MICHAEL J. DUFFY, MD

Abdominoplasty helps to flatten and shape the abdomen and waist by removing excess fat and skin and tightening muscles. The best candidates have pockets of fat or loose skin that haven’t responded well to diet and exercise. The tummy tuck procedure can also be useful for women with stretched skin and muscles from pregnancy.

The procedure takes approximately two to five hours and can be performed with general anesthesia or local anesthesia with a sedative. Recovery time ranges from two weeks to a few months. With a balanced diet and regular exercise, results are long-lasting. The tummy tuck procedure will likely leave a permanent scar stretching between the hips, although it should be low enough for even a bikini to conceal it.

Mini Tummy Tucks
Partial abdominoplasty is similar to abdominoplasty except a shorter incision is made and the skin is only lifted to the navel, which does not have to be moved.