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Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) in Northern Virginia - Fairfax and Manassas

By: George Bitar M.D. Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Introduction
Preparing for Surgery
The Tummy Tuck Procedure
How We Minimize Complications of Tummy Tucks
Post-operative Care

Introduction

Sometimes loose or sagging skin in the abdomen can cause patients a great deal of unhappiness. If a patient desires a tighter, flatter abdomen I will recommend the tummy tuck procedure. Reasons for loose or sagging skin include multiple pregnancies, significant weight loss, and even genetics. The reasons why men and women choose to have tummy tucks vary from wanting their clothes to fit better to being able to show off their new body.

Preparing for Surgery

An initial consultation is set-up where we discuss the tummy tuck procedure and whether you are a good candidate for the surgery. Your medical history is reviewed, and you will be asked to see your medical doctor for a physical check-up and a few labs to make sure you can undergo the surgery safely. You are given the opportunity to be seen by your own doctor to give the green light for surgery. You are given the opportunity to talk to patients who have had the same surgery you are considering. I will see you shortly after the surgery (in a day or two usually). You are given garments and complimentary scar management tape and cream when appropriate, all free of charge, to enhance your recuperation. You are seen regularly after your surgery. You are always welcome to come back for follow-up, even years after your surgery, free of charge.

The Tummy Tuck Procedure

The procedure is relatively simple and straightforward. A patient, who is deemed a good candidate for this procedure, is given antibiotics, and anesthetized in the operating room. The procedure takes about one to two hours on the average and it involves making an incision in the pubic area, and around the belly button, if there is excess skin in the upper abdomen. The abdominal muscles are tightened, the excess skin is trimmed, and the stomach is sculpted with a liposuction wand to create a more aesthetically pleasing and firm abdomen.

How We Minimize Complications of Tummy Tucks:

At the Bitar Cosmetic Surgery Institute, we take pride in making sure we provide for our patients the best surgical experience possible , anticipating problems or set-backs, and addressing them before they happen. This is a process that includes the pre-operative preparation, the actual surgery, and the after care.

General Complications General complications can occur with any surgery. Cosmetic surgery is usually a safe surgery performed on healthy patients and, as all surgeries go, is with low risk. What I do to even lower the risk of complications is to operate at a first class hospital, INOVA Fairfax Hospital, with board certified anesthesiologists and nurses. To avoid post-operative complications, I advocate early mobilization -patients seen in my office one or two days after surgery- and active participation in their own post-operative care. When we create a partnership, the results invariably improve.

Bleeding
Bleeding after a tummy tuck is rare. Before surgery, our patients are tested to make sure they don't have any common bleeding disorders by their own physicians, and by lab tests. The use of tumescent solution before liposuction of the abdomen is performed during a tummy tuck and minimizes bleeding. In my practice the rate of significant bleeding is less than 1%. The treatment of a hematoma or a blood clot under the abdominal skin is to open the incision and evacuate the blood clot. Typically this is a straightforward procedure.

Infection
The most important step in avoiding infections, in my opinion, is to perform the surgery at a first-rate surgical facility such as INOVA Fairfax Hospital. Patients are given the appropriate intravenous antibiotics coverage throughout the surgery. During the surgery, the skin surface of the patient is cleaned properly. After the procedure, my patients are prescribed a one-week course of antibiotics to minimize infection. As a result of these extra precautions, my rate of infection after a tummy tuck is extremely rare. It may occur at the superficial incision level where the tension is highest, and a small open wound may occur which will usually heal nicely with dressing changes and antibiotic ointment.

Open Wounds
In a tummy tuck, there is manipulation of a relatively large amount of skin and the closure of skin under some tension. Because the incisions are under tension, there can be either loss of some skin or a small opening of the wound. This is treated with dressing changes and cleaning of the wound in the office as needed. This can occur in about 1% of patients. Usually the wounds heal very well and nothing further needs to be done.

Post-operative Care

Our office will provide you with a detailed post-operative instruction sheet that will be individualized to your needs. I usually see patients the day after surgery in one of our offices to make sure that everything is O.K., and that you are healing as planned. Multiple visits in the year after the procedure will ensure the best outcome possible.

For more information about this procedure call our office and speak to our friendly staff member at 703-206-0506 or 1-800-BEAUTIFUL (MD, DC, and VA).

Information on this web site is for information only. Do not use the information to diagnose or treat your plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery problems. Please contact your plastic surgeon with all questions and concerns.