A tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) can be a great way to transform your midsection. It can remove excess fat and skin while tightening muscles of the abdominal wall. Often as part of a tummy tuck, the belly button is relocated or recreated. This part of the procedure is called an umbilicoplasty, and in a few cases, it may be performed even without a tummy tuck.

Umbilicoplasty Fast Facts

• Some people are self-conscious about the appearance of their navel. Whether you have an outie (a belly button that protrudes out) or an innie (one that does not protrude), an umbilicoplasty can help you achieve a more appealing belly button.
• An umbilicoplasty is designed to reshape the navel to create a more desirable appearance. The shape of your belly button is determined from birth, but the shape can change over time due to factors such as pregnancy, weight fluctuations, or a hernia.
• Changing an “outie” to an “innie” is not the only reason for umbilicoplasty. Some patients would like to make a horizontal navel more vertical, or even into a T-shape, where the belly button has a slight overhang of skin.

Would you consider an umbilicoplasty to improve the look of your midsection, even if you didn’t want to have a tummy tuck? I think there are good reasons why this isn’t a popular procedure on its own, but tell me what you think – share your thoughts below.

Abdominoplasty, often referred to as a tummy tuck, is popular among my Columbus, Ohio patients (as well as men and women throughout the United States). Many of my patients choose this procedure because they want a smoother and flatter stomach, one that will be proportional to the rest of their body. A tummy tuck removes excess abdominal fat and skin and tightens abdominal muscles.

Most people understand these basic facts about abdominoplasty; what they may not realize is that, especially when receiving a full tummy tuck, the position of the belly button may need to be changed.

During a full tummy tuck:

1. An incision is made from hip to hip, above the pubic area.
2. Another incision is made to free the navel of surrounding skin.
3. The skin is detached from the abdominal wall, and muscles are restructured.
4. Excess skin and fat are removed.
5. The old belly button stalk is brought out through a new hole.
6. Liposuction may be used to refine specific areas.

It should be noted that this does not need to happen in all cases. A skilled plastic surgeon will personalize the tummy tuck procedure for each patient, so each surgery is slightly different. If you’re considering a tummy tuck, meet with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon to learn more about how the procedure would affect the position of your belly button.

I get asked this question many times during surgical consultations. The short answer is “No.” During a routine tummy tuck procedure, the abdominal muscles are tightened, but this is more like mending the muscle rather than strengthening it. You will have a tighter and flatter stomach after the procedure, but the muscles will not be any stronger.

However, many patients find that increasing their abdominal muscle tone and strength is easier following a tummy tuck. The tighter abdominal muscles will respond better to exercises like crunches or sit-ups than they would have before surgery. As a result, if you’re trying to whip yourself into shape, but are left with excess skin and stubborn fatty deposits on your stomach, having a tummy tuck might be a good choice to help you get closer to those strong and well-defined abs.

In general, I recommend that my patients wait a few weeks after I perform their tummy tucks in Sacramento before they can begin doing abdominal exercise. But after this healing period, most patients will be free to do as many crunches and sit-ups as they want.

With childhood and adult obesity rates continuing to rise, it’s no wonder that some people are beginning to recommend weight-loss surgery for teenagers. It should go without saying, but these procedures, and the body contouring procedures that are often required afterwards to remove excess skin, are not an ideal option for most overweight or obese teens. Here’s why:

Weight Loss Surgery

The first option for weight loss should always be diet and exercise. But even when diet and exercise fail, going under the knife presents a few problems. Gastric bypass surgery permanently limits the amount of food a person can consume, which for young people means a lifetime of small portions and diet supplements even after they have lost weight.

Gastric banding procedures are reversible, but this procedure raises other concerns. Right now, there is very little data showing the long-term effectiveness of the bands. Living with the bands also requires a great deal of motivation and self-discipline and it may be hard for teens to find the internal motivation required to continue the routine after surgery.

The health risks and complications following weight loss surgery for younger patients are not well understood, and at this time non-surgical weight loss methods are still essential for this patient group.

Body Contouring

The first thing to understand about procedures like liposuction and tummy tuck is that they are not weight loss surgeries. Liposuction is used to treat areas of fat that are resistant to diet and exercise for patients who are close to their ideal body weight, and tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) procedures are performed to treat sagging skin and loose muscle from things like weight loss and pregnancy. Very few liposuction and tummy tuck procedures are performed for teens, and with good reason. For a young person who has lost a significant amount of weight, I would want to see them maintain that weight loss for an extended period before performing a body contouring procedure.

Your doctor may tell you to avoid strenuous exercise after undergoing a surgical procedure, but what does “strenuous” really mean? The truth is, what’s considered strenuous is going to be different for everyone.

So, now you’re probably wondering, “How do I determine what strenuous is for me?” A general rule of thumb is that strenuous exercise involves significantly elevating your heartbeat to about 80% or 90% of its maximum for a relatively extended period of time (usually about 20 to 60 minutes). Examples of strenuous exercise may include running and contact sports.

Each cosmetic procedure carries unique recovery parameters. Non-surgical procedures often allow patients to get back to their usual routine without any restrictions on activity. However, most surgical procedures require patients to rest and recover. Patients are often encouraged to start a slow walking routine starting the second day after surgery, gradually working back up to regular exercise in the weeks that follow. Rigorous exercise is often not allowed during the first 2 weeks following surgery in order to decrease bruising, swelling, and bleeding. For example, I tell my tummy tuck patients in Birmingham to avoid strenuous exercise for a month after surgery.

Please feel free to share your experiences or ask questions about exercising after surgery.

I don’t know about you, but I think it’s time for some summer fun. I’m going to mix it up a little here and play a game I’m calling “Name That Surgery.” I’ll give you a few facts about or descriptions of popular plastic surgery procedures, and you can guess which procedure I’m referring to. Let’s see how many you can get right.

1. While it’s no substitute for a healthy diet and regular exercise, and it can’t reduce excess skin, this procedure can tackle those tough-to-target areas of unwanted fat.
2. This non-surgical treatment reduces the appearance dynamic wrinkles (those caused by the movement of facial muscles), but it isn’t BOTOX® Cosmetic.
3. This breast enhancement procedure isn’t just popular with women. It is increasing in popularity for men in the U.S. and abroad.
4. This was the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure for US women in 2009, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
5. This was the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure for US men in 2009, according the ASPS.
6. These combined procedures are used to restore a woman’s figure after pregnancy and childbirth. Procedures that are commonly combined include tummy tuck, liposuction, and breast lift.
7. This procedure, also called a forehead lift, addresses the upper third of the face, correcting wrinkles that appear horizontally across the forehead  and between the eyebrows.
8. Get longer, thicker, darker eyelashes with nightly application of this non-surgical treatment.
9. These non-surgical treatments add volume to facial features and reduce the appearance of nasolabial folds.

What do you think? At my office in Orange County, liposuction, face lift surgery, tummy tucks, and breast augmentation are all popular procedures. Could any of these be among the answers? Comment on this blog with your answers and I’ll let you know if you’re right.

Are you one of the many people who are considering a tummy tuck in Las Vegas? You, like most others, are probably wondering where you can get some real, useful insights about the procedure – information that will actually be helpful to you. While there are a variety of resources available, I’m going to focus on just one here: patient forums. There are many review sites and forums where people considering abdominoplasty can get first-hand accounts from patients.

RealSelf

If you are considering abdominoplasty, there are many review sites that you can visit to get that first-hand description. One that I personally like is RealSelf. Their rating on tummy tuck procedures is a whopping 86%. That means that 86% of patients who have undergone tummy tuck surgery who are participating on its forum (RealSelf has over 600 tummy tuck patient reviews) deemed the procedure “worth it.”

With reviews, though, you must take the good with the bad. Not everyone will agree about a certain procedure. That being said, by comparing the pros and cons, you will be able to get a clearer perspective on your potential surgery.

Why Forums and Reviews?

While it is important to understand the technicalities of a procedure, it is just as important to get a real, personal perspective on what the procedure is like for the patient. The only way to gain this perspective prior to surgery is to hear from people who have actually had the procedure you’re considering. Online forums are an opportunity to share information with a broad community of patients and get the perspective and advice you need.

At my plastic surgery practice in Phoenix, I often consult with frustrated moms who have lost their pregnancy weight, but can’t seem to get back the flat abdomen they had before the baby. Conventional wisdom tells us that “just a few more” crunches should do the trick, but this isn’t always true. My experience is that we can work out to build muscle and lose weight, but we cannot exercise loose skin or loose connective tissue.

One of the reasons women end up with a protruding belly after having children is that the abdominal wall becomes stretched during pregnancy. The connective tissue that envelops the “six-pack” muscles becomes loose and prevents the abdomen from being flat regardless of how many sit-ups we do. This condition is sometimes called diastasis recti or myofascial laxity. Often after significant weight loss or after pregnancy the abdominal wall does not bounce back to its normal tone. This results in the “pooch” (protruding belly) and thickened waist that frustrate so many moms.

