This fact sheet was developed under the aegis of the French Society of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (SOF.CPRE) as an addition to your initial consultation, to try to answer all the questions you can ask yourself if you plan to use a tummy tuck. The purpose of this document is to provide you with all the necessary and essential elements of information to help you make your decision with full knowledge of the facts. Also you is it advisable to read with the greatest attention.
• DEFINITION AND FOREWORD
The misfortunes that affect the abdominal wall are particularly resented and resented. The advent of liposuction has transformed this surgery. It can, indeed, reduce the importance of interventions and residual scarring. In this area of the abdominal wall, there is no one technique that can be applied to all cases. It should thoroughly analyze the lesions and you take into account several parameters: skin condition, the importance of excess fat, tone the abdominal muscles, general morphology of the patient or the patient: we can deduce the best strategy to each.
Briefly, in the presence of a request for surgical correction of the abdominal wall, two cases can be observed: an abdominal liposuction is considered in isolation, it will be to use a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty.
• THE ISOLATED ABDOMINAL LIPOSUCTION
Refer to the information sheet on LIPOSUCTION.
• plasty ABDOMINAL
Whenever there is significant damage to the skin, with a significant distention, many stretch marks or scars, isolated liposuction is inadequate and this will require a tummy tuck.
Abdominoplasty is a fairly major procedure in plastic surgery, but she took full advantage of many technological improvements in recent years: reduction of anesthetic methods, techniques known as "high voltage greater than" padding methods, development practices sutures progress of compressive bandages and boots ... This expertise has significantly reduced the risk of postoperative ease, much better quality outcomes and optimize the discretion of scars, thus opening the indications cases "lighter" that previously would have been disqualified.
• Objectives and Principles
The purpose of such intervention is to remove the most damaged skin (distended, scarred or stretch marks) and tighten the peripheral healthy skin.
We can associate the same time the treatment of localized excess fat by liposuction and treatment of lesions of the underlying abdominal muscles (diastasis, hernia).
Whenever there are overweight, it will be best corrected (partially or completely) before surgery (term contract weight). The conditions of the intervention will be best both in terms of safety and quality of results.
Classical extended abdominoplasty:
Abdominoplasty is the most commonly performed to ablate a large amount of skin, corresponding to all or part of the area between the navel and the pubis, in a pattern adapted to damage. The overlying skin healthy, located generally above the umbilicus will redraped down, so as to reconstitute the abdominal wall with a good quality skin.
The umbilicus is stored and placed in the normal position through an incision made in the skin decreased. Such surgery always leaves a scar more or less long and more or less hidden, depending on the size and location of damaged skin which had to ablate. Often, this scar is located at the upper edge of hair pubic and goes more or less into the folds of the groin. Its length is predictable in large part before the intervention and (the) patient (s) should be clearly informed (e) because this "scar" remains one of the major drawbacks that will take.
Such extended abdominoplasty can sometimes benefit from a financial contribution for health insurance in certain cases and under certain conditions.
The abdominoplasty located:
In the presence of smaller lesions, we can sometimes provide a more localized abdominoplasty scar which will be reduced.
In these cases, supported by health insurance can not be considered.
• BEFORE THE OPERATION
 A usual preoperative assessment is carried out according to regulations.
The anesthesiologist will be seen in consultation at the latest 48 hours before the procedure. Smoking cessation is strongly recommended at least one month before and one month after surgery. Smoking increases the risk of postoperative complication of any surgery. Stop smoking 6-8 weeks before surgery removes the excess risk. If you smoke, talk to your surgeon and your anesthesiologist. You can also call Tobacco-Info-Service (3989) to help you reduce risk and put all the chances on your side.
Stopping any oral contraception may be required, particularly when associated risk factor (obesity, poor venous condition, bleeding disorder).
No medication containing aspirin should be taken within 10 days before surgery.
Skin preparation (antiseptic soap type) is usually recommended the day before and the morning of surgery.
It is essential to continue fasting (nothing to eat or drink) 6 hours before surgery.
• TYPE OF ANESTHESIA AND CONDITIONS OF HOSPITAL
Type of anesthesia:
Abdominoplasty almost always requires a standard general anesthesia, in which you sleep completely.
Terms of admission:
The hospital stay ranged from 2 to 5 days.
• INTERVENTION
Each surgeon adopts a technique of its own and it adapts to each case to obtain the best results. However, it may hold common basic principles:
The layout of the incisions, which corresponds to that of future scars, has already been mentioned: it is, in fact, depending on the location and the amount of damaged skin: in practice, the scar will be even longer than the amount of tissue is important.
The excess fat can be removed by liposuction and strained muscles are given voltage.
The remaining skin (above the navel) is redraped down and can benefit from a "padding" to reattach the muscle to the underlying wall, thus improving the delivery voltage (especially the upper portion) and to condemn the separation space and reduce the risk of effusion.
After surgery, a dressing is crafted modeling, with or without the introduction of a sheath of contention.
The duration of the procedure varies between 90 minutes and 3 hours, depending on the amount of work to accomplish.