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Abdominoplasty Surgery Manchester

close up of a white woman's stomach wearing an open white shirt

Abdominoplasty

As we get older and due to a number of significant life changes our skin tone becomes less elastic and more lax. These life changes include pregnancies, especially with large babies, weight change and an increase or decrease in exercise.

Typically in our late 30s early 40s and maybe even early 50s, our abdominal skin becomes saggy. Any extra weight will make this sag hang over our belt line. Pregnancies make things worse as they can stretch the space between the two six-pack muscles creating an abdominal wall weakness which makes the overhang look even more pronounced. These changes have a profound effect on how we feel both in and out of regular clothing. They affect the choices we can make in terms of fashion and our body image can be dented.

Pregnancy aside, these changes can affect men and women both. Things can look even worse if there are scars associated with pregnancy or previous surgery which can exacerbate the shapelessness and loss of form of the anterior abdominal wall.

Many patients come to us having tried a number of rigorous exercise and weight loss regimes only to realise that none of them will significantly change their abdominal shape.  Once the skin tone and abdominal wall contour are lost then typically surgery is the only answer.

Please view the short video below where Adam talks through Abdominoplasty and Liposuction.

We'll guide you through your treatment with us.

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Abdominoplasty Surgery

Eurosurgical journey will start with a consultation. All first consultations are free and are designed to give you an idea of what can be achieved and what surgical technique will work best for you. Your medical history and examination both of your abdomen and of your body in general will be performed. Mr Goodwin will then discuss the benefits risks limitations scars and recovery involved in which ever type of abdominal surgery would be most appropriate. You will be given all the information you need to read around the subject. Should you decide to go ahead then following any appropriate Preoperative tests, You will be invited for surgery.

close up of a white mans muscly torso

What Operation Do I Need?

Mini abdominoplasty

For patients with a small amount of excess below the bellybutton and good abdominal wall tone, a mini abdominoplasty is an option. This only removes sagging skin and does nothing to tighten the muscle. It is best reserved for slim athletic patients who have a small overhang, sometimes over a cesarian section scar. This is the least invasive of the three options and occasionally can be performed as a day case.

Tummy Tuck

The second and most commonest form of abdominoplasty is a standard tummy tuck. This involves a scar from hip bone to hip bone following the natural line of the underwear elastic. The abdominal skin is lifted off the abdominal wall muscle. The muscle is inspected and in most cases repaired back towards the midline giving a much better muscle contour. The XS skin is then pull down towards the scar and anything that can be removed will be. This leaves a smooth flat abdominal wall contour both above and below the umbilicus. The inpatient stay is typically two days although this can be modified depending on the surgery in the patient.

Fleur-de-Lys abdominoplasty

The third and most invasive version of an abdominoplasty is called a Fleur-de-Lys abdominoplasty. It is so named after the historical French symbol and is called this due to the vertical and horizontal elements to the scar. Typically this operation is reserved for patients in whom their weight has changed significantly over time leaving a skin excess not only in the vertical direction but also lateral to the bellybutton on both sides. Once again the surgery is similar to a standard tummy tuck but as well as the hip to hip scar, there is a long vertical scar which travels through the bellybutton and up towards the rib cage. Needless to say, the scarring is more extensive but for some patients this is by far the best and probably the only option that will give them a satisfactory result. Muscle tightening is often included with the surgery just as before. Once again a typical inpatient stay would be for two days and two nights.

Abdominoplasty Recovery

Discharge on day three will include an abdominal binder and some pain relief. Our strong advice is to take it as easy as possible especially for the first week following any type of abdominoplasty operation. The abdominal wall will feel weak and a little unstable especially when the muscle has been tightened. Without adequate rest, movement will be uncomfortable and feel a little unstable. If you have small children then you will need help to care for them. Driving is strongly discouraged for between two and three weeks following surgery as the lap belt sits right across the scar and emergency stops would be hazardous. Many female patients ask if it feels similar to a caesarian section. In some ways yes, but the abdominal wall integrity is less disrupted by an abdominoplasty operation. The feeling of instability is less but certainly still present. It serves as a useful benchmark if you have had this experience before.

You will be reviewed regularly following your surgery, typically weekly until your recovery is firmly heading in the right direction.

Complications include wound problems, bruising, occasional but thankfully, rare infections and not infrequent minor revision surgery for scar problems and a problem called ‘dog ears.’

Dog ears, although unfortunately named, describe excess tissue at the end of long linear scars. These are very common when large volumes of tissue are removed and look like little standing cones of skin at either end of the scar. They often flatten out, but surgery to treat them, typically sometime between six and eight months following your primary operation, is not uncommon.

The likelihood of wound complications is directly related to the total length of the wound. As you may expect therefore, fleur-de-lys surgery tends to be more complicated than a simple abdominoplasty.

Any and all complications will be treated as part of your surgical package. Both Hospital and surgery fees include any additional care that you will need. This applies both to long-term complications as well as those that occur immediately or soon after surgery.

Typically by week three most people can drive a car return to work and restart moderate physical activity. Intense gym workout type activity may need to wait a week or two longer.

Consider the Risks Of Surgery

Abdominoplasty surgery is a major operation. It involves extensive scarring both to the abdominal wall but also to the skin. Having said that, complications are rare and overall, patient satisfaction is typically high. Things to bear in mind; the scar, even for a mini abdominoplasty, but certainly for a fleur-de-lys is extensive. Scars soften and fade over time but will never be invisible. Typically the scar maturation process takes 12 to 24 months in total. Contour irregularities, seroma (fluid accumulation under the scar) and infections can occur between 5 to 15% of the time. These are typically managed without additional surgical treatment, but not always.

Subsequent weight change following abdominoplasty can significantly alter the result. It is for this reason that we strongly advise that anybody who has not definitely completed their family wait until afterwards for their abdominoplasty surgery. The weight gain associated with pregnancy can almost completely undo any benefits associated with abdominoplasty.

close up of a woman's flat stomach with belly button priercing

Final results

In the vast majority of cases, abdominoplasty surgery leads to a highly satisfactory outcome. Patients are left with a flat abdomen with no overhang and a neat well hidden scar underneath the line of the underwear. It’s important to bear in mind that abdominoplasty is an operation for all shapes and sizes.

Only those patients with a realistic expectation of a six pack before their surgery can expect anything approaching a six-pack following surgery. For the vast majority, a little bit of abdominal weight persists. The abdominal wall remains a little padded but the shape and contour both in and out of clothes is vastly improved. By all means ask Mr Goodwin to show you some examples of what can be expected in different body types following the various forms of abdominoplasty surgery.

PRE OP ADVICEPOST OP ADVICE

Abdominoplasty

2.5

HOURS

Time in Theatre

2

NIGHTS

Time in Hospital

2

WEEKS

Recovery to Comfort

3-4

WEEKS

Recovery back to work

6

WEEKS

Back to full exercise

Guide Price: £8,900 - £10,900

Fleur de Lys Abdominoplasty

3

HOURS

Time in Theatre

2

NIGHTS

Time in Hospital

2

WEEKS

Recovery to Comfort

3-4

WEEKS

Recovery back to work

6

WEEKS

Back to full exercise

Guide Price: £11,500

Liposuction

1-2

HOURS

Time in Theatre

1-2

DAYS

Time in Hospital

1

WEEK

Recovery to Comfort

1-2

WEEKS

Recovery back to work

2-3

WEEKS

Back to full exercise

Guide Price: £4,250 - £7,125

We'll guide you through your treatment with us.

Book an appointment