Abdominoplasty is the technical name for a “tummy tuck,” surgery that removes excess skin and fat from the abdominal area and tightens the abdominal wall muscles. Partial abdominoplasties concentrate on the area below the navel; complete abdominoplasties are more extensive.

Abdominoplasty can reshape an abdomen that resists traditional weight-loss methods. But no form of surgery should be a substitute for proper diet and exercise. As with other forms of cosmetic plastic surgery, you need to have a clear and realistic idea of why you want the surgery and what you hope to look like after it. You should discuss your expectations with the surgeon. Improving your appearance cannot solve all of the difficulties you may face in life, but it may increase your self-confidence to help you deal with them.

Before the procedure begins, you will receive general anesthesia. This procedure will take two to five hours and requires a short stay in the hospital.

A complete abdominoplasty begins with a long incision above the groin area, from hip to hip, and a second incision that separates the navel from surrounding tissue. After the incisions are made, the abdominal skin is separated from the fat and muscle below; a flap of skin is raised from the incision up to your ribs. The plastic surgeon pulls the vertical abdominal muscles together and sews them. This tightens the muscles making the abdominal wall firmer and the waistline narrower. Then, the surgeon removes excess skin, stretches the remaining skin back into place, and makes a new opening for your navel. When the procedure is complete, your surgeon closes the incisions with small stitches and covers them with bandages. A small drainage tube may be inserted under your skin for several days to drain excess fluid from the surgery.

All surgery involves some risk and uncertainty. Serious complications or side effects of this surgery are rare, but they include: blood clots, infection, bad reactions to the anesthesia, need for additional surgery to correct the scar created by the first procedure (abdominoplasty does lead to a permanent scar, but only rarely is corrective surgery needed).

You may spend a day or two in the hospital depending on the extent of your procedure and the plan developed with your doctor. In general, you should walk around as soon as possible after the surgery to reduce abdominal swelling. You may feel some pain and notice the swelling for the first few days after the surgery; the pain will be controlled by medicine. Normally, your stitches will be removed within a week after surgery, though deeper sutures are not removed until two or three weeks after. You may also wear a support garment for a few weeks to reduce swelling. You should be able to go back to work between two and four weeks after the surgery.