Tummy Tuck

A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a major cosmetic procedure with what is widely considered the longest recovery time. Understandably, this can give some patients pause about undergoing one. With a skilled surgeon of Dr. David Mashhadian’s caliber, and with his proprietary Recovery EXL™ system, the recovery period for even extensive procedures like the tummy tuck can be significantly shortened and almost pain-free. How Does a Tummy Tuck Work? A tummy tuck addresses a protruding abdomen that won’t respond to diet and exercise. Often, pregnancy is the cause, but in many cases, a belly pooch is simply hereditary. For those with a pregnancy related belly bulge, there can be additional trauma where the muscles have separated from the abdominal wall, causing a weakness in the core which can lead to further complications, such as a hernia. Dr. Mashhadian corrects this by making an incision above the pubic bone and re-anchoring those muscles to the abdominal wall. Next, he’ll remove that stubborn fat that refuses to budge. For some patients, this is all the correction necessary. For others, an incision around the belly button will allow access to the separated muscles of the upper abdomen, which will also be anchored. This may necessitate repositioning of the umbilicus. Finally, Dr. Mashhadian will tighten the skin by removing the excess and closing the incision. The result is a pleasingly flat stomach, stronger, tighter muscles, and smooth skin. While the scar may be several inches long, it’s below the waistband for nearly full-time concealment. The incision around the belly button will be concealed in the skin’s natural folds. How Long Does Tummy Tuck Recovery Take? Dr. Mashhadian has spent years perfecting clinical surgical techniques that reduce tissue trauma and a combination of medications delivered at precise intervals which minimize the length and discomfort of recovery times. It’s called Recovery EXL™ and it’s just one of the ways Dr. Mashhadian’s patient care is a cut above the rest. Many patients are on their feet within hours instead of days, and need minimal, if any, narcotic pain management. You’ll learn more about this proprietary method during your consultation to understand how it works. Treatment Day You may be nervous, but rest assured that the team at Rodeo Surgical Art will prioritize your comfort and ensure any questions you have are answered prior to the treatment. After your procedure, you’ll have swelling, bandages, and possibly surgical drains, and you may feel groggy and slow. This is normal. Having support from a loved one for the first 24 hours is recommended, and someone to drive you home is necessary. Days 2-3 You’ll need to be mobile for short durations to help with circulation and prevent clots, but listen to your body. It will tell you when it’s time to rest. Having a comfortable recovery nest can go a long way toward keeping you comfortable. End of Week 1 By this time, your discomfort will be noticeably reduced. You may feel comfortable resuming light activities like simple cooking or small chores. Keep hydrated and rest when necessary. Week 2 Most people return to work during this week, particularly for sedentary jobs. Bruising should be gone, and your wounds will be well on their way to healing, and any sutures or drains you have will likely be removed during this period. Swelling will be diminishing, though you’ll still be tender. More movement is permitted, though you should still keep exercise light. Weeks 3-4 You may begin feeling more like yourself during this time. Swelling is significantly minimized and you may resume most of your normal activities, though strenuous exercise should still be avoided for another few weeks. After this point, your results should be readily apparent. Clothing should fit better, and you should feel a boost to your confidence thanks to your more slender physique. While these timeframes reflect a standard recovery, the Recovery EXL™ timeline shortens recovery, so don’t be surprised if you’re enjoying your new silhouette sooner!

Both liposuction and a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) aim to slim down the abdomen and torso and reduce stubborn pockets of fat. However, each procedure uses different techniques to achieve a slender profile. Dr. David Mashhadian has performed liposuction and tummy tuck procedures on patients with successful outcomes throughout the entirety of his career. If you’re looking to achieve a sleeker silhouette, you can achieve it with Rodeo Surgical Art. How Does Liposuction Work? Liposuction removes stubborn fat cells that simply don’t respond to diet and exercise. Sometimes, no matter how close to your goal weight you are, there are areas—typically on the abdomen, flanks, hips, or thighs—where fat won’t budge and you’re not as slender as you wish to be. Dr. Mashhadian has meticulously perfected his body sculpting techniques with liposuction to remove these unwanted fat pockets so you can achieve the body shape you’ve worked so hard for. At Rodeo Surgical Art, we have two options for the type of procedure that works best for you: tumescent liposuction and VASER liposuction. Tumescent liposuction involves the infusion of sterile fluid into the treatment area. This minimizes bleeding and eases the fat removal process. Once the fluid has worked its magic on your fatty deposits, they’re gently suctioned out through a small cannula inserted into your treatment area. This preserves the fat cells in patients having a fat transfer procedure, and also minimizes trauma to surrounding tissues, which decreases bleeding risk and improves recovery times. VASER liposuction also aims to keep fat removal gentle, using ultrasound energy to heat the fat cells, disrupting their membranes and liquefying the cells for easier removal. VASER stands for vibration amplification of sound energy at resonance, and this process gives Dr. Mashhadian incredible sculpting control to help you achieve the body shape you want most. This gentle removal of fat also improves recovery times with less tissue trauma. How Does a Tummy Tuck Work? A tummy tuck also removes excess fat while additionally addressing abdominal muscles separated from the abdominal wall (a common concern among women who’ve been pregnant), and excess skin. The overall effect is a flatter, tighter stomach with smoother skin. Patients who’ve experienced significant weight loss, have been pregnant, and have a belly pooch that simply won’t diminish no matter what they do typically have good outcomes with a tummy tuck procedure. The incision is made between the pubic hairline and navel, and Dr. Mashhadian will anchor the abdominal