Tummy Tucks Can Help You Emotionally

Abdominoplasty is one of the most popular procedures among women who have given birth and have decided not to have any more children, and people who have had bariatric or gastric bypass surgery. Often performed as part of a “Mommy Makeover,” the tummy tuck, like any surgery can make a person nervous. Psychologically speaking, it is normal to be nervous about surgery.  You may think your brain has gone offline, so to speak after committing to abdominoplasty. Many women describe being in an adrenaline haze until the surgery is over, they sometimes feel depressed until at about three weeks after the surgery, the rational mind suddenly comes back “online” and a women remembers just why she wanted the surgery. It is important to have a support system in place to avoid depression during recovery. Be sure to read my post about emotional recovery.

Not to worry, however, the satisfaction rate for abdominoplasty is very high. It is at about six weeks that you will really see the difference as the fluids have drained, and suddenly your tummy is smaller! Many women experience this as a sudden occurrence, and that may be partially due to the stage of psychological recuperation from surgery, as much as physical recovery.  A good thing to keep in mind is that the journal Clinical Psychological Science reported that most people do attain their goals with cosmetic surgery and there generally is no adverse psychological affects. In fact, tummy tucks in particular are often very satisfying for people who have struggled with their weight all their lives, and women who want their pre pregnancy shape back again.

Once you see the amazing change, your next thoughts might be about scars. When considering a tummy tuck, most women want to know about scars. Incisions that I use for abdominoplasty is the basic horizontal incision. The size of the incision will vary depending on the type of abdominoplasty, and the amount of fat and skin taken off. This creates a well hidden, curved scar just above the pubic mound. Over time the scar will fade and because, in most cases, this scar can be kept below the bikini line, it will be barely visible.  Sometimes the incision will have a slight W shape. The reason for this is to reduce the tension on the incision when there is less skin above the navel to reach down to the pubis area. Ultimately, even when the incision takes this form, it usually ends up looking more like the graceful U anyway.  Proper healing of the incision is the most important factor to avoid overt scarring. At about three months your incision scar may begin to annoy you. This is because you can now be as active as you were before your surgery so psychologically you assume you are completely finished healing. Evidence of your incision will not fade until about  six months to one year following your surgery. I know, healing can be frustrating.

Bottom line? Those of you still fretting about that scar from a December tummy tuck can relax, you’re almost there! Patients who had one in early spring, you can play this summer, but you may or may not want to wear a one piece bathing suit. Tummy Tucks can be performed as part of a Mommy Makeover, or as a mini tummy tuck or full abdominoplasty at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center.

Dr. Branman

Call Melinda at the front desk to set up a consultation 501-227-0707