Tummy Tuck Cost in USA: An Overview

June 18th, 2011

tummy tuck scarHave you lost weight but somehow the skin around your belly refuses to budge no matter how many crunches you do? Are you sick of wearing a bigger size just because of the loose skin? If you answer yes to any of these questions, you need to pick up your phone and book a tummy tuck surgery for yourself but before we tell you where to go and about the tummy tuck cost in USA, you need to know certain facts about the procedure.

There are a number of variations but as far as the end result is concerned, it is primarily carried out by those who need to tighten the skin around their stomachs due to whatever reason. The classification comes into the picture depending on the amount of fat and the elasticity of the skin to be ‘tucked’. Price is obviously a deciding factor in choosing the surgeon as well as the package but it goes without saying that as long as you’ve decided to go ahead with it, you might as well go to the best- nothing more, nothing less.

Now, the tummy tuck cost in USA can be anywhere between $3,000 and $10,000- the overall average being $7,500. The average cost of the surgery in major cities in the USA is as follows:

1) New York, New York- The best doctors in the city that specialize in the surgery include Dr. Schulman Matthew, Dr. Bryan G. Forley and Dr. Douglas Senderoff. The average cost is about $4,450.

2) Los Angeles, California- Dr. Vlad and Dr. Grover are considered to be among the best in the country and the average cost in LA is about $6250.

3) San Francisco, California- Recommended surgeons include Dr. Roy Kim, Dr. Delgado and Dr. Rajagopal at the Plastic Surgery and Laser Centre. The average cost is about $7500.

4) Las Vegas, Nevada- Dr. Stephen Miller and Dr. Frank Stile are considered to be on top of their game and the average cost in the city is between $4500 and $5000.

It goes without saying that Beverly Hills is the most expensive place for tummy tucks, the most popular clinic being Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery and the least expensive being El Paso in Texas with the low cost of $3000.

Now that you know a bit about the tummy tuck cost in USA, you need to determine whether you want to go ahead with the surgery or not. You must also decide if you want to go for the full abdominiplasty or the mini version of the same. The deciding factor here is obviously the amount of skin you want to tuck away or the fat you want to get rid of.

Once you’ve made up your mind and you’re sure that a tummy tuck is meant for you, you should know that you will have to rest for a while after the anesthesia wears off- you can’t just walk to work after the operation. It is also imperative that you choose your doctor and clinic carefully because one small mistake can leave you with a huge scar for the rest of your life.

Click on the link to find out more about tummy tuck cost in the UK.

Are you a candidate for a tummy tuck procedure?

May 7th, 2012

tummy tuck costThe ideal candidate for tummy tuck surgery is someone in a relatively good physical shape, who is unhappy with an excess of skin or fat in the abdominal area which is resistant to exercise and dieting. Often women who have been through pregnancy and childbirth have a laxity of underlying muscles, which makes it very difficult to achieve a flat and firm tummy again. The reason is the skin and muscles have stretched beyond the point where they can naturally return to their normal state.

Other ideal candidates for abdominoplasty are those who have lost a significant amount of weight and have excess sagging skin in the abdominal area. Older patients, who may have lost skin elasticity or have sagging skin due to the aging process, are also good candidates.

You must be prepared for the fact that abdominoplasty operations leave a permanent scar, normally across the full width of the bikini line. However, a good surgeon will ensure that the incision is made in such a way and in such a location that it can be easily hidden below your underwear.

You should not consider surgery if:

  • You’re a woman who’s considering further pregnancies – the muscles pulled together and repaired during the tummy tuck procedure can separate again during pregnancy
  • You’re very overweight, or have a BMI of over 25
  • You’re diabetic
  • You’re a smoker and/or have poor blood circulation
  • You have visible scars from past abdominal surgeries and don’t want further scarring on your body

 

Preparing for a tummy tuck procedure

Your surgeon may ask you to:

  • Lose weight – you will get the optimum result if you are the correct weight for your height
  • Stop taking the contraceptive pill six weeks before surgery – this reduces the risk of blood clotting
  • Give up smoking
  • Avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, and herbal supplements.

