The best candidates for Abdominoplasty are people who are in relatively good shape but are bothered by a large fat deposit or loose abdominal skin that won’t respond to diet or exercise. The surgery is particularly helpful to women who, through multiple pregnancies, have stretched their abdominal muscles and skin beyond the point where they can return to normal. Loss of skin elasticity in older patients, which frequently occurs with slight obesity, can also be improved.

Patients who intend to lose a lot of weight should postpone the surgery. Also, women who plan future pregnancies should wait, as vertical muscles in the abdomen that are tightened during surgery can separate again during pregnancy. If you have scarring from previous abdominal surgery, your doctor may recommend against Abdominoplasty or may caution you that scars could be unusually prominent.

During your initial consultation, your surgeon will evaluate your health, determine the extent of fat deposits in your abdominal region and carefully assess your skin tone. Your surgeon will describe the procedure in detail, explaining the risks and limitations, making sure you understand the procedure as well as the scarring that will result.

Abdominoplasty procedures are performed at Centurion Day Hospital under general anaesthesia and may be combined with additional procedures. Your surgeon will give you instructions to prepare for surgery, including guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking and taking or avoiding certain vitamins and medications. We advise that you need to stop smoking two weeks before and two weeks after surgery. This will help expedite your recovery period and better healing on cellular level and to avoid unforeseen complications. After your consultation, you will be provided with a personalised quotation based on the recommendation of the surgeon. While making preparations, be sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after your surgery and to help you out for a few days.

Abdominoplasty usually takes two hours in theatre, depending on the extent of work required. Mini Abdominoplasty may take an hour or two. Most commonly, the surgeon will make a long incision from hipbone to hipbone, just above the pubic area. A second incision is made to free the navel from surrounding tissue. With Mini Abdominoplasty, the incision is much shorter and the navel may not be moved, although it may be pulled into an unnatural shape as the skin is tightened and stitched.

Next, the surgeon separates the skin from the abdominal wall all the way up to your ribs and lifts a large skin flap to reveal the vertical muscles in your abdomen. These muscles are tightened by pulling them close together and suturing them into their new position. This provides a firmer abdominal wall and narrows the waistline. The skin flap is then stretched down and the extra skin is removed. A new hole is cut for your navel, which is then sutured in place. Finally, the incisions will be sutured, dressings will be applied, and a temporary tube is inserted to drain excess fluid from the surgical site. During a Mini Abdominoplasty, the skin is separated only between the incision line and the navel. This skin flap is stretched down, the excess skin is removed, and the flap is stitched back into place.

You are likely to feel tired and sore for a few days but you will be able to mobilise after surgery. For the first few days, your abdomen will probably be swollen and you’re likely to feel some pain and discomfort which can be controlled by medication. Though you may not be able to stand upright at first, you should start walking as soon as possible. You can expect to be back at work in about for three to four weeks with possible extension depending on the healing progress.

A small drain tube will be inserted to drain off blood and fluids for seven days. Removal of the drain tube will be during your first follow-up, usually seven days after surgery. It might be that there is still too much fluids draining which means the drain tube will have to stay in longer. Should this be the case you will be guided by the sister on how to proceed. Your last follow-up appointment will be at six weeks unless additional arrangements have been made by the sister or surgeon. An abdominal binder will be provided and fitted on the day of discharge for support and comfort and should be worn for six weeks after surgery during day and night. Wear the abdominal binder over a t-shirt to avoid contact with your skin. The band should only fit firmly and must not be too tight, as this could cause healing complications.

It is important to remember that abdominoplasty scars are extensive and permanent. They often remain lumpy and red for months, then gradually become less obvious. You will see results of your abdominoplasty straight away however it may take two to three months for the final results to develop.