes, generally an abdominoplasty will remove all stretch marks below the belly button. Patients with upper abdominal stretch marks will get some improvement- they will be moved lower down on the abdomen and will be tighter, which helps diminish the appearance.

Dr. Steele is a tummy tuck specialist who takes pride in leaving fine scars that are very low on the abdomen. This allows for the abdominoplasty patient to have many options with regard to bathing suits and jeans. Because the scar is so low, the patient can feel very confident in showing her new abdominal contour without concern of a visible scar. The scars will improve significantly in the year after a tummy tuck surgery, and Dr. Steele will provide you with scar care instructions for an optimal outcome.

Yes, this is quite common as part of a mommy makeover procedure. A variety of breast procedures can be combined, including breast augmentation, breast lift, breast lift with implants, and breast reduction. The addition of breast surgery does increase the anesthetic and surgery time, so in some cases an overnight stay for observation is advisable.

Many of the lymph vessels that help drain fluid from our skin are cut during a stomach tuck. It takes time for these vessels to reconnect, so as a result there is swelling. I tell my abdominoplasty patients that it will usually take 3-6 months for all of the swelling to resolve, particularly when liposuction is combined on the hip/waist area. Most patients note significant improvement by the 2-3 month mark. I advise patients to wear the compression garment for at least 2 months to help speed the resolution of swelling.

As noted above, a stomach tuck is not a weight loss procedure, but I typically will remove at least a pound of fat from each hip/waist area with liposuction and 2-4 pounds of skin and fat from the abdomen. This varies widely from patient to patient depending on how much fat is underneath the excised skin. Patients may notice an immediate weight gain after a tummy tuck surgery due to the fluids received from anesthesia, but this is only temporary. Most of my abdominoplasty patients will notice a drop in at least two dress sizes, and in some cases up to four.