Tummy Tuck – Abdominoplasty Melbourne

Tummy Tuck Surgery in Melbourne Victoria by Dr Carmen

An abdominoplasty, also known as a tummy tuck or tummy surgery is a common body contouring procedure to tighten and tone the abdominal wall muscles.

Dr Carmen Munteanu is a female Specialist plastic surgeon and Tummy Tuck expert having performed hundreds of these procedures for mothers and post weight loss patients.

Who is an Ideal Candidate for a Tummy Tuck?

A tummy tuck is generally performed on both men and women who have a healthy weight range wishing to remove excess skin and fat, that no amount of diet or exercise can correct. By removing the loose skin and fat and increasing the strength of the abdominal wall, this procedure can achieve a tighter, flatter abdomen and tummy.

This improved shape can result in long-term positive effects on your lifestyle, exercise, and overall well-being. Patients often say how much easier daily activities become, such as walking, running and exercising.

Liposuction is often paired with a tummy tuck as a lipoabdominoplasty procedure to enhance the contouring results and speed up the recovery.

Your plastic surgeon, Dr Carmen, will assess your candidacy during your initial consultation and compassionately address your concerns.

What are the benefits of a Tummy Tuck?

Your tummy tuck will result in a flatter, firmer abdominal contour that is more proportionate with your body type and weight. The final results may be initially obscured by swelling and your inability to stand fully upright until internal healing is complete. Within a week or two, you should be standing tall and confident in your new slimmer profile.

Tummy Tuck Before and After Photos

Visit the Tummy Tuck Photo Gallery to see more Photos 

The Abdominoplasty Surgical Procedure

1 – Anaesthesia

Medications will be provided for your comfort during the surgical procedures. The choices include intravenous sedation and general anaesthesia. Your doctor will recommend the best choice suited for you.

2 – The incision

A full tummy tuck will require a horizontal-oriented incision in the area of the lower torso. The shape and size of the incision will be influenced by the amount of excess skin. Once the abdominal skin is lifted, the underlying weakened abdominal muscles will be repaired.

A second incision around the navel may be necessary to remove excess skin in the upper abdomen. The upper abdominal skin is pulled down, the excess skin is trimmed and the remaining skin is sutured together. A new opening for the belly button is created. The belly button is popped through to the surface and sutured into position.

3 – Closing the incisions

Sutures, skin adhesives, tapes or clips will close the skin incisions.

Post-operative care and follow-up

Following the operation, your torso will feel extremely tight and you may have a considerably unusual posture for a few weeks. You may feel you are bent over and cannot stand completely upright, this is normal. Most patients will have a hospital stay of 2 – 4 days. Recovery times vary, with most people returning to work in 2 – 4 weeks. However, we recommend no sport or heavy lifting activities for 6 – 8 weeks.

Longer-Term Results of a Tummy Tuck

This is a fairly common question. Generally yes, as everyone is usually toward the end of a journey, with multiple pregnancies, weight variation, and aging.

Quite frequently, the person requiring the operation has got a defined lifestyle and diet-exercise habits that will only change for the better. Needless to say, a significant weight variation or another pregnancy will obviously change the balance.

How much is a Tummy Tuck in Melbourne? Tummy Tuck Surgery Costs & fees – 

At your initial consultation, you will be given a detailed quote for your chosen procedure. This will include a Surgeon’s fee, Anaesthetist fee, Surgical Assistant fee and the hospital fees.

Dr Carmen’s team will provide you a customised fee for your surgery depending on the type of procedure, hospital and how long you want to stay in hospital. An approximate fee range for your Tummy tuck surgery can be provided over the phone when you speak to a Patient Care Advisor. We also provide information on different methods of payment.

Find out more about Tummy Tuck Prices and Consultation Fees

Further Reading – medical references

• ASPS USA Article Tummy Tuck Surgery

Preparing for an Abdominoplasty

During your initial consultation, Dr Carmen Munteanu will carefully listen to your concerns and expectations, discuss your age, health history, and risk factors.

Ideally, you should be as close to your target weight or health goals. This reduces complications and optimises your final result. If you are considering future pregnancies or have plans for significant weight loss, it will be best to postpone the surgery. This procedure is intended to last, remove excess tissue-fat, and tighten the stretched abdominal muscles

Find out more about your patient journey.

If you have any questions or concerns about the procedure, please don’t hesitate to ask Dr Carmen at this time.

How painful is the Tummy Tuck procedure?

A myth that is associated with abdominoplasty is that it is painful and difficult to recover from. This operation is designed to reposition and reinforce what has been weakened and displaced, to restore and enhance natural features. From Dr Carmen’s experience, her patients common feedback is that it was not as painful or incapacitating as they thought.

Dr Carmen will advise you about your best options, discuss the expected results, and recommend an individualised plan of treatment, from the preparation phase to long-term care. You will proceed to surgery with a clear plan, expectations, and pictured postoperative progress.

Risks and Complications of Tummy Tuck Surgery

Every surgery has some risks and possible complications.

Dr Carmen will cover the potential risks and complications during your consultation as part of your informed consent. She will also explain the measures she will take in order to reduce your risks as much as possible.

Possible complications of surgery include the following:

• Complications related to general anaesthetic or side effects of drugs used in hospital
• Bleeding – reduced by preoperative testing of possible blood anomalies, accurate technique, use of drains, particular dressings, compressive garments
• Infection – prevented/reduced by judicious use of antibiotics, good surgical technique, modern sealing dressings, appropriate care, advice
• Abnormal or asymmetrical scarring– Many scars can be improved if approached in the right time frame in the right way.
• Fluid build-up or seroma 
• Other risks include – Numbness and Pain, Wound breakdown and delayed healing, unsightly or keloid Scarring,
• Serious complications such as possible Heart attack, Deep Vein Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism

For more information about risks of surgery and possible complications

Things you can do to minimise your risks and complications of surgery

• Read all your surgical documents and follow instructions of your surgeon precisely – rest & Allow time to heal, wear your compression garments as instructed, avoid removing your own bandages or touching at the incision site until it has healed properly.
• Do NOT Smoke at all during the surgical journey – especially critical in the periods before and after surgery
• Be accurate and upfront about ALL your medications, supplements and vitamins that you are currently taking – Tell both Dr Carmen and your anaesthetist
• When providing your medical history give specific details about ANY past difficulties you have had with surgery, anaesthesia, hospital visits or healing
• Thorough pre-washing of your own body prior to surgery can reduce skin bacteria and risk of infection.
• Successful surgical outcomes are the result of a number of considerations – realistic surgical goals, realistic patient expectations, and a good knowledge and understanding of possible risks and complications.