Abdominoplasty Vancouver

Abdominoplasty or “tummy tuck” surgery is performed under a general anaesthetic. It is not a substitute for diet and exercise or as a weight loss strategy. Many women (and some men) are unable to tone up their muscles and skin despite diet and exercise. On occasion liposuction alone can be performed, but more commonly either a modified or full abdominoplasty is required to regain the most elegant abdomen. This sometimes involves some liposuction, but also involves tightening the loose abdominal muscles, creation of a more youthful navel, and removal of the skin from the lower abdomen.

A garment is worn for 3 weeks post-operatively and light exercise can be resumed at 3 weeks. Heavy exercise stressing the abdominal muscles can be resumed 6 weeks post-operatively. Dr. Brown requests that the patients wear a bikini bottom on the morning of the surgery so the incision can be designed to fit within it.

Tummy Tuck Vancouver

This 22 yr. old woman requested a reshaping of her abdomen. Despite the fact that she had had a child, her muscle tone and skin tone were excellent. Therefore, it was only necessary to do liposuction. The incisions were placed inside the umbilicus/navel, just inside the pubic hair, and on the side (which can be seen as a small red slit on the oblique view).

This 24 yr. old woman complained of the fullness to her abdomen despite rigorous dieting and exercise. She had excellent skin tone and did not require a full abdominoplasty. Instead she had a modified abdominoplasty in which the skin was elevated and most importantly the muscle was tightened and then a small wedge of skin was resected without having to recreate a new navel. This allowed her to wear the clothing and bikinis she had always wanted to wear.

This 38 yr. old patient was frustrated with the appearance of her abdomen. After having children and lost weight, she found that no amount of exercise could tighten up her abdomen. She had a standard abdominoplasty accompanied by flank liposuction. It should be noted that this is a recontouring procedure rather than a weight loss procedure.

This case illustrates an unusual situation in which a competitive body builder was unable to flatten her abdomen despite a very Spartan exercise regimen. After thorough discussions, it was decided to do a modified abdominoplasty in order to tighten the muscles. This procedure leaves the navel alone and generally can be performed through a shorter incision.

This 22 yr. old woman was found on examination to have excellent skin tone with tight muscles. She had no children. This was treated by liposuction alone and the post-operative photos taken 2 weeks post-operative show the healing incisions. The majority of women who have had children require a little more surgery in order to tighten the muscles and remove the extra skin.

This 34 yr. old mother of three was bothered by the looseness of the skin both in the lower abdomen as well as draping over the umbilicus. All the skin between the navel and the pubis was removed and the muscle tightened. Patients are asked to bring their bikini bottom on the day of the surgery, and as much as possible the incision is placed behind it. The side view shows the flatness attained by muscle tightening.

This 39 yr. old mother of 2 young children wanted to have surgery to remove the loose skin and fat to her abdomen. Abdominoplasty was performed to help tighten the abdomen creating a flatter stomach. Note on the front view how the muscles form a ( ) shape. After muscle tightening they have a ) ( configuration. The patient returned to work in 2 weeks, light exercise in 3 weeks, and unrestricted exercise in 4 weeks.

This 47 yr. old woman demonstrates the power of muscle tightening. All the skin from the umbilicus to the pubic has been removed (thereby eliminating her vertical scar). No extra fat was removed; rather the change in the protuberance of her abdomen was realized by muscle tightening. Patients who have this procedure have pain pumps inserted to take the edge off the post-operative discomfort.

This 41 yr. old patient came to see Dr. Brown to help improve the appearance of her abdomen. After losing 15 lbs. prior to surgery, an abdominoplasty was performed to help improve the torso. Patients are encouraged to lose as much weight as possible prior to having surgery. The more weight lost, the looser the skin, and the better the results are. The after photos were taken 2 months after surgery. Her scars faded nicely with time.