Tummy tuck

1. General information
2. Lower body lift
3. The ideal tummy tuck candidate
4. What is BMI and why is it important for my surgery?
5. Frequently asked questions
6. What is the cost for a tummy tuck?

Excess fat and skin in the abdominal region located below the navel is a situation that frequently occurs in patients who have had pregnancies, or who have lost weight quickly by surgical methods such as a gastric sleeve or gastric bypass. This excess skin and fat cannot be removed with exercise.

Tummy tuck also known as abdominoplasty consists of removing excess skin and fat by repositioning the navel in a new site of the abdominal wall.

7 days

Deep sedation and spinal block

 1 week. Requires avoiding physical efforts for 4 weeks. 

Tummy tuck is frequently performed and almost always linked to body liposuction. Also, it is common to take advantage of the procedure to improve breast aesthetics with implants or breast lift with or without implants. In addition, the fat removed during liposuction is used to improve the contour of the buttocks and hips (gluteal augmentation).

Sometimes the excess skin extends to the posterior region of the abdomen (or lower back) and requires extending this scar to that area. 

 Women or men with excess fat and skin in the lower abdominal region. 

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This is a procedure similar to tummy tuck but in lower body lift, the incision and skin resection goes beyond to the region of the lower back and this allows the surgeon to remove the excess skin from the anterior part of the abdomen and the posterior part (lower back).

This creates a lifting effect of the lower part of the body (buttocks) and flatens the abdomen.

Recovery is no diferent than that of a regular tummy tuck. 

This procedure helps a lot to recover body shape after a weight loss procedure such as gastric sleeve or gastric bypass.

Lower body lift procedures have increased over the last few years since a lot of patients are losing weight due to bariatric surgery.

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 BMI or Body Mass Index is derived from the weight and height of a person. In plastic surgery, BMI is important because it helps the surgeon determine if a patient is a good or a bad candidate for a body contouring procedure. And although it is not the only thing that determines if a patient can undergo an aesthetic procedure, BMI is quite effective to rule out some patients from the OR. Normal or optimal values are below 28. (normal: 20 to 25). Having a higher BMI does not always mean you can't get a body contouring procedure. Still, most of the times, patients with BMI above 28 have to undergo some dietary changes or weight loss procedures before plastic surgery. 

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 The cost of a primary tummy tuck ranges between 5000 and 9000 USD. This cost includes:

• Hospitalization costs
• Operating room fees
• Surgeon's fees
• Anesthesiologist's fees
• Post-operative consultations
• Post-operative compression garment

The  cost depends entirely on each individual case. To determine an exact  cost, an in-person or online consultation is required to evaluate the  following aspects:

• Skin type
• Medical history
• History of weight loss surgeries
• History of weight loss medication use
• Current weight and height
• History of previous abdominal or body treatments (liposuction or prior abdominoplasties)
• History of abdominal surgeries
• Weakness of the abdominal muscles
• Need for removal of excess skin from the front, sides, or back of the abdomen
• Need for liposuction of the arms, upper back, lower back, or waist
• Need for fat transfer to other areas of the body (thighs, hips, or buttocks)
• Expectations and scope of the surgery