muscles to the abdominal wall for greater stability and core strength. Then, stubborn fat is removed, and excess skin is removed to create a slim, sleek abdomen. Am I a Good Candidate? Patients who have good skin elasticity are often ideal candidates for liposuction, while skin laxity is one of the concerns a tummy tuck will correct. Both procedures remove fat deposits, so the skin’s condition is often the deciding factor for which technique is best for you. Neither procedure is a good tool for weight loss, so good candidates are non-smokers who are at or near their ideal weight. Dr. Mashhadian can answer any questions you have during a comprehensive consultation. How Are the Procedures Performed? Both liposuction and tummy tuck are performed under general anesthesia in Rodeo Surgical Art’s state-of-the-art surgical suite on an outpatient basis. If you’re having liposuction, either the tumescent fluid or the VASER ultrasound energy is delivered to the treatment area, and the unwanted fat is gently suctioned away while Dr. Mashhadian sculpts your new, slimmer profile. The treatment takes 60-90 minutes to complete. For abdominoplasty patients, the procedure takes 2-4 hours and begins with anesthesia. The shape and length of your incision will depend on how much correction is necessary. Weakened and separated abdominal muscles are sutured and repaired, and excess fat, tissue, and skin are removed. The incisions are closed with techniques designed to minimize scarring, and you’ll be wrapped in compression bandages for stability, support, and shape preservation. What Results Can I Expect? In both procedures, swelling needs to subside before results are evident, which will take a couple of weeks. Some tissue settling can be expected for a few more months. The fat cells that have been removed won’t return, but remaining cells can still fluctuate in size, so a healthy lifestyle is crucial for maintaining your new physique. Both procedures produce long-lasting results with better fitting clothing and greater confidence in yourself and your body.

The aftereffects of pregnancy or significant weight loss can have a big impact on the appearance of your abdomen. This is mainly due to a space between the rectus muscles of the abdomen—called the rectus diastasis—that widens after childbirth or weight loss. It is responsible for the belly pooch many women experience and cannot diminish in the gym or with healthy eating. In fact, exercise and toning other parts of the body can exacerbate the appearance of the belly bulge, making it look more pronounced. A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is the procedure Dr. David Mashhadian recommends to correct the problem so you achieve a slender, shapely midsection and regain your confidence. How Does a Tummy Tuck Work? A tummy tuck aims to strengthen the muscles in your core, remove excess fat and skin, and shape your abdomen to be flatter for a more slender physique. Dr. Mashhadian may also recommend pairing your tummy tuck with liposuction, which gives him greater control over your abdominal shaping. The procedure itself begins with the infusion of tumescent fluid, which helps control bleeding and provides numbing both during and after the procedure. Liposuction is the next step for patients who select that option. Then, Dr. Mashhadian makes the incision just above the pubic region. It can be quite a long incision, but it’s well camouflaged beneath your clothes and even bathing suits. Then your abdominal muscles are anchored to the abdominal wall and tightened, and your excess skin is removed. Your belly button may need to be relocated, and once Dr. Mashhadian is satisfied with the shape and placement of all your tissues, excess skin is removed, and your incision is closed. The overall result is a shapelier, more flattering abdomen, better fitting clothes, and your confidence restored. Am I a Good Candidate? Men and women alike may benefit from the abdominal shaping a tummy tuck can achieve. Ideal candidates are generally healthy adults who have excess abdominal skin following weight loss or childbirth, stretched muscles from pregnancy, or fat that resists all exercise and dieting efforts. If you’re still growing your family, it is best to postpone an abdominoplasty until you are finished having children. A comprehensive consultation with Dr. Mashhadian is a great way to get started. What are the Benefits of a Tummy Tuck? You may be surprised to learn that a tummy tuck has benefits beyond the final cosmetic results. In fact, an abdominoplasty can lead to greater health benefits overall. Repair or prevent a ventral hernia Shoring up the strength of your core muscles and reattaching them to the abdominal wall narrows the space through which tissues can bulge. Improve stress urinary incontinence It’s an unfortunate reality that the bladder muscles are stretched during pregnancy, and pressure on the urethra can give rise to leakage during sudden movement like sneezing, coughing, or exercise. No amount of exercise can fully correct this situation, so women are often left feeling helpless. With a tummy tuck, tightening the muscles near the pelvic wall reduces pressure on the bladder and urethra. For most women, this relieves their stress incontinence. Strengthen your core muscles When your core muscles are weakened, this can force surrounding muscles to compensate, resulting in back pain. By tightening your rectus muscles, they become stronger and more able to share the work of supporting your core. Your posture improves, which also reduces the back pain and stabilizes your pelvic and spinal position. Exercise easier You may not notice, but that belly bulge can get in the way of exercise in more ways than one. Even a little excess skin can get in the way of some types of exercise, like yoga or abdominal crunches. If your routine is more aerobic, your stomach may interfere with your balance or slow you down. After a tummy tuck, that skin is gone, so your range of motion can be improved. Your abdominal muscles will also be stronger, better able to perform, and overall, your core muscles will work better together. Be healthier Many of Dr. Mashhadian’s abdominoplasty patients are so pleased with their results—which are expected to last a lifetime—they’re motivated to maintain an active lifestyle with tasty, healthy food. Many patients report great emotional relief as well, which drives up their confidence and leads to improvements in all aspects of their lives. If you’re disheartened by how little change you’ve achieved in slimming down your abdomen, perhaps a tummy tuck at Rodeo Surgical Art can help you reshape your physique and strengthen your core.

