Tummy Tuck Surgery

Length of the procedure: 3 to 4 hrs Type of anesthesia:  general Hospital staying: 6 hrs or 1 night depending of the extension of the procedure. Postoperative stay in Costa Rica:  7 to 14 days.

A tummy tuck or abdominoplasty is a surgery that improves the contour and appearance of the abdomen. It removes excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen, tightening the underlying muscles’ framework.

A loose abdomen can be the result of pregnancy or important changes in body weight. Women who have had multiple pregnancies and stretched their abdominal muscles and skin will specially benefit from this procedure. After giving birth, you can recover muscle tone with exercise but it will do nothing to tighten the fascia tissues that interconnect the muscles and that have been stretched too. Loose skin secondary to weight loss hangs downward and does not respond to any type of exercise; this excess loose skin can be removed during a tummy tuck.

For this procedure, an incision across the lower abdomen is made, a little above the pubic area but its length depends on the mass of skin and fat that need to be removed. Fat deposits can be corrected with suction lipoplasty alone but abdominoplasty is necessary to achieve the best contour if stretched muscle or loose skin are present. Every patient is different, some requiring more fat to be removed (liposuction) and some requiring more skin to be removed (mini or complete abdominoplasty). If you are significantly overweight, then you will get a much better result if you achieve your ideal weight before abdominoplasty.

This surgery is performed under general anesthesia and its objective is to remove excess fat and skin from the middle and lower abdomen as well as to tighten the abdominal muscles. It can take a few hours to be performed, depending on the extent of the procedure.

To start off, Doctor Gustavo Chavarria makes an incision across the lower part of your tummy (from hipbone to hipbone) while another incision is made around your bellybutton. With a mini tummy tuck, the incision is much smaller and the navel may not be moved. Once this is done, the doctor proceeds to separate the fat and the skin from the abdominal wall, lifting the flap up to your ribs.

When the removal of the excess tissue and fat is done, the abdominal muscles are shortened and sutured together, making them tighter and giving you a narrower waistline. A new incision creates a new opening for your belly button and it is brought out through the opening sutured to the new skin. During this phase, Dr. Chavarría can remove scars and stretch marks.

Finally, the incisions are sutured and dressings will be placed around your tummy. A temporal tube may be placed to drain excess fluid from the affected area and can help to minimize swelling.

After a tummy tuck, Dr. Chavarria usually recommends a recovery period of at least 12 days that you will have to spend in Costa Rica. Keep in mind that the time you spend in the country can be expanded to your needs especially if you wish to go on a little vacation before having surgical treatment performed and take the opportunity to see some of our natural wonders.

Remember that the price of a tummy tuck procedure varies from patient to patient thus, an initial consultation with Dr. Chavarría is essential before deciding if you will benefit from this plastic surgery.

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