Tummy Tuck Gallery Plastic Surgery in Austin | Patient 12

Patient Details

This is a 41 year old mother of two, 5’8” and 165 pounds who was interested in abdominal work. She had a history of intestinal surgery when she was young and had a depressed vertical scar on her abdomen.

She is seen here after a full tummy tuck abdominoplasty procedure with muscle tightening. I also performed liposuction of her abdomen and back as well. These photos are taken about a year after her procedures. She currently is weighing 156 pounds.

Lessons to learn:

1. This is an impressive result. Her abdomen is considerably flatter than it was. This is because of the muscle tightening and her weight loss that helped her lose fat on the inside of her abdomen.
2. The liposuction helped us to achieve her new trim shape. Notice that the back roll/bra roll is flat now.
3. Sometimes it is better to lose weight before this type of procedure, sometimes it’s ok to lose the weight after. This is a judgment call by your surgeon.
4. It was important for me to make sure that she didn’t have any hernias from her childhood surgery. This could have complicated a standard abdominoplasty.
5. Scars from previous abdominal surgeries can complicate abdominoplasty significantly. Always ask your surgeon if the scar on your abdomen puts you at risk for wound healing problems.
6. The number one impediment to a really nice result after an abdominoplasty is excess intra-abdominal fat. This is best managed by weight loss before an abdominoplasty. You can’t “cinch” down a plastic bag full of leaves and make it smaller—you have to remove some of the leaves first and then close the bag. This analogy may not be the best for those Texans that may not have to deal with leaves as much as elsewhere in the country!