Dispelling Tummy Tuck Myths

asked 2 years ago by Eden1971 in Canada
Latest answer by Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Question viewed 1,072 times
Tags: age 35-44, myth, risk, safety

Hi, I'm 38 years with young 3 children. I'm considering Abdominoplasty. I really want to go through Tummy Tuck but all people are talking me out of it and telling horror stories about it like death and problems in breathing. About Tummy tuck turning out very bad, they say fat will be back and look worse than before. Could someone tell me how true are these stories? I saw a lot of c-section persons and it seems so easy. WHY? I thought that c-section is an even more invasive surgery as the cut goes down to internal organs VS Tummy Tuck which is only at the skin surface.

11 answers to Dispelling Tummy Tuck Myths

Tummy tuck dangers

The vast majority of patients who have tummy tucks with board certified plastic surgeons in accredited facilities do beautifully. It is important to choose a fine surgeon and have the necessary medical preparations prior to surgery. I personally believe an Aftercare is important. In all our patients, we use pain pumps. These reduce pain and help the patients move around better. Any surgery, however small, can have a complication. These complications can be anything from minor to... more

Brent Moelleken, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

www.drbrent.com

I'd love to.

All surgical procedures involve risk, and tummy tuck (tt) is no exception. I just updated that section on my web site: http://www.southlakeplasticsurgeon.com/tummytuck.html for your reference. Let me answer your concerns in order. 1. Death. Yes this may happen, but is very rare. The key to avoiding this is by operating on healthy patients, and prophyaxing against DVT & PE (clots in legs that go to lungs). 2. Breathing problems. I can think of two: pneumonia which can be avoided... more

Scott E. Kasden, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Safety of a tummy tuck

The safety of a tummy tuck has been discussed in detail here by the other doctors. While it is certainly the riskiest cosmetic surgery procedure, the complications from it are truly rare with a healthy, normal weight, non-smoking, positive thinking patient operated on in an accredited facility with physician anesthesia, by a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who does a substantial number of TT's and whose pictures you admire and who can get the surgery done in 2 hours to minimize the risk... more

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Are Tummy Tucks Safe? - As with all surgical procedures, the risks depend on the details.

Hi there- I'm sure that by now you realize that all surgery will have some risk... the key is in understanding how to minimize your risks, while maximizing the likelihood that you will achieve the appearance you desire. There are 3 very important variables to research- your surgeon, the facility in which the procedure is to be performed, and the anesthesia provider. Once you have "done your homework", it is important you communicate effectively and positively with your chosen surgeon. more

Armando Soto, MD
Orlando Plastic Surgeon

www.DrArmandoSoto.com

Tighten your tummy with confidence

Any plastic surgery procedure has its risks. The choice of using a board certified plastic surgeon, in a state accredited surgical center and a board certified anesthesiologist can help minimize the risks associated with an abdominoplasty. The consultation with your plastic surgeon is so important to learn about your expectations of the surgical outcome. Every patient's medical history and physical exam is different, so it is difficult to compare you to maybe a friend undergoing the same... more

Andrew Turk, MD
Naples Plastic Surgeon

Tummy Tuck Myths

You can find anything you want on the Internet. If you want to find horror stories about any surgical procedure you can. But the reality is that these are stories told from one side and any correlation to the truth must be taken with a grain of salt. If you have faith in your surgeon then that is all that should matter. Don't listen to the nay sayers they may, and probably do, have ulterior motives.

Christopher L. Hess, MD
Fairfax Plastic Surgeon

Safety of Abdominoplasty

All surgery carries risk, and abdominoplasty carries more than many procedures because of the magnitude and specifics of what is done. That being said, it is still a very safe procedure in the proper hands. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery have had task forces studying patient safety for a number of years and have made many recommendations to make all surgery, including abdominoplasty, safer. Most board certified Plastic... more

Robert T. Buchanan, MD
Highlands Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tucks usually have excellent results and happy patients

Eden, The reason I decided to go into plastic surgery was when I was in medical school I spent some time in a plastic surgeons office and was struck about how happy the tummy tuck patients were than any other patient I had ever seen. This is my favorite operation to perform because the results are so significant and the patients are so satisfied. As long as you stick with a board certified plastic surgeon, have seen examples of his tummy tucks through pictures, and have the procedure... more

Robert B. Pollack, MD
La Jolla Plastic Surgeon

Skillfully done tummy tuck is very safe.

Hi. 1) Horror stories are started by bad surgery and bad patient selection. Of course there can be a complication from any surgery. But with a good surgeon, you should sail through a tummy tuck. Most patients are very happy and look much better permanently. 2) As you say, women who had a C section and then have a tummy tuck tell us that recovering from the tummy tuck wasn't as bad.

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Elective surgery versus medically necessary surgery

The big difference between the two procedures is that one is medically necessary while the other is elective. Many people place judgments on elective plastic surgery. In fact, in the United States right now, they want to tax "unnecessary" elective surgery to pay for the "necessary surgery." Therefore when a complication occurs following elective surgery, people pay more attention and are far more critical then when a complication occurs following medically necessary... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck is a generally safe operation

Tummy Tucks remain a very popular operation because there is no other reliable way to tighten skin after weight loss or pregnancies. It is not a trivial operation but if done by a board-certified Plastic Surgeon in an accredited surgical facility, the risk of serious problems is small. Part of the strategy for minimizing risk is patient selection: It isn't a good idea in my opinion to do it on patients who are overweight or smokers, because each of these increases the chance of... more