The abdomen is an aesthetically important area of the body that has a direct impact on a person's appearance. Tummy tuck surgery (abdominoplasty) is an operation with successful results for both men and women.

 

However, the majority of patients are women who have given birth.

 

In aesthetic surgery, it is the procedure that most often makes you feel the need to change the clothes in your wardrobe after the operation.

 

Normally, the resistance and aesthetic straightness of the abdominal wall is provided by a pair of muscles that run alongside and along the anterior abdominal wall.

 

We refer to these muscles as the rectus abdominis muscles. The main function of the rectus muscle is to pull the body forwards.

 

In women, the rectus muscles are particularly deformed during pregnancy and in men during excessive weight gain. In the final months of pregnancy, they are unable to withstand the tension caused by the excessive growth of the abdomen, deviate from each other and become deformed (rectus diastasis).

 

Especially after several pregnancies, the anterior abdominal wall has lost its resistance and its anatomical structure has deteriorated. Even in women who have regained their ideal weight after giving birth, this problem causes unavoidable abdominal pain, postprandial digestive problems and flatulence.

 

The inability of the abdominal wall to provide adequate resistance allows the stomach to expand easily and plays a role in facilitating continued weight gain.

 

In women and men, the rectus muscles are not the only changes after abdominal augmentation.  In addition to the deformation of the muscles, the abdominal skin is also affected by this change. The abdominal skin develops deep tears, known as striae, and the skin slackens and loses quality.

 

These changes to the abdominal wall and skin cannot be reversed by sport, exercise, diet, skin care, etc. and can only be corrected by surgery.

 

Abdominoplasty is a 3-step procedure. First, the fatty tissue in the front and sides of the abdomen is removed by liposuction to achieve a slimmer appearance of the abdomen and waist.

 

In a second step, the skin and subcutaneous tissue in the sagging abdominal area with severe stretch marks under the navel is removed. The abdominal skin is tightened and the belly button is sutured to its new position.

 

Thirdly, the deformed muscles on the front abdominal wall are brought together and the abdomen is flattened.

 

A tummy tuck is one of the operations that I give my patients the rosiest picture of after the operation.
This is because I can tell my patients that they will be 2-4 sizes slimmer immediately after the operation, and if they listen to my advice in the following 2-3 months, they will be at least 2 sizes slimmer.

 

During the operation, both the liposuction and the plication procedure on the rectus muscles immediately make them 2-4 sizes thinner. Subsequently, it is not a dream that patients will become thinner if they only abstain from carbohydrates and liquid food.

 

Of course, there are a few factors that contribute to this. First of all, patients find it much easier to stick to a specific diet programme after a tummy tuck because the physical change brought about by the operation is a great motivator for patients.

 

The plication of the abdominal wall compresses the stomach from the front, the stomach can no longer expand as easily as before and the feeling of fullness therefore occurs much more quickly.

 

Finally, the patient, who previously found it difficult to move due to their weight, can move away from their sedentary lifestyle and increase their calorie consumption because they can move much more easily.

 

A tummy tuck is a procedure that takes about 2 hours under general anaesthetic.

The patient leaves the operating theatre wearing a special corset. The patient is asked to wear this corset for 4-6 weeks.

In rare cases where there is a risk of bleeding, drains are placed for safety, which are removed after 2 days.

 

The patient begins to walk in the 4th hour after the operation. The patient is hospitalised for 1 day. When the patient is discharged from hospital, they can walk independently and fulfil their toilet and cleaning needs.

Don't forget that you will have the need to change the clothes in your wardrobe extensively after the operation.

 

There is no harm in getting pregnant after a tummy tuck. However, if you are planning to get pregnant within 12 months, I recommend you,