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Tummy Tuck

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ABDOMINOPLASTY (TUMMY TUCK)

What makes a loose abdomen? Usually four things conspire to give us bad abdominal contour. Too much intra-abdominal fat makes the abdomen round. No amount of surgery can make a round and filled abdomen flat and attractive. Weight reduction, by whatever means is the only reasonable way to reduce intra-abdominal fat. The second problem is abdominal wall looseness. Pregnancy is the main source of widened abdominal muscles. The body wall relaxes to accommodate a pregnancy. It usually retracts to a pre-pregnancy anatomy, but not always. Repeated pregnancy will often stretch the tissue even more. Even though many women get their shapes back following pregnancy, the inability to restore abdominal curves is often due to a stretched body wall that didn’t retract. The third issue is fat between the muscle and the skin. This layer of insulation can hide curves and look bad. The fourth factor is skin. Most skin will snap back after stress is removed, however, after pregnancy, weight reduction or as a product of aging, hanging skin can be a problem.

Tummy Tuck Results
In Chicago and Oak Brook

Dr. Geldner has performed tens of thousands of plastic surgery procedures, including tummy tucks. Take a look at the results for yourself in our Before and After Gallery. You can even use our MyFavorites tool to create a collection of the results you’d like to achieve and the cases you wish to discuss during your complimentary consultation.

Tummy Tuck: Patient 1 - Before and After

This 31 year old woman came to me wanting to correct the physical changes which occured from pregnancy and childbirth. We performed a breast...

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Tummy Tuck: Patient 2 - Before and After

This 47 year old woman wanted to tighten her abdomen. We performed Vaser liposuction of her abdomen and flanks, and a simultaneous full...

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Tummy Tuck: Patient 3 - Before and After

This 35 year old presented with diet resistant fat following several pregnancies.  She underwent abdominoplasty, Vaser liposuction of the...

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Tummy Tuck: Patient 4 - Before and After

This 40 year old wanted to improve the appearance of her abdomen.  We elected to perform Vaser liposuction of her abdomen and sides with a...

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Tummy Tuck: Patient 5 - Before and After

This 30 year old woman had children and ecperienced loss of tissue volume. She wanted to have a breast augemntation at the same time as an...

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Tummy Tuck: Patient 6 - Before and After

This 38 year old woman wnted to restore her body after childbirth. We performed an abdominoplasty as well as a breast aogmentation with a periareolar...

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Tummy Tuck: Patient 7 - Before and After

This woman was displeased by the appearance of her abdomen and flanks. She underwent Vaser liposuction of her abdomen and flanks with full...

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Tummy Tuck: Patient 8 - Before and After

This 41 year old wanted to improve the look of her abdomen.  She first wanted abdominoplasty but then wanted further improvement.  She had...

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Tummy Tuck: Patient 9 - Before and After

This is a 56 year old who wanted abdominoplasty and liposuction as a single procedure.

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Tummy Tuck: Patient 10 - Before and After

21 year old following massive weight loss with Lap-Band® TM. She wanted to tighten up the lose skin and we performed abdominoplasty to...

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When someone wants a tummy tuck, we begin by asking, “What’s the problem?” It can be any combination of abdominal wall weakness, superficial fat deposition and loose skin. If the abdominal wall is loose, we tighten it by bringing the abdominal muscles together (plication). This recontours the body wall and eliminates the central weakness called the diastases. Fatty deposits are best corrected with liposuction, and ideally, at the same time. This thins the soft tissue blanket and allows our body contouring to show through. In most cases, the abdominal liposuction should be performed with liposuction of the flanks and back. This allows a complete abdominal rehabilitation to take place. The skin is removed where and when it’s needed. The best results put the scar as low as possible and extend the scar outward in a line that can be best hidden by clothing.

The navel (belly button) is usually left attached as it normally sits on the abdominal wall, but in some cases, it’s floated or brought down with surrounding skin. This is best performed when there is a high navel or when little skin is removed. The details of the procedure are many. Does one use drains? Does one use pain pumps? How do you close the skin? All of these details matter and depend on the patient’s goals and anatomy.

Recovery is measured in weeks. Normal activities are usually easy by two weeks. Light exercise can begin at three to four weeks. Normal exercises begin at six weeks.  However, all activities have to be measured against your body tolerance. If it hurts, don’t do it. Risks exist and each patient’s potential complications have to be discussed on an individual basis.

Recent advances in technology and technique have allowed more aggressive approaches to the abdominoplasty patient such as 4D abdominoplasty that sculpts the abdomen at the same time as the abdominoplasty.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported that 106,000 abdominoplasties were performed in 2012. This is an important operation that serves the need for many women. The potential of this surgery is limited only by the imagination of the surgeon. With Dr. Geldner’s superior skill, 25 years of experience, and his experienced and compassionate staff, we exceed our patients’ expectations.

Reviews

“I have been visiting The Geldner Center for almost five years now and I have never left disappointed. I have had two surgeries with Dr. Geldner.
He really listened to me and my concerns, and overall helped me reach my goals.”
~ Patient Review

Learn More About
Tummy Tucks

Watch a presentation that explains the procedure, preparation and recovery details.