Should my OB/GYN do my tummy tuck?

Four simple words to remember when choosing your Cosmetic Surgeon: Board Certified PLASTIC SURGEON. I cannot stress this enough. 

This seems like it is asking for trouble. Gynecologists are not trained to do tummy tucks, just as plastic surgeons are not trained to perform hysterectomies. While any surgeon can watch a YouTube video on Abdominoplasty and then attempt to perform one, there are many nuances to this procedure to get a good result that only a Royal College certified plastic surgeon (or Board Certified in the US) will understand. A lower abdominoplasty has very limited indications and chances are that even if your excess tissue is limited to the lower abdomen you may still need a full abdominoplasty. I would be very weary of someone who happens to be offering a procedure that is rarely performed simply because that is the only procedure they are comfortable performing. I would also be concerned having an operation performed by someone who can't manage the potential complications - if something happens, your ob/gyn will end up referring you to a plastic surgeon!If your ob/gyne works in a hospital, there should be a plastic surgeon there who would gladly come in after your gynaecological procedure to perform the tummy tuck during the same anaesthetic. You should find your local plastic surgeon and have a proper consultation before deciding on anything!

We hear recently a lot about ob/gyn surgeons and other specialists doing procedures that should be only done by a board certified plastic surgeons. Many patients see the opportunity to combine procedures, but they do not realize that the outcome of some surgeries can be not so good after all. In many cases the procedures done by not certified plastic surgeons are offered at the lower cost to the patient. Is it worth  the risk?  Make sure to look at all pros and cons before you make a decision. Judging from your question you are not adequately informed and need a real consultation with a plastic surgeon

I would highly discourage you from having your tummy tuck performed by a gynecologist who is not trained in plastic surgery. This procedure should only be done by a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the Royal College of Plastic Surgeons.

The fact that he doesn't "do lipo or belly button work" is a sign that he is not trained in this procedure.

Be careful.

Dr.Bruno

You really have a number of excellent Plastic Surgeons in Kelowna and it would be worth your while to have a consultation with one of them to get some perspective on the choices that you have. If your OB/GYN is offering you the removal of some of your extra lower abdominal skin then this is quite a bit different than what Plastic Surgeons offer under the general description of a "tummy tuck". Take the time to get properly informed.

Dr. Mosher

Ob/gyn may be qualified to remove some skin above your c section but they are not trained nor board certified to do a correct abdominoplasty despite what they say.

I would have a consult with a plastic surgeon to get their opinion about exactly what you need to have done.

By now, I think you know the answer! But besides all that, I listened to what you said and what you didn’t say.. You didn’t say, “ I just have a little flap of skin that bulges a little bit over my C-section scar”…What you DID say was “I feel like I look 5 months pregnant, it has that shape, and it hangs. Its the only place my extra weight is”…A woman who looks 5 months pregnant and is not…needs to do herself a favor and seek out a Board Cert. Plastic Surgeon!! You’ll feel better that way!

 

I must agree with many of my colleagues: your obstetrician is undoubtedly very good at delivering babies and doing gynecology. However, he does not have any of the training or experience required to get you the best result from your abdominoplasty surgery.

Doctors sometimes suffer from the "I'm a doctor - I can do anything" syndrome.

In fact we are expert only in our narrow areas of specialization and should ask other experts to help us with issues outside our specialties.

See a plastic surgeon and have a real abdominoplasty.

Good luck!

 

Maybe you can take your Mercedes to the bicycle shop for repairs. They do have things in common, right? Not trying to make light of it, but we see more and more of this practice. Recent article out of England says that 20% of plastic surgery patients are unhappy with the results. Guess why? Mostly because of practicioners who venture out of their scope of practice and "dabble" in plastic surgery. This cannot be learned in weekend courses, but greed is more powerful than clear judgement! I just attended a conference in Las Vegas put on by Cosmetogynecologists. A new specialty. Gynecologist doing tummy tucks, breast augmentations, liposuction, etc. I must add that as a board certified plastic surgeon viewing their presentation and before and after photos, made me sick. Very substandard results. If I were you, I would be nervous too. He is a ob-gyn and is soliciting and offering to do plastic surgery on you with limitatations. See a board certified plastic surgeon before you commit your body for experimental surgery from your ob-gyn. Good luck.

Unless your OB/GYN has completed full training in plastic surgery, and is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, he or she is simply removing some lower abdominal skin. Unfortunately, there are all too many General Surgeons, OB/GYNs, Dermatologists, and doctors of other specialties who figure "It's just skin--I can cut some out and make things better (and this is the part they don't say out loud), and charge a nice out-of-pocket fee!" At least your OB/GYN is being honest about not addressing the belly button, upper abdominal skin, or muscle layers that are part of a "real" tummy tuck.

BTW, would you go to a plastic surgeon to deliver your baby? Or a family practitioner to have open-heart surgery?

There is a reason the training takes so long. If you want or need a tummy tuck, see one or more ABPS-certified plastic surgeons for consultation about what a "real" tummy tuck is, and remember you get what you pay for (or sometimes LESS, if you have a non-plastic surgeon perform a tummy tuck.) Best wishes!