Surgery of the abdomen

Everybody wants a flat tummy, no fat, no flabby skin. But what with pregnancies, age, excess weight and obesity, everything goes against this, making it almost impossible.

With the abdomen there are three things to consider. Firstly, the amount of excess skin. Its that Michelin that some patients grasp with two hands and say ”this is whats extra, doctor”. That Michelin that in some patients, like those who have lost a great amount of weight, this tranforms into what we call a skirt.

The second thing to take into consideration is, how much extra fat is there. In this case what we need to see is the fat that is in or on top of that Michelin, or skirt, or even in the flanks or above the belly button. If there is a lot of fat above the belly button or on the flanks, its an obligated treatment and therefore we are now looking at, not an Abdominoplasty but a Lipoabdominoplasty.

The last thing to look at, is to see how the muscles are. In general, the muscles due to pregnancies, age or excess weight, are more weak than what we would like, they are also seperated from each other. Which is the reason for the weakness of the abdominal wall and to treat this is almost obligatory. This is done by stitching the fascia of the straight abdominal muscles, one on top of the other.

There does exist a smaller option which is a miniabdominoplasty. This consists en removing part of the excess skin on the lower belly, remove the fat from this same area and partially stitch the muscles, as we cannot access the upper part of the muscle due to the type of access. Its a good technique for patients who dont need a huge surgery, because they are younger or have less diastasis or they have just a small amount of excess skin. These patients recuperate earlier and are usually an outpatient surgery.

The abdominoplasty is a surgery that is both for men and women who have an excess of skin and fat which they are unable to get rid of, no matter how many diets or exercise they do. To remove the hanging tissue and create a flatter abdomen, treating not only the excess fat and drooping skin, but also tensing the muscles that have weakened due to pregnancies or being overweight. In this group there are also women who have had multiple pregnancies, patients who are a little overweight, patients who have lost a lot of weight due to dieting, or through surgery, or surgical treatment for obesity, such as: gastric bypass, gastric band, or gastric balloon. The gaining of quality of life and personal satisfaction is enormous, as all of our patientes state. Many of them enter a positive spiral of good health, of personal satisfaction, being complex free, more liberty of movement and less prudence to show there bodies before others eyes.

If you are a woman who is thinking of having more children, its better to postpone this surgery till when you no longer want any more children. If you are not sure, you dont know if you will have more children but you do want the surgery, ask our surgeons what options are available as there are many.

An important point to bear in mind is that this treatment does not reach the fat that is below the abdominal muscles. The denominated perivisceral fat. If you have a belly very balloon shaped, hard and tensed, with no excess skin, the abdominoplasty is not for you. But in any case, have a consultation with our plastic surgeons so that you can have first hand information and we can resolve any doubts you may have.

Treatment

Flatten the abdomen removing fat and skin, also stretching the muscles of the abdomen wall.

Type of anaesthetic

General. Rachidea in some cases.

Side effects

Swelling of the abdominal skin, tightness during some weeks.

Duration of the result

Permanent, maintaining stable weight after surgery.

Duration of the intervention

2-4 hours.

Hospitalization

Normally 24 hour hospital stay. If its a miniabdominoplasty it tends to be outpatient.

Recuperation

Return to work: 2-4 weeks. Major activity: 4-6 weeks.

Abdominoplastia Abdominoplastia
Abdominoplastia Abdominoplastia
Abdominoplastia Abdominoplastia

Frequently asked questions about abdomen surgery.

During the Abdominoplasty intervention, the surgeons we cut an incision situated below the bikini line or where your underwear ends, a curved incision between hip to hip. A flap of skin and fat will be lifted and all of the excess fat and skin removed. The belly button is left inserted in the abdominal wall and after stitching the muscles, is repositioned with a small second incision. The abdomen is then restitched to the border of the previous incision and two drainage tubes are fitted. If its a miniabdominoplasty, the incision is smaller, the flap of skin is less too, and for some patients this treatment is more than enough. Consult our plastic surgeons to find out exactly which treatment is adequate for your needs and objectives.

Any surgical intervention has risks. Our surgeons will explain to each patient in their case, but at this moment with the technology and techniques applied, the abdominoplasty is a routine surgery with no or very few incidents of complications. The realisation of a surgery with official titled plastic surgeons with decades of experience and hundreds of surgeries completed, the realisation of the surgery being carried out in a first level prívate hospital. The use of medication to avoid infections for example, means that the only complications are usually; slight bruising, parcial numbness to the skin near the scar, which is temporary, the uncomfortableness of the support girth that needs to be worn after surgery or swelling. You can always ask your plastic surgeon any questions at any time and our surgeons will be happy to resolve any doubts that may arise.