The other reason why women cannot get their pre-baby tummy back is that there is extra skin that will not improve with either diet or exercise. Once skin elasticity is lost it must be tightened surgically. So what’s a mom to do if she ever wants to get back in her skinny jeans or a bathing suit?

I recommend tummy tuck for my Phoenix patients with these concerns. This surgery is the tried and true way to repair the damage that pregnancy has done, and give you back a firm, slender midsection. The procedure repairs the separated muscle, eliminates the loose skin and stretch marks, and uses liposuction to get rid of excess fat and improve the contour of the waist and flanks. As an authority on abdominoplasty, I use innovative, effective techniques for optimal results. Some women even come out looking better than they did before they had kids!

Whether you’re thinking about wearing a bathing suit, swimming trunks, a tight t-shirt, or a fitted dress, a soft, bulgy middle can make you hesitate. As an Orange County plastic surgeon, I strive to help my patients look their very best. If we both do our part, it’s quite possible to have an abdomen you’ll be proud to show off in whatever you decide to wear.

Lifestyle: This is absolutely essential for flat abs and trim waistline. By eating right and exercising regularly, you naturally reduce body fat and tone your muscles. It also helps to get plenty of sleep so your body can heal and help keep your weight stable.

Tummy tuck: After you’ve done your part, you might still be unhappy with your midsection – this is often due to loose skin and separated abdominal muscles. For these concerns, dieting and crunches have little effect. For many of these people, the only way to achieve the desired improvement is through surgery such as a tummy tuck. I customize each tummy tuck in my Orange County practice to the patient’s needs. I consider the amount of stretched skin, whether the majority of the excess skin is above or below the belly button (or both), and whether the patient’s abdominal muscles have stretched or separated. For many patients, these concerns can be surgically repaired, often with thin scars that can be concealed by clothing.

Liposuction: Although it is intended to remove small deposits of excess fat, liposuction is not meant to be a “get slim quick” scheme. Once you’re at or near your ideal weight, liposuction can give you the fine-tuning that’s so difficult to achieve on your own. A more refined form of liposuction called “abdominal etching” can sculpt away fat deposits between the ab muscles and reveal the “six-pack” hidden below.

Body lift: In cases of extreme weight loss, you might need to get rid of excess skin all the way around your midsection with a body lift. While this highly individualized procedure does involve scars, we try to conceal them as much as possible. For many patients, the trade-off in a firm shape is worth the thin, fine scars.

While there are many factors that can sidetrack your body, there’s no reason to give up. When you work as a team with your plastic surgeon, it’s possible to regain an attractive, firm abdomen that will likely improve your confidence as well.

Stretch marks are a big concern for my “mommy makeover” and post-weight-loss patients, and there are a few things you need to know about how you can minimize these. First, stretch marks are actually paper-thin scars below the skin surface, which is why “miracle creams” that only reach the top layer of the skin don’t work. But there are plenty of good options for treatments that will get rid of stretch marks (or at least disguise them):

5 Stretch Mark Solutions that Work

• 1 – Tummy Tuck – When I remove excess skin and fat during a tummy tuck, I can often position the incision so that I remove as much of the abdominal stretch marks as possible along with the extra skin. A tummy tuck does replace the stretch marks with a thin scar below the bikini line, but it’s also the most thorough solution and the only one that can get rid of stretch marks in the abdominal area completely.
• 2 – Mini-Tummy Tuck (limited abdominoplasty) – If the patient has fewer stretch marks, this procedure can sometimes correct the problem the same way as a full tummy tuck.
• 3 – Microdermabrasion – This skin rejuvenation technique can sometimes be used to polish away some of the fibrous stretch-mark scar tissue microscopically. Over time the new, healthy cells can help disguise the marks.
• 4 – Liposuction – This procedure isn’t at the top of my list because large stretch marks can actually work against good liposuction results by preventing skin from tightening after the procedure. In a few cases, though, this option can help minimize the appearance of newer, smaller stretch marks because it removes the fat that pressed them outward and made them more visible.
• 5 – Laser Therapy – Certain types of excimer, fractional, and pulsed-dye laser therapies can partly disguise the appearance of stretch marks, but unfortunately they won’t eliminate them completely the way surgery can.

Which option? If you’re not quite sure which treatment would work best for you, the best thing to do is to consult a qualified plastic surgeon for advice. Most of us offer dermatologic services like microdermabrasion, and a consultation is the best way to find out which option would get the best results.