Tummy Tuck Information

Another story regarding patient safety and the importance of conducting extensive pre-surgical doctor screenings has come out, down under, in New Zealand.

New Zealand Health and Disability Commissioner Ron Paterson has asked their national Medical Council to review a surgeon’s competence after a female patient complained about the services he provided.

The surgeon, known in the commissioner’s report only as “Dr. B” is a general surgeon who had trained in cosmetic surgery and worked at an outpatient cosmetic surgery practice.

In March 2006, the patient had abdominoplasty surgery – a procedure to get rid of the large amount of excess skin on her lower abdomen that was leftover after a previous liposuction treatment.

A couple of months after the surgery the woman developed a hematoma in her lower abdomen and ended up needing more liposuction treatments to remove the excess fluid and then further surgery to eliminate the hematoma.

In a post-surgery consultation with the surgeon in February 2007, the patient expressed dissatisfaction with the results of the tummy tuck surgery to the doctor. The doctor replied, saying that the excess skin was normal and in no way due to hematomas.

Independent advisers to the commissioner discovered that the surgeon did not provide appropriate standards of care which could be expected of a doctor who was a general surgeon who practiced cosmetic surgery exclusively. The commissioner recommended the cosmetic surgeon be referred to the Medical Council for a competency review.

According to Patterson, once the surgeon’s competency review is complete, a copy of the commissioner’s report will be sent to the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and be available on the Health and Disability Commissioner website.

As medically-supervised weight management grows and changes, so does plastic surgery. Nearly 125 years ago, we saw the advent of the Tummy Tuck, the original body contouring procedure. Some 75 years later, came Liposuction and since then, a whole new crop of body contouring surgeries, such as the panniculectomy, have come and gone.

Today, weight-loss patients and specialists have a new plastic surgery procedure to consider: the Bra-Line Backlift.

The Bra-Line Backlift was developed by Dr. Joseph Hunstad, with the intention of treating excess back skin following massive weight-loss surgeries like gastric bypass. Following massive weight-loss, fatty tissue is suctioned out, using some light liposuction but the Backlift essentially is an upside down tummy tuck, on your back.

Instead of a horizontal incision across the waistline with a tummy tuck, the doctor makes an incision across the upper-middle back (one of the few detractors for men, given the inability to hide the scar with a bra or bathing suit), tightens the muscles and removes excess accumulations of skin.

Dr. Richard D’Amico, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons says that he sees this as more of a “completion procedure”, than anything else. A procedure that might conclude a mommy makeover, for example, as opposed to a primary treatment option.

After laying low in Europe for the last 3 months, following the birth of her and husband, Brad Pitt’s twins, Angelina Jolie and is back in the states, looking refreshed, healthy, well-toned and ready to promote her new movie, the Clint Eastwood film, Changeling.

Well-toned?! Yes, you read that right! Following the birth of the twins, Knox and Vivienne, the Hollywood star underwent exceptionally discrete tummy tuck surgery, durring her her self-imposed seclusion.

“Angelina looked drop-dead gorgeous in a tight black strapless Versace dress,” said a surprised eyewitness who saw the actress in attendance for the film’s premiere at New York City’s Ziegfeld Theatre with Pitt on Oct. 4. “My first reaction was, ‘Holy cow, how did she get so thin after having twins?’”

According to Star magazine, sources close to the family claim that Jolie was worried about the condition of her post-pregnancy body. Most mother-to-be’s think about this at least a little bit, but with twins on the way, Ms. Jolie was thinking about this a lot.

“She doesn’t like to talk about it or admit it, but Angie told some friends that she had a ‘mommy tuck,’ ” says a family friend. “She likes the way that sounds better than tummy tuck.”

In addition to the tummy tuck surgery, Ms. Jolie has been showing off some new tattoos to go along with her refreshed look as well: the tattoo contains geographic coordinates for the families new additions’ places of birth! In addition to attending the premiere, the Hollywood power-couple and family have also traveled to New Orleans as well.

Do you live in or near the Dallas and Fort Worth areas? If so, and you’re reading this, you’re probably interested in having a tummy tuck or some form of body contouring surgery performed. We reccomend Dallas plastic surgeon, Dr. Robert Schwartz, M.D.

Dr. Schwartz is a nationally recognized plastic surgeon, who frequently contributes to the medical community, via his “Plastic Surgery Today,” radio show and podcasts, authoring numerous plastic surgery articles and frequent medical journal contributions. Dr Schwartz has been serving the Dallas area for over 10 years, performing well over 1000 procedures and setting the standard for tummy tuck surgery in Dallas. Dr Schwartz is double board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) and the American Board of Surgery (ABS).

As most of our readership already knows, tummy tuck surgery is a major surgical procedure, designed to remove excess skin and fat from the abdomen and tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall. The procedure can dramatically reduce the appearance of a protruding or sagging abdomen.

Dr. Schwartz realizes that the tummy tuck isn’t a one-size-fits-all procedure. He customizes each abdominoplasty to suit the indivdual patient’s body and their cosmetic goals. As a Dallas tummy tuck surgeon, Dr. Schwartz is known for his attention to detail, bestowing effort on the little things — from creating a beautiful belly button to hiding the incision.

If you’re considering abdominoplasty, contact Dallas and Fort Worth tummy tuck surgeon, Dr. Robert Scwartz, today to find out what he can do for you and your figure.

One of the best ways to show what a product or service can do is to illustrate it through images and video. Having said that, here are some tummy tuck before and after photos and another informative tummy tuck video which shows and explains the procedure in greater detail.

And now, here’s the video…

Tummy Tuck pictures, courtesy of PlasticSurgery.com. Tummy Tuck video, courtesy of David E Kim, M.D.

