Tummy Tuck
Has significant weight loss left you with folds of excess skin? Does your post-pregnancy belly lack tone and firmness? An abdomen that lacks definition can cause both physical and emotional discomfort. At Grotting & Cohn Plastic Surgery located in Birmingham, Alabama we shape and enhance your body contours with tummy tuck procedures tailored to your individual needs and cosmetic goals.
Who Can Benefit From a Tummy Tuck?
Excess Skin
Your skin is designed to retain its shape after being stretched. However, prolonged or rapid expansion can rob your tissues of their elastic quality. When this occurs, you can be left with folds of excess skin around your belly and hips. Excess skin can mask the attractive curves of your body and hide tone and definition.
Muscle Laxity
Muscle laxity is most common following pregnancy. When your abdominal muscles expand to make room for a growing baby, the muscle fibers become weak. While strength building can address the muscles themselves, it cannot restore elasticity to the connective tissue. This type of muscle laxity can present itself as an abdominal pooch.
Stretch Marks
Stretch marks occur when the skin is pulled by rapid growth or stretching. It is most common in the abdomen and hips following pregnancy or weight gain. Stretch marks can be purple, red, or white. While not painful, you may feel that stretch marks are unsightly, causing you to limit your clothing options to cover their appearance.
Tummy Tuck Options
Traditional
Incisions
Two incisions are created. The first runs from hip to hip along the lower pubic area, and a secondary incision encircles the navel.
Candidates
Traditional tummy tuck candidates have both skin and muscle laxity.
Addresses
This procedure removes excess skin from above the navel to the top of the pubic area and provides muscles tightening using a corset technique.
Mini
Incisions
One incision is placed low in the pubic area.
Candidates
Mini tummy tuck candidates have muscle laxity but minimal excess skin.
Addresses
This technique corrects the abdominal pooch by tightening lax muscles and removing small amounts of skin from the lower abdomen.
Extended
Incisions
One long incision is made across the pubic area and over the hips onto the back.
Candidates
An extended tummy tuck is designed for people who have folds of excess skin following major weight loss.
Addresses
An extended tummy tuck primarily focuses on removing excess skin from the abdomen, hips, and lower back. It may include muscle tightening, if necessary.
Liposuction
Incisions
Requires discreetly placed incisions at the fat removal treatment site.
Candidates
Ideal for people who have unwanted fat that obscures the contours of their abdomen.
Addresses
Liposuction removes fat from the stomach, hips, thighs, and back. It may also be used on the arms and neck to achieve your ideal overall body contour.
Concerns
Recovery
- During the first week, your abdomen will feel sore, and you will experience some bruising and swelling. A compression garment should be worn throughout your recovery.
- Over the next three weeks, you will slowly introduce new levels of physical activity into your daily routine. By the fourth to sixth week of recovery, you should be able to resume most regular exercise routines.
- After six weeks, most major swelling should have subsided, and your final abdominal appearance will be visible.
Scars
- The extent of your scarring will vary depending on the incision technique used for your surgery.
- Genetic factors can affect the severity of your scars, including their size and darkness.
- Your surgeon will perform scar-sparing techniques when possible, and most major scarring will fade over time.
Cost
The cost of tummy tuck surgery varies between patients and is dependent on several of factors, such as:
- Anesthesia fees
- Facility fees
- Extent of correction
Pain
- You may feel some initial tightness in your abdominal muscles, which should subside within the first week.
- Discomfort is typically controlled with pain medication that will be prescribed by your surgeon.
Testimonials
Birmingham, AL
“Dr. Al Cohn and his staff are amazing. I felt comfortable from my initial consultation all the way to my post op visits. I can’t say enough about the level of expertise and care from this staff. I am much more comfortable and confident with myself. After losing 185 lbs I need surgical procedures to help me in my everyday life.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Most patients choose general anesthesia for their procedure, but we also offer local anesthesia for qualified candidates.
We perform all tummy tuck surgeries in our fully accredited operating facility located in Birmingham.
As with any surgery, bleeding and infection are possible risks. Other complications that may occur include seroma and poor scarring.
We provide CosmetAssure® at no additional cost, which protects you financially if a complication does arise. If you are experiencing a complication, you should see your surgeon to determine if revision surgery is necessary.
Tummy tuck Birmingham patients should be within 50 pounds of their ideal weight and have maintained a stable weight for at least six months. Additional weight gain or weight loss following surgery can impact the quality of your results.