Abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, is designed to firm and smooth the stomach area. The procedure removes excess skin and fat from the abdomen and may tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall. Generally, a horizontal incision is placed just within or above the pubic area. The incision extends outward toward the hipbones but is kept within the swimsuit lines when possible. The scar should hide nicely under panties and a bathing suit. There are times when the standard tummy tuck is not strong enough to completely flatten the stomach and narrow the waist. This is especially true after multiple pregnancies have stretched the muscles and the fascial layers to a point that they are too weak to hold sutures. A technique that reinforces the sutures with an additional layer of material can give the results that you’re looking for. The material needs to be strong and able to withstand the muscle forces, which try to stretch it out. Material also needs to be natural so that it will be replaced by your healing tissues and eventually it will be totally absorbed and gone from the body. At the present time, the best material for this purpose is a surgical scaffold or mesh made of woven silk proteins. This material is placed with in the abdomen muscles so that it provides the most strength and incorporates into the body at the fast as possible rate. This is a very specialized procedure and it is certainly not for everyone. The Core Abdominoplasty is a 4-hour outpatient procedure with a 21-28 day recovery period away from heavy activity. The estimated cost of the tummy tuck is $12,000. This includes the surgical fee, facility fee, anesthesia, overnight stay in a specialized unit, and follow-up care. This procedure is generally performed as an outpatient surgery (you go home the same day) either at Northside Hospital or Dekalb Medical. If you decided to stay the night in the extended care suites overnight, the additional charge is $395.00-$815.00 per night.