Your surgeon may mark the operation site by drawing lines on your tummy, and with your consent may take photographs so that the results of your abdominoplasty before and after can be compared. You will then be prepared for theater, and you will be asked to wear compression stockings to help prevent blood clots. You will be measured for a support garment to wear after the operation to aid recovery.

Tummy Tuck Cost and Surgery Procedure

September 3rd, 2011

How much does a tummy tuck cost? The average price range for a fully tummy tuck operation is $4,000 to $$6,000 in the United States. On top of the basic operation cost and surgeon fee, it’s most likely that you will need to pay for hospital care and revisit appointments as well, all of these adding together, a decent tummy tuck operation normally would cost you $6,000 to $8,000 under normal circumstances. Click here to find out more information on tummy tuck costs.

The completion of a tummy tuck operation usually takes 2-5 hours, depending on the extent of work required; partial abdominoplasty ( a mini tummy tuck) may take 1-2 hours.

  1. Anesthesia

The choices include intravenous sedation and general anesthetic. Your surgeon will recommend the best choice for you. If you have general anesthetic you will sleep through the operation. Depending on your medical history, your surgeon may use local anesthetic combined with a sedative to make you drowsy. You’ll be awake but relaxed, and ;your abdominal region will be insensitive to pain, though you may feel a tugging sensation or some discomfort.

  1. The incisions

Full Abdomoniplasty:

  • A horizontal incision is made from hip to hip between the pubic area and navel. The shape and length of the incision depends on the degree of correction needed.
  • Another incision is made to free the navel from the surrounding skin.
  • The skin is detached from the abdominal wall to reveal the muscles and fascia to be tightened with sutures.
  • The remaining skin and fat are tightening by removing the excess and closing defect.
  • The old belly button stalk is brought out through a new hole and sutured into place.
  • Liposuction is often used to refine the transition zones of the abdominoal sculpture.
  • A dressing and sometimes a compression garment are applied and any excess fluid from the site is drained.

Partial (mini) Abdominoplasty:

  • A smaller incision is made.
  • The skin and fat of the lower abdomen are detached in a more limited fashion from the muscle fascia. The skin is stretched down and excess skin removed.
  • Sometimes the belly button stalk is divided from the muscle below and the belly button slid down lower on the abdominal wall.
  • Sometimes a portion of the abdominal muscle fascia is tightened.
  • Liposuction is often used to contour the transition zone.
  • The flap is stitched back into place.
  1. Closing the Incisions

Sutures, skin adhesives, tapes, or clips are used to close the incisions.

  1. The results

Your tummy tuck will result in a flatter, firmer abdominal contour that is more proportionate with your body type and weight, and within a week or two you will be able to see your new, slimmer profile.

 

Tummy Tuck Cost & Operation Procedure

September 3rd, 2011

Tummy Tuck Cost SurgeryTummy tuck surgery could cost you anywhere between $4,000 to $10,000 in the United States, the average price is around $8,000+ taken from a study with 1500 patients who have completed the abdominoplasty surgery in major cities in the US. While four thousand dollars is a low price, additional costs such as hospital care and revisit appointments etc. usually ramp up the cost to be higher. So it’s a safe estimate that it will cost around 6-8k for you to get a decent tummy tuck under the normal circumstances.

The procedure involves a general anaesthetic and an overnight stay in hospital.

All types of abdominoplasty result in a scar across the lower abdomen. This runs just above the pubic region in the same place as a caesarean section scar. It is longer than a caesarean scar and extends out towards the hips. A well designed scar should still be concealed by underwear or swimwear.

The tissues of the abdomen are separated from the underlying muscles. These muscles are often tightened before the excess skin is removed. The flap of excess skin and fat is drawn down to the lower incision and all excess skin is removed: a new hole is made in the skin to reveal the umbilicus (tummy button), which is stitched into its new position. Drainage tubes are almost always used and are usually removed the day after surgery.