If you have been pregnant or experienced major weight loss, you may have stubborn fat and loose skin in your abdominal area. Underlying this skin and fat, the abdominal muscles may have become loosened and slack, making it almost impossible to tighten up that abdominal area with diet or exercise. What is a Tummy Tuck? A tummy tuck is a procedure that uses a single long incision to remove loose skin and fat around the abdominal area. At the same time, Dr. Mashhadian will tighten abdominal muscles to restore a flatter, smoother stomach. How Does A Tummy Tuck Work? Dr. Mashhadian performs tummy tucks in the AAAHC certified surgical facility at Rodeo Surgical Art. The procedure begins with an incision. The traditional tummy tuck incision runs from hip to hip and allows for maximum loose skin removal, but some procedures, such as a mini tummy tuck, will use a smaller incision. Dr. Mashhadian will then pull down the loose skin and remove any excess, along with excess fat. He will reposition the belly button back in its proper location and tighten the abdominal muscles to restore a flatter stomach. Am I a Candidate for a Tummy Tuck? If you have significant loose skin around the abdominal area, you may be a good candidate for a tummy tuck. You should be in good health and have no issues with bleeding or clotting. If you plan to lose weight, you may want to wait to have a tummy tuck since this could result in more loose skin. The ideal candidate has maintained a stable weight and plans to continue, which will keep their results looking optimal. How Do I Prepare for a Tummy Tuck? One important way to prepare for any surgery, including a tummy tuck, is to quit smoking. Using nicotine can cause healing and blood flow issues after surgery and could compromise your results. You should also consult with Dr. Mashhadian about any medications you take, and he may recommend that you stop taking blood-thinning medications like aspirin prior to surgery. What is Recovery Like From a Tummy Tuck? You should plan to have someone stay and help you for the first day or two after your procedure since you will need to rest and recover. After a few days, you can move around more. You may have a small tube to drain fluids from the incision during the early days of healing. Dr. Mashhadian may prescribe medications for discomfort, blood thinners to prevent clots, or antibiotics. You will have a compression garment for a few weeks to prevent fluid accumulation and support the surgical area. You will need to move carefully and avoid any sudden motions for at least six weeks while your incision heals. A tummy tuck is a major surgical procedure, so you should be prepared for several weeks of recovery before you can resume normal activities. Once you have healed, however, the results will make the healing process more than worthwhile. What are the Benefits of a Tummy Tuck? Some benefits of a tummy tuck include: Long-Lasting Results Tummy tuck results can last for many years. The fat removed will not return, although other fat cells in the area can still get larger or smaller. Maintaining a stable weight will help you maintain your results. Unless you have another pregnancy or gain and lose a lot of weight, your abdominal muscles will not separate again. Flatter Abdomen You will look and feel better with a flatter abdomen. Although you have a scar, it hides below the bikini line, so you can feel comfortable wearing things that show off your flatter stomach or simply feel better in your clothes. Tighter Abdominal Muscles The abdominal muscles loosened during pregnancy or weight gain, the rectus muscles, form part of the core muscles that people work hard to build. Before the correction, they could not do their work properly, but now they can help support your body. Reduced Stretch Marks A tummy tuck usually removes a significant amount of loose skin. If you have stretch marks, they have probably formed in areas where you now have loose skin, so removing the loose skin often gets rid of the majority of your stretch marks. Stubborn Fat Removal The abdominal area accumulates stubborn fat, and this becomes even harder to get rid of when you also have loose skin. Dr. Madhhashian will remove enough fat to leave you with a slimmer figure and no more abdominal bulge. How Much Does a Tummy Tuck Cost? According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost for a tummy tuck is $6154. This does not include fees, anesthesia and medication costs, or other expenses, so the best way to get an accurate estimate is to meet with Dr. Mashhadian. The cost will also vary depending on your location, your provider, and other factors.