Tummy tuck

Motherhood is wonderful, but it also takes a toll on your body. Perhaps you are a woman who has kept diastasis after giving birth – a situation where the straight abdominal muscles have not recovered after pregnancy, leaving the abdomen slightly bulging no matter what you do to exercise your abdominal muscles. To solve this, there is a special abdominoplasty. In this procedure, the plastic surgeon sutures the straight abdominal muscles back together, making the abdomen flat again. This procedure can be combined with a full tummy tuck. Incisions are made just above the pubic mound and around the navel. The plastic surgeon loosens the skin and fat up to the rib arch. Next, the surgeon removes the excess skin and fat and moves the belly button to a new position so that it is back in a natural place on the abdomen after surgery.

A total abdominoplasty with diastasis requires an average of 3-4 hours. This surgery is performed under general anesthesia.

Results

After 4-6 months you will have a good idea of the result: a tighter, flatter abdomen. Obviously, this is different for everyone, depending on the initial situation, the condition of the skin and the recovery capacity of your body. The result is permanent, provided you maintain your weight and a healthy lifestyle. The scar is of course still red and swollen in the beginning but fades with time and falls under the edge of your underwear. You should expect to have a nice scar after about a year. For optimal scarring, we have several options in our clinic to aid recovery.

You may opt for a mini-tummy tuck if you suffer from excess skin below the navel and have an annoying “apron” there. If the entire abdominal wall is sagging, including the skin and muscles above the navel, then you qualify for a full tummy tuck. In a mini abdominoplasty, the incision is smaller than in a full tummy tuck. The plastic surgeon loosens skin and fat up to the rib arch, and excess skin and fat are then removed. The navel is not repositioned in this process. The incision is made just above the pubic mound and falls below the edge of the underwear. Contrary to what the name of this surgery suggests, this is a firm procedure.

The mini abdominoplasty is performed under general anesthesia and the surgery takes about 2 hours.

Results

After 4-6 months you will have a good idea of the result: a tighter, flatter abdomen. Of course, this is different for everyone, depending on the starting situation, the condition of the skin and the recovery capacity of your body. The result is permanent, provided you maintain your weight and a healthy lifestyle. The scar is of course still red and swollen in the beginning, but it flattens and fades with time and falls under the edge of your underwear. You should expect to have a nice scar after about a year. For optimal scarring, we have several options in our clinic to aid recovery.

Depending on how extensive the surgery is, you may need to stay in the hospital for 1-2 days. Usually, a drain is placed on both sides of your body to drain excess fluid. These drains are removed at the first follow-up appointment after one or two days at our clinic in The Hague.

Feedback from our patients tells us that the pain is very well tolerated. Of course, the area is sensitive after surgery and you will probably experience some pulling pain. You will notice that this tends to make you walk with a bit of a hunch during the first few days. With painkillers we can alleviate the pain.

To ensure that there is no extra pressure on the treated areas, which can lead to more pain, it is important – as far as possible – to avoid coughing and sneezing in the first week after surgery.

For best results, it is important that you wear a supportive compression suit for 6 weeks, 24 hours a day. After 8 weeks you will no longer need it. The treated area will be red and swollen after surgery and there are often bruises. Most people can resume normal work after 2 weeks, consult your surgeon. It takes 6 weeks before you can resume heavy, demanding work.

Well before your surgery, you will receive a document with patient information from us. Of course, the surgeon will also give you personal advice based on the extent of the tummy tuck and your general state of health. Below is a brief summary of the patient information. It is important to take this into account for the best result.

Before surgery:

• Stop smoking four weeks before surgery
• If you are taking medications such as Marcoumar, Sintrom/Sintrommitis or Asprocardio. If so, consult with the surgeon about possibly stopping and taking these medications again. This also applies when using Aspirin or painkillers with aspirin such as Advil, Diclofenac and others.
• Do not use blood thinning medications before surgery.
• Remember to arrange transportation home, even if you stay overnight. Driving yourself after surgery is not allowed.
• Arrange in advance for someone to help you at home for the first few days.

