Is It Time for a Tummy Tuck?

If you haven’t been able to lose inches off your waist from dieting and exercise, an abdominoplasty, more commonly known as a tummy tuck, might be the right procedure for you. The surgery involves the removal of excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen in order to tighten the muscle and fascia of the abdominal wall. This type of surgery is usually sought by patients with loose tissues after pregnancy or individuals with sagging skin after major weight loss.

Abdominoplasty operations vary in magnitude ranging from a mini-tuck where a short incison is made above the pubic area (location of a c-section scar), the muscle is tightened from the belly button to the pubic area and fat of is removed by liposuction to a complete tummy tuck which involves a hip to hip incision (see below). (eliminate from and to sessions) and are frequently subdivided into different procedure sessions. Depending on the extent of the surgery, a complete abdominoplasty can take 1 to 5 hours. A partial abdominoplasty (Mini-Tuck Abdominoplasty) can be completed between 1 to 2 hours.

Typically a complete abdominoplasty follows these steps:

1. An incision is made from hip to hip just above the pubic area.
2. Another incision is within the navel to free the navel from the surrounding skin.
3. The skin and fat is lifted from the abdominal wall, exposing the underlying muscles and fascia that are tightened with sutures. (delete to end of sentenceskin is detached from the abdominal wall to reveal the muscles and fascia to be tightened. The muscle fascia wall is tightened with sutures.
4. The excess skin and fat is removed and the remaining skin and fat are tightened by connecting and closing the incision.
5. The old belly button stalk is brought out through a new hole and sutured into place.
6. Liposuction is often used to refine the transition zones of the abdominal sculpture.
7. A dressing and sometimes a compression garment are applied and any excess fluid from the site is drained.

During the immediate recovery period, it is vital that you prepare to take off 1-4 weeks from intense movement or stress to the body. You should also be prepared for bruising and discomfort during this time, however an abdominal binder can help minimize the swelling and bruising. The full recovery process typically takes 3-6 months, depending on how extensive the procedure was.

If you would like information on Tummy Tucks or to set up a consultation with Dr. Bruck, please click here.

Areola Enhancement Guide
Despite the fact that breast augmentation is one of the most popular forms of cosmetic surgery, there are many cases in which the woman simply wants to alter the appearance of the nipple/areola. A number of women have nipples that either protrude too far or are inverted, and you will be pleased to know that with a simple procedure both of these issues can be corrected.

The most common form of nipple enhancement surgery is the areola reduction procedure, in which the areola, the skin surrounding the nipple, is reduced to fit proportionately with the breast. The areola, which is the darkly pigmented skin surrounding the nipple, can grow due to age and breast feeding.

This procedure is fairly commonplace, with most patients returning to normal activity within 24-48 hours. Due to the exposure of this region of the body, the surgery requires only a small incision, to reduce the outward appearance of scarring.

If you would like information on Areola Enhancement or to set up a consultation with Dr. Bruck, please click here.

Minorities Continue to Adopt Cosmetic Surgery
The longer that plastic surgery is around, the deeper it becomes embedded in our culture. And one of the fastest growing adopters of cosmetic surgery procedures are ethnic groups. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons revealed that in 2004, well over 1 million procedures were performed on minorities in the US, with Hispanics being the leading group, followed by African American’s and Asians.

Also of note, in a survey a year later, in 2005, it was revealed that the majority of plastic surgery procedures was actually performed on the middle-class income bracket. The full breakdown is below:

30% with an income level of $30,000 or less
41% at $31,000 to $60,000
16% at $61,000 to $90,000
13% at $90,000 or more

It’s great to see, with all the changes happening on the social level across the country, that the plastic surgery industry is continually evolving and helping to meet the needs of Americans everywhere!