Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck)

An abdominoplasty is a procedure that flattens your abdomen by removing extra fat and skin and tightening muscles in your abdominal wall. This surgical procedure is also known as a tummy tuck.

It is a major surgery, so it is important to educate yourself, thoroughly analyze your own situation, and take your time arriving at a final decision. A tummy tuck should be the last resort for people who have exhausted all other measures, and the procedure should not be used as an alternative to weight loss.

Abdominoplasty Steps

First, a surgeon "will make an incision, which stretches across your bikini line," Dekid Palmo, experienced plastic surgeon in Gorakhpur, "Through this incision, your surgeon will not only be able to remove skin but will also be able to tighten your abdominal muscles," she explains. "The surgeon will lift your skin away from the underlying muscles and then stitch the muscles together, restoring the tightness."

Next, the surgeon will address the skin, pulling it tight and removing any excess. To picture this, think of your stomach as a football field running from your chest to the top of your pubic hair — "Your belly button is the middle of it, at the 50-yard line," Matarasso says. In a full tummy tuck, "the skin that's above the belly button gets pulled down and does double duty to cover the upper and lower abdomen. So if you have a mole above your belly button before the operation, it's going to be below it after."