An elasticated garment or binder is normally used to provide support and limit swelling for 10-14 days. During this time, physical activity will ht limited and precludes driving a motor vehicle. Pain and discomfort often results from the muscle repair and may require painkilling medication for several days. Stiches are removed about 10 days fater the surgery. At this stage, improvement in the shape and contour of the abdomen is obvious. However, there will still be significant swlling of the tissues and improvement continues for up to 3 months. After 4-6 months, exercise may be gradually resumed. After muscle repair, a formal regimen of abdominal exercise is essential to regain tone and strength to maximize the benefit of surgery. Help from a physiotherapist or personal trainer is often useful.

There’re also various complications such as tummy tuck scars or other side effects that you should be aware of prior to performing the surgery.

Tummy Tuck after C Section

August 31st, 2011

Losing weight and toning up your stomach after a c section or caesarean section operation is quite difficult. You really need to push you body off limits to get back into shape. But make sure you have recovered from the surgery completely before actual hitting the gym. Most mothers feel that getting back their curves and contoured body post pregnancy is really difficult. But if you try and take up special diet and extensive weight training you can surely get back to your old shape. After a C section operation you need to give it time to heal. You should wait for six to eight weeks before considering any abdominal exercise or tummy tuck operation.

Tummy tuck or abdominoplasty is one of the best ways to get rid of the flab after a c section operation. Generally post pregnancy the skin contract and leads to wrinkles and sagging skin. You can take up aerobic exercises like jogging etc to lose weight, but loose skin post C-section operation is very difficult to get rid of the lose sagging skin.

Tummy tuck is one sure short way of getting rid of extra skin and fat on your abdomen post c section operation but its surely is an expensive procedure and should be the last resort. This is a surgical procedure that involves incision that is made on the lower abdomen from one side of the hip to the other, above the pubic area, and then the excess fat tissues are removed through liposuction. Its a suction machine that helps in removal of fat from the body  and after contouring and shaping the muscles, the skin is pulled and stitched back without any sac or bag. Tummy tuck surgery is expensive and costs anything around $4000, to $20,000 and above all it’s not covered by your medical insurance. It advised to get over with all you pregnancies and then opt for C section Tummy tuck. The operation takes anything around 5 -7 hours and it takes around week to ten days to recover. But for early recovery you can also opt for some belt that you can wear to overcome swelling.

A women’s stomach gets completely distorted post pregnancy and it gets difficult to get back her confidence on herself and body. One of the best ways to get rid of this stubborn abdomen deformation is by getting a tummy tuck.

Tummy tuck of the c section is the process of removal of stretched muscles/ and damaged issues due to pregnancy, and getting it back to its natural shape. But there are some risks involved as the wound can get infected, or there can be blood clots. When performing a tummy tuck with C section you don’t really know how your body will look post surgery and there are no guarantees on getting hour glass figure. An immediate c section tummy tuck post caesarean operation is not the right thing to do as the body has already gone strain during pregnancy. Its best to wait for six months before considering a tummy tuck, in the meantime you can take up exercise and control your diet.

 

Tummy Tuck Recovery and Healing

July 11th, 2011

Abdominoplasty recovery times vary depending on the extent of the tummy tuck operation, and the surgical techniques used. Abdominoplasty patients stay in hospital at least overnight and usually for a further two or three days. You will experience pain, but will be prescribed pain relief.

While you are still in the hospital, the catheter will usually be taken out during the first day. You may feel uncomfortable to begin with and have sudden urges to urinate, or have some difficulty emptying your bladder; this should pass within 24 hours. You will be wearing a compression garment (which should be changed after a week), which supports your abdomen and helps you to heal, and will probably feel a sensation of skin pulling and tenderness in the affected areas. These are common side effects, and will disappear in a couple of weeks. Don’t strain or stretch the healing wound as this will increase swelling and slow your recovery. Continue wearing your support garment for at least 1 month.

Sitches in your skin are usually removed in 5-7 days. Deeper stiches are taken out two to three weeks after surgery. Ensure that you attend all follow-up exams with your doctor.

Full abdominoplasty recovery can take 3-6 onths, and your scars will continue to fade after that time.