Tummy tucks is a surgical procedure that recontours the abdomen to achieve a more toned physique. Tummy tucks, or abdominoplasty, remove excess skin and tighten the muscles to create a flatter, smoother abdomen.
About
Our bodies constantly evolve. But some events can cause substantial changes. Pregnancy, losing significant amounts of weight, and stressful situations can result in alterations to the abdomen that include excess skin, loosened muscles, and a loss of the tight tummy of youth. These shifts can often lead to sagging self-esteem and a drop in self-confidence. Tummy tucks can help restore the sleek, fit abdomen you crave.
Dr. Justin Booth, of the Austin Plastic Surgery Institute, specializes in body sculpting procedures that restore slim and alluring contours to your abdomen. Tummy tucks can help you transform into the most attractive version of yourself and help restore confidence and a positive body image. If you are considering a tummy tuck, you want to enlist a board-certified plastic surgeon with proven expertise in body contouring such as Dr. Booth. If you’re ready for your journey to the best version of yourself, call our Austin office at 512-755-8478. You can also schedule your initial appointment online.
About Tummy Tucks in Austin, Texas
Everyone deserves to look as good as they feel. As we age and experience the range of profound events that life has in store for us, our bodies change in relation to those events. Like many of our patients, you may have shown great discipline by maintaining a nutritious diet and engaging in rigorous exercise, but your tummy might stubbornly resist your efforts. Excess skin and loose or separated muscles can’t be corrected just by hard work alone. It’s okay to admit we need a little help to regain that smooth, toned tummy we want. Tummy tucks can achieve results beyond what we can accomplish with a healthy lifestyle alone.
How Do Tummy Tucks Work?
During an abdominoplasty, Dr. Justin Booth begins by concealing his incision along the natural bikini line of the abdomen. He can then contour the skin, tissue, and muscle as needed. Women who have had several pregnancies may find the procedure useful for tightening their abdominal muscles and reducing extra skin. A tummy tuck is also an option for men or women who have excess loose skin around the belly.
Benefits
- Improves the appearance of the abdomen
- Achieves results that diet and exercise can’t affect
- Brings out muscle definition
- Can improve posture
- Treats and corrects separated abdominal muscles (diastasis recti)
- Can help resolve stress urinary incontinence
- Can correct a ventral hernia
Ideal Candidates
Ideal candidates for tummy tucks maintain stable body weight. Tummy tucks address that excess skin or loose/separated muscles you wish to correct to achieve a flatter stomach. Non-smokers are best suited for an abdominoplasty. Smoking always increases the risk of complications for any procedure and impedes the optimal healing after surgery. As an aging agent, smoking also works against achieving your aesthetic goals.
Realistic expectations are a key ingredient to every successful procedure. Dr. Booth begins by establishing a strong patient/surgeon line of communication to convey an accurate picture of what the procedure can achieve.
Your Personal Consultation with Dr. Booth
The most important element of your consultation is open, transparent communication. By opening a dialogue with Dr. Booth, he will get to know you and your aesthetic aspirations. He can answer any questions you have and construct a complete body contouring strategy based on your goals.
If you’re ready to see what tummy tucks can achieve for you, give Dr. Booth a call at 512-755-8478. You can also schedule an appointment online.
Dr. Booth is an expert in performing tummy tucks custom-tailored to each patient’s specifications. After completing his general surgery residency at San Antonio’s The University of Texas Health Science Center, he received extensive fellow training in complex abdominal wall and torso reconstruction at the esteemed MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Booth harnesses his extensive training and experience in private practice to help his patients achieve the best outcomes possible.
How to Prepare
Maintain stable body weight and continue to diet and exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. You want to be at or near your ideal body weight before undergoing a tummy tuck. If you are a smoker, you should quit smoking entirely a few months before surgery. The earlier you stop smoking, the better for your overall health and your recovery after a surgery like an abdominoplasty. Make sure you make preparations early. You’ll need to schedule some time off work, enlist a caregiver to drive you to and from your procedure, and plan your meals and activities for your recovery.
Types of Tummy Tucks
Standard
Standard tummy tucks are frequently recommended to patients after a pregnancy when women have completed growing their families. Dr. Booth will make an incision that spans from hip to hip. This incision allows for the best access to remove the excess skin and correct any abdominal muscle separation. With standard tummy tucks, the belly button is usually repositioned and the skin redraped to achieve a tighter, smoother midsection.