The day of surgery:

• Take a shower or a bath. You should not shower for up to 72 hours after surgery
• Do not use body lotion or cream
• Wear comfortable and loose-fitting clothing
• Don’t forget to bring your compression set and abdominal belt, if you have bought them yourself somewhere. If you buy these at our clinic, we will bring them for you
• Do not wear jewelry, watches or piercings
• Make sure you are well rested and on time

After the procedure:

• Make sure you are not home alone for the first few days.
• Rest and sleep on your back, ask our medical team for advice when you can sleep on your side or stomach again.
• Keep the circulation going well by walking around every hour. This promotes the healing of the wound.
• You cannot shower until 10 days after the tummy tuck, ask the surgeon or healthcare team for advice.
• During the first three weeks after the tummy tuck, make sure that you don’t put any pressure on the abdomen, i.e. don’t push or lift anything or bend.
• Working is possible after about a week and a half, but only with moderate to light physical activity.
• Resuming sports is generally possible on average six weeks after surgery, in consultation with the surgeon.
• Initially you cannot drive yourself (car, motorcycle, etc.)

Like all surgeries, a tummy tuck involves risks and possible complications. These include:

Bleeding (hematoma)

Bleeding sometimes occurs after surgery from the tissue in the wound cavity. Should this happen, your body may feel swollen and painful. We may apply special massages to help the wound fluid absorb more quickly. In a few cases, it may be necessary to perform an additional procedure, which must be done in the hospital or clinic.

Infection 

It is important to recognize that surgery carries a risk of bacterial infection. Such an infection may be accompanied by fatigue, weakness, fever and muscle pain. Administering antibiotics during your surgery minimizes this risk. It is very rare for a patient to need to be readmitted. If you experience symptoms of infection, please contact our medical team outside of office hours or call the dedicated phone number that is available to you 24/7.

Wound Healing

How a wound heals varies from person to person and even from one part of the body to another and is a gradual process. Smoking in the period before and after surgery can seriously impede the healing process.

Location and variability of the scar

All surgeries leave a permanent scar, and patients should be aware that the rate at which their scars heal and fade varies from person to person.

Our plastic surgeons place great importance on beautiful scars. They take personal pride in suturing in such a way that scars are virtually invisible every time.

Sometimes a scar does not heal in the normal way, this is known as hypertrophic scars. Scars may then be red or colored, thick and painful, and may take several years to heal. Although this is an uncommon problem, it cannot be avoided or diagnosed in advance.

Your first contact with our team for a consultation is with one of our medical consultants. She will take all the time needed to discuss your options and answer all your questions. She will also give you a first estimate of the costs.

During a possible second consultation with our plastic surgeons or cosmetic physicians, you can ask additional questions and possibly add the finishing touches. He will look at what the best treatment is for your body and wishes. The price depends on the size of the operation and the treatments that are performed. The doctor will inform you about this based on your possible procedure.

• Postoperative scar treatment 125 euro per zone

Use the free (and obligation-free) consultation, to ask any questions you may have. The doctor will examine, together with you, the possibilities that best suit your body. Should you want another appointment after this one or need more information, we would be delighted to oblige. This is your body we are talking about, you deserve the best so make that appointment. Essential Aesthetics is proud to have already helped so many patients on their journey to a more beautiful body and is honored with a satisfaction score of no less than 96%. [Read the reviews here]

Now it is up to you! Book a free personal consultation with one of our care team specialists 070 220 2222. Because you are essential to us.

The second consultation with your chosen surgeon costs € 50 and is then deducted from the cost of the surgery. Even if you do not go forward and book a treatment with us after the second consultation, you will still have received, for € 50, an extensive and medically sound consultation which will provide you with a lot of information, and a valuable basis for any subsequent steps.