Sunday, December 9, 2012

Tummy tuck repair

What can be done to repair a tummy tuck?

I have covered some of the issues that can occur with a tummy tuck in prior posts and wanted to focus a little more on the idea of starting over again with a tummy tuck repair.

There are a handful of issues that can detract from an ideal tummy tuck result including:
-poor tummy tuck scar quality (thick scar, irregular scar)
-poor scar location (high tummy tuck scar)
-poor belly button appearance (belly button too big, scar visible, poor belly button appearance)
-too much residual fat
-too much residual skin
-insufficient abdominal wall tightening
-pseudobursa

Each of these issues can be addressed independently, however, in my experience I have found that frequently more than one of these issues exists and the best chance at an excellent result is often a full tummy tuck repair--essentially redoing the entire tummy tuck.  Although it is desirable to perform a smaller procedure a full tummy tuck repair often has the best chance of delivery the best result and really giving the patient the tummy tuck contour and appearance that they envisioned.

A full tummy tuck repair involves a careful assessment of the issues that have contributed in a less than ideal tummy tuck result and then an equally careful plan of correcting the issues and improving all of the components than will provide an excellent tummy tuck result.  In the end, I usually perform additional liposuction, lowering of the scar, removal of pseudobursa and foreign bodies, additional tightening of the abdominal wall, repair of the belly button, and proper closure of the incision line.

Below is a link from my website that represent some of what can be accomplished with a full tummy tuck repair.

http://www.aaaplasticsurgery.com/photo-gallery/details.cfm?ID=119&StartRow=6

All the best,

Dr Remus Repta