It would not cause any problems for the growth and deveopment of a baby, however it is better to postpone this intervention, until you no longer want any more children. Please ask us about the options available.

You will begin to see the results of the abdominoplasty at about two months time. At the beginning theabdomen will be swollen and with slight bruising. You will need to wear a support girth for at least 4 weeks so that the swelling and recuperation are done as quickly as possible.

You should not do any kind of sport during the first month, this is a mínimum time necessary so that your body can scar well. For intense sports, you may need to wait an extra month more.

We recommend that you wear a compressive girth after the surgery. This gives better results and reduces certain complications such as a seroma. Also it helps the abdomen to scar better.

In general we recommend that any surgical intervention be done from 18 years of age. The majority of the patients are women who ask for this type of surgery once they have had a ll of the children they planned. In some cases we realice this surgery for people who have a great weight loss.

The scars from an abdominoplasty are good. The incision is done below the bikini line, so is not very visible and can be also completely invisible below your underwear. Once the stitches have been done in the operating theatre, we can improve scars with laser Urgotouch.

Primera Consulta

Your first consultation

Your first consultation, is free and non compromisal, you will speak with our doctors. They will do a short study of your general health, you can explain what kind of result you are looking for, which areas of the abdomen you would like to improve. They will explain the surgical technique, the risks, the benefits and the costs. This consultation can be in person or by video phonecall. You will never feel obliged, nor pressured to fulfill the surgery after this informative consultation. Our team of surgeons will be happy to respond any question asked.

Dia de la cirugia

The day of surgery

The abdominoplasty is a surgery performed under general anesthetic, and requires a one nights stay in the hospital. You will be given your room upon arrival and then be taken to the operating theatre, where our doctors will see you and answer any last minute questions. You will meet the rest of the operating team, nurses, helpers etc. A video and photographs will be taken, so as to have the before surgery images. They will also mark the areas to be treated. They will explain again where the incisions will take place. The incisions will be done on the bikini line. They will very carefully remove the excess skin and fat, the muscles will be tensed and any extra fat can be removed with liposuction if found necessary. The wound will be stitched with absorbable stitches that do not need to be removed, they will put you in a support girth whilst in the operating theatre and then you will be taken to your room, where you will stay for a day.

En tu casa

At home

You will be accompanied by our team at all times during your recuperation. You will be given a support girth whilst in the operating theatre, which must be worn for several weeks. (needing to be washed and changed). You will take antibiotics and pain killers. We recommend that you sleep with both your head and legs in an upright position, like a ´¨V¨. Its normal that you may have some bruising, which will disappear bit by bit, with the recommendations that we will give. You should walk about at home and drink lots of water and eat healthily. Our surgeons will let you know when you can return to work. Also, when you can begin to exercise or drive. Its best that you dont drink alcohol nor smoke during a few weeks post surgery, as tobacco slows the healing process. The bruises and swelling, will ease and after a few weeks you will see the results.

Revisiones

Check ups

All of the revisions until given the all clear are included in the quote given. The patients have their first revisión 48-72 hrs after having left the hospital. The next visit is one week after surgery, then at 2 weeks, one month, 3 months and six months, plus any other time needed until given the all clear. All of the check ups and cures are done by our plastic surgeons. Dedicating all of the time necessary to make you feel looked after and guided at all times. You will be given a telephone number to be able to contact us at any time whenever you need us, also in English. In the case that the patient is from a foreign country, the frequency of the check ups, are exactly the same, but obviously needed to be done telematically.

¿Why Valverde & Arpino?

All plastic surgery is destined to improve how the patient sees themselves. The patients will feel better, after seeing the improvement. It will lift their self-esteem. Their self-confidence also. If you feel better about yourself, others will notice this and you will enter a positive spiral to want to look after yoursel more, to be healthier. All this results in a greater mental health. After many years and thousands of patients, we can say, that this will also happen with you.

VA - Doctores

Ask for a completely free and non compromisal appointment with our plastic surgeons

Our clinics are in Alicante, Benidorm and Denia. Here you can talk about costs, the possibility to finance and any other questions you may have.

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