The average cost of tummy tuck surgery in the United States is $5,263. This information is taken from The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. For more information about tummy tuck surgery, please see the following sections.
Tummy Tuck Overview
Tummy Tuck plastic surgery (also known as abdominoplasty) is performed to remove excess skin and fat from the abdominal region. The tummy tuck procedure improves the appearance of the abdominal region, and may also restore weak abdominal muscles. The procedure is useful in individuals who develop a protruding or disproportionate abdomen from pregnancy, fluctuations in weight, or as a normal process associated with aging.
The Tummy Tuck Surgical Procedure
Tummy Tuck involves the removal of excess skin and fat, along with a tightening of the abdominal muscles. Although the scar can be long, it generally is well hidden by the patient’s undergarments. After tummy tuck, plastic suction drains are used for the first 7 to 10 days, and are later removed in the office. An abdominal compression binder is worn for the first 6 weeks.
Anesthesia type: General anesthesia
Length of surgery: 3 hours
Risks of Tummy Tuck Plastic Surgery
There are risks associated with the tummy tuck procedure. These risks include:
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Poor wound healing
- Unfavorable scars or loss of skin
- Risks of anesthesia
- Cardiac and pulmonary complications
- Numbness or other changes in skin sensation
- Skin discoloration
- Fat necrosis
- Major wound separation
- Asymmetry, suboptimal result
- Recurrent looseness of skin
- Pain after the procedure or damage to the nerves
- Blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolus
- Persistent swelling in the legs
Recovery from Tummy Tuck
After the tummy tuck procedure, patients generally return to work in 2 weeks. You may start to resume normal activity in 4 weeks, and most patients report feeling back to normal in 6-8 weeks.
Duration of effect: >10 years
Useful Information on Tummy Tuck Plastic Surgery
• Tummy Tuck Information from the ASPS