Mini
Mini tummy tucks serve patients that don’t need as much skin removed as a standard tummy tuck. For instance, those with a little “pouch” below the belly button don’t need a full tummy tuck. Mini tummy tucks result in smaller scars that are easily hidden around the bikini line.
Extended (360-Degree or Belt Lipectomy)
Extended tummy tucks, also called a 360-degree tuck or a belt lipectomy, focus on removing excess skin from the entire circumference of the waist. This version of the tummy tuck suits patients that have a band of unwanted skin around their abdomen. Popular for weight-loss patients or women after pregnancy, the extended tummy tuck can result in beautiful and dramatic transformations.
Reverse Tummy Tuck
While most tummy tucks sculpt the abdomen below the belly button, a reverse tummy tuck is suitable for patients that need excess skin removed above the belly button. Some people might not have the undesirable skin collect below the belly button but rather in the upper abdomen.
High Tension
High tension tummy tucks are a specialized variation designed to create natural corset curves. In a high tension tummy tuck, the abdominal muscles are tightened both vertically and horizontally. This results in narrowing the waistline and creating a more curvaceous silhouette. High tension tummy tucks can help sculpt a captivating hourglass shape for women.
Male
For men, body contouring focuses on different dimensions. Men don’t want to sculpt an hourglass figure, but instead, desire a V-shape in the abdomen. Male tummy tucks, therefore, aim to craft this masculine V-shape that showcases a “six-pack.”
Able Recovery
Dr. Booth and his team will provide you with a complete set of recovery instructions after your surgery. It’s important to follow all those instructions. Don’t deviate and jeopardize your results. In general, you want to give your body the rest it needs to recuperate, but don’t remain entirely sedentary. Even on the first day, you want to get up and take a walk if only for a brief period of time. It’s important to give your body a little movement for the best recovery. Refrain from drinking alcohol if you are on any type of pain medication, and do not use nicotine products for at least 6 weeks after your procedure. In the first 3 weeks, you want to be very careful to allow your skin to heal effectively.
Stunning Results
Tummy tucks receive some of the most consistently high reports of patient satisfaction.[1] Patients can see an immediate, visible improvement after the procedure. For a preview of the quality of service you’ll receive with Dr. Booth, feel free to browse through the reviews left by our wonderful patients. Tummy tucks are so popular, in part, because the results are so consistently remarkable.
Complementary Procedures
The result of these combined procedures has seen some of the highest levels of patient satisfaction (over 99%).[3]
Liposuction is a great natural complement to a tummy tuck. Tummy tucks tighten muscles and remove excess skin while liposuction focuses on removing stubborn pockets of fat. Combining the two procedures can offer the most comprehensive plan for body contouring. Liposuction addresses the excess fat while tummy tucks remove the sagging skin and tighten the muscles. Because combining these two procedures increases the chance of complications, it’s important to only go to an experienced board-certified surgeon, such as Dr. Booth, who possesses the expertise to perform these procedures in unison.[2]
How Much Does Abdominoplasty Cost in Austin?
Everybody’s body is different and thus, the cost of abdominoplasty will vary from patient to patient. Some patients will need a more involved procedure than patients that only seek a mini tummy tuck. In general, tummy tuck pricing begins around $7,000.
FAQ
Some tummy tucks will require a drain for recovery while others will not. During your consultation, ask Dr. Booth whether the variation you select will require a drain. If you need a drain after your procedure, remember not to shower until 48 hours after the drain is removed.
Probably not. Tummy tucks are not weight loss procedures. They are designed for body contouring after a patient is already at stable body weight. Tummy tucks focus on making you look better in the clothes you already have, making you look and feel like the most attractive version of yourself.
References
- Brauman, D., van der Hulst, R., & van der Lei, B. (2018). Liposuction Assisted Abdominoplasty: An Enhanced Abdominoplasty Technique. Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 6(9), e1940. https://doi.org/10.1097/GOX.0000000000001940
- Winocour J, Gupta V, Ramirez JR, Shack RB, Grotting JC, Higdon KK. (2015). Abdominoplasty: Risk Factors, Complication Rates, and Safety of Combined Procedures. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 2015 Nov;136(5):597e-606e. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000001700
- Swanson, Eric M.D. (2012). Prospective Outcome Study of 360 Patients Treated with Liposuction, Lipoabdominoplasty, and Abdominoplasty. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. April 2012 – Volume 129 – Issue 4 – p 965-978 doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e318244237f