Everyone gets a little stomach pooch at some point. If you’ve been pregnant and had a couple children, it’s almost a certainty. If you’ve gained and then lost a good deal of weight, same thing. General aging will also eventually deliver a small pooch as the muscles and skin in the area weaken. The issue is the skin — once it’s been stretched for a long period, it simply can’t tighten back down to its former degree of tautness.
That’s where Dr. Hetzler comes to the rescue with a tummy tuck. He’ll give you back your flat stomach once again.
What’s a tummy tuck?
The main job of a tummy tuck is to remove excess skin that has become loose and saggy. Some people think liposuction can remove a stomach pooch, but it can’t. Dr. Hetzler usually includes some amount of liposuction with his tummy tuck procedures, but liposuction cannot do anything about stretched, loose skin.
To remove the skin, Dr. Hetzler obviously needs to make an incision. Depending on how much of the abdomen area he seeks to address, the incision length can vary. For patients with more minimal sagging, a shorter incision along the bikini line will suffice. For those with universal sagging skin, the incision may circle the entire lower abdomen. This length of incision gives Dr. Hetzler access to the abdomen, flanks, lower back, and buttocks.
In a full tummy tuck, a second incision is usually necessary around the navel area to gain access to sagging skin above the navel. This incision is small.
What about fat?
Some tummy tucks include the removal of excess fat. Dr. Hetzler prefers to remove the excess fat in the center of the abdomen surgically and the excess fat of the sides with liposuction. He believes this delivers the smoothest, most accurate, and effective contouring of the area while still reducing the fat.
What about muscle?
Pregnancy often actually separates a woman’s stomach muscles, and they cannot come back to their former position without help. Dr. Hetzler brings those muscles back to the center in these procedures. This helps them support the back and usually also slims the waist.
Healing
Patients wear a custom girdle for 2-3 weeks after surgery. Bruising in the center of the abdomen will last 1-2 weeks. Areas that have received liposuction will stay bruised for up to 3 weeks. Pain in the abdomen from both the surgery and liposuction can last from 7-10 days. Most patients return to work in two weeks or so. Heavy lifting and strenuous exercise, however, must wait for 4-6 months.
Leave the pooch to the kangaroos. Let Dr. Hetzler give you a flat tummy once again. Call us at (732) 219-0447 and set up a consultation for a tummy tuck.
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