Abdominal wall correction
More photographs of this treatment can be found here » fotos/buikwandcorrectie.
An abdominal wall correction is an abdominal wall plasty
Abdominal wall correction or ‘Tummy tuck’ is the common term; an abdominal wall plasty is really the formation of the common term and the medical term of abdomino plasty.
People to be considered are: Those who have lost a lot of weight and women who have had one or more pregnancies. Their skin is usually overstretched and they complain of striate. There has to be enough overstretched skin to cut away. In other words: patients must have a clearly visible ‘apron’. Have a look at the photographs. This is not a way to lose excess fat.
Prior to surgery
Do not smoke before the operation because it is bad for the blood circulation of the abdominal skin. Furthermore, I advise patients to take 4 weeks off from work because they will be partially mobile. It can be 2 weeks for the mini- abdominal wall correction. I also advise them to buy an elastic panty in advance, which will give support during the first eight weeks after surgery.
The surgery
One and a half to two hours under general anesthetic. The total healing process will take between 4 and 8 weeks.
The skin which droops is removed horizontally via an incision in the bikini line. It is important that this incision is made as high as possible to the model of the modern bikini. With a marker I define the area where I have to operate. After this I loosen the skin with the attached fat layer from the abdominal wall.
A mini-abdominal wall correction and a major abdominal wall correction.
If excessive skin has to be removed from above the naval, we call it a major abdominal wall correction. In that case I cut the naval lose from the skin and leave it sitting on the abdominal wall as a little button on a pedicle. If we only have to remove skin from underneath the naval, then we speak of a so called mini-abdominal wall correction, in that case I can leave the naval where it is.
After the surgery
You will wake up with a gauze bandage that is attached with tape and covers the abdomen completely from one side to the other and from the diaphragm to the pubic bone. Out of the wound come drains which will drain excess blood and fluids from the wound in the first few days. These drains will be removed after a few days; the stitches will be removed after 2 weeks.
Not a small operation
People sometimes underestimate this procedure. It does make a difference if it is a minor or major correction. When the naval does not need to be placed in a different area the operation can be done in day surgery. But if it is a major correction with naval replacement, then there will be a bigger chance complications might occur and you do have to rest longer, therefore increasing your stay in the hospital by a few days. What is important is that the tightly stretched abdominal skin grows back onto the underlying abdominal wall. If you are too active too soon, the abdominal skin doesn’t get a chance to adhere to the layer underneath. The consequence will be fluid production and other complications. To prevent this we apply a pressure dressing and if necessary an elastic panty.
Possible complications
A bruise is not uncommon, because a large wound area is created. You can imagine that a large bruise needs to be surgically removed. When there is insufficient blood circulation in the tightly stretched skin/fat layer a disturbance in the wound healing process can be the result. Another complication less dramatically is fluid collection underneath the skin. During the post operative visits this will be drained a few times. Too early and too much movement can play a part in this fluid collection, so you yourself can help prevent this from happening.
Finally it is important to know that there will be an area with less sensation between naval and pubic bone.
Scars
The amount of scars is dependent on the extent of the procedure. See pictures and text above.
