Tummy Tuck Risks

The abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, is a cosmetic surgery that makes the abdomen firmer. A tummy tuck normally consists of removing the excess skin from the lower abdomen in order to tighten the muscle and abdominal wall.

Best Candidates

The best candidates for the tummy tuck are those with loose tissue after pregnancy, or sagging skin left over after a major, rapid weight loss. These are the candidates least likely to have complications.

Overview of Risks

As with any surgery, there are potential risks. The complications that are possible with a tummy tuck include a reaction to the anesthesia, aspiration pneumonia, bleeding, delayed wound healing, infection, unfavorable reactions to drugs, and blood clots. Many of these complications can be avoided, or at least the risk can be minimized, if you follow the instructions your doctor will give you for taking care of yourself post-surgery.

Blood Clots

Blood clots are a remote but serious risk. Any surgery involving the use of general anesthesia for more than half an hour has a slightly increased risk of causing internal blood clots than those involving less anesthesia. Blood clots can become dangerous when they form inside a blood vessel and can interfere with your circulation. In rare cases blood clots can break off and travel to other parts of your body and wreak havoc.

Scope of Surgery

Tummy tucks, or abdominoplasty procedures, vary in scope. They are frequently divided into categories based on the complexity of the procedure. A full abdominoplasty can take one to five hours. A partial abdominoplasty, or mini-tuck, normally can be finished in an hour or two.

A tummy tuck, or full abdominoplasty, almost always starts with an incision made from hip to hip just above the pubic area. Then, another cut is made to free the navel from the skin around it. The skin is then detached from the abdominal wall to reveal the muscles and fascia to be tightened. The muscle fascia wall is tightened with sutures.

A partial, or mini, abdominoplasty involves the use of smaller incisions. The skin and fat of the lower abdomen are detached in a more limited fashion from the muscle fascia. The skin is stretched down and excess skin removed.

An extended abdominoplasty is a complete abdominoplasty that also involves the fronts of the thighs and flanks (sides). There are also combination procedures, and an abdominoplasty can be done in tandem with liposuction contouring, breast reduction, breast lift, and occasionally hysterectomy, depending on the reason for the hysterectomy.