August 20th, 2008. A Martinez, California woman was sentenced to 9 months in prison for identity theft, using another woman’s stolen credit cards to subsidize payment for a Mommy Makeover, consisting of a Breast Lift, Liposuction and Tummy Tuck.

Londie Bowman, 32, is scheduled to surrender to Marin County sheriffs in October, according to her public defender and a spokesperson for the courts. Bowman, scheduled the procedure for February but only had about $12,000, a little over half of the cost for the group of procedures, but it wasn’t until after she had them when her theft caught up with her.

After her procedure, a complimentary get-well bouquet was sent from the plastic surgeon’s office, Plastic Surgery Specialists in Greenbrae to the victim of the identity theft, Maija Lamberts. When Ms. Lamberts started asking questions about why she received the bouquet, the details of the theft came to light. When Bowman contacted the plastic surgeon to inquire about a lingering itch near her navel, local authorities were able to intercept her on a return visit to the surgeon’s office.

By now, most anyone researching abdominoplasty (commonly known as a tummy tuck), knows what its purpose is and how it can benefit a patient looking to tone their mid-section. A new use for the mini-tummy tuck, however, is growing in popularity.

New mothers are using the mini-tummy-tuck after childbrith to tighten up their lower abdomens (the abdominal region most affected by pregnancy) and return their figure to their pre-pregnancy days.

With a mini-abdominoplasty, the incision is made below the waistline, and only about the size of a cessarian incission, so it is well hidden. A mini-tummy tuck differs most from a traditional tummy tuck in that there is no navel incision and only the loose skin is tightened, not the muscle.

Most plastic surgeons say however, that the majority of people who would require having a tummy tuck following weight loss or even childbirth, typically require a tradtional (full) tummy tuck. Many patients also require some amount of liposuction, accompanied with just about any tummy tuck procedure.

In the cases where new mothers do not require a full tummy tuck, the mini-abdominoplasty is a viable and beneficial option. The best way for you to know for sure is to consult a plastic surgeon, preferably certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and one who specializes in abdominal procedures.

When is a tummy tuck not the most effective means of toning and sculpting one’s midsection? Often, following some pregnancies or massive weight loss surgery such as Gastric Bypass, a traditional tummy tuck might not be the most effective or even the safest way to minimize excess skin and fat deposits in the lower abdomen.

This question is what led body contouring surgeons to develop a new type of body shaping surgery known as a Panniculectomy.

A Panniculectomy is very similar to a traditional abdominoplasty, but differs slightly in that muscle tissue is not tightened or removed, due to strain on the patient’s body. Instead, only excess and localized fat deposits are removed from the body. The Panniculectomy targets the excess skin and fat of the lower abdomen, between the navel and pubic bone: the area w/the largest accumulation of excess skin and leftover fat after massive weight loss surgery or pregnancy.

Commonly, after massive weight loss surgery, a fair amount of other health conditions will continue to affect a patient’s health, including back problems, ulcers and skin disorders, such as rashes and skin tissue depletion. These health concerns are what principally contributed to the development of this procedure.

Before having this procedure done, prospective patients (after having other fat-removal procedures) must stabilize their weight for one year, including sticking to a strict diet and exercise regiment. Only a trusted and highly qualified (board certified) plastic surgeon, who specializes in abdominal sculpting procedures should perform the Panniculectomy, given the unique patient circumstances that would necessitate such a procedure.

Its no secret that plastic surgery is expensive. Plastic surgery cost is one of the leading factors amongst prospective patients in determining if someone follows through with having a procedure performed.

Only a prospective patient can decide whats best for themselves and whether or not the cost justifies the procedure. In many cases, body contouring surgery procedures differs from other aesthetic surgical procedures, because a patient’s health plays a major role in determining if the procedure is necessary to maintain an acceptable level of health.

According to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), which lists the national 2007 average cost of Abdominoplasty at $5,232, that while the tummy tuck procedure is typically not covered by most medical insurance plans, “In some instances, however, a patient may have a hernia and not just a spreading of the abdominal muscles. Insurance reimbursement may be available for that portion of the [tummy tuck] procedure that is not cosmetic.”

With that in mind, we here, at Tummy Tuck Info encourage all prospective patients to examine their own situation with a critical eye and weigh all the factors in deciding on any body contouring procedure.

While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look good and feel good, know that having the procedure done for purely aesthetic purposes can be expensive. Shop around by scheduling consultations with as many tummy tuck specialists as possible. Weigh the pros and cons of having the procedure done, but never sacrifice personal safety, just to save a few bucks.

For pretty much as long as Plastic Surgery has been around, there have been procedures to help slim and tone the abdominal region of the body.

Tummy Tuck, being one of the oldest body contouring procedures, in recent history has frequently been supplanted by other, more modern procedures, such as liposuction, the mini (or partial) tummy tuck, and lower body lift. Nowadays, a lot of people don’t get Tummy Tucks, unless they’re dealing w/excessive, loose-hanging skin and weakened abdominal muscles. Until now…

Plastic surgeons have found that “Abdominoplasty” (the medical terminology for a tummy tuck) can be used for Stretch Mark Scar removal!

While this isn’t necessarily the safest and most cost effective means of stretch mark scar removal, it is an option and a permanent one at that! Additionally, this presents a new alternative to people who have tried the scar-minimizing creams and ointments to less-than-ideal results or only to discover an allergic reaction, or those who find the multiple Dermabrassion and chemical peel treatments to be too much of a hassle.

As always, no two patients are completely alike and for a lot of patients, surgery isn’t an option.

However, if Stretch Mark scar removal is something you need to look and feel your best, find a qualified (preferably board certified) plastic surgeon and start discussing your tummy tuck options today.