Tummy Tuck: Overview
If you have loose abdominal skin, excess fat, or protruding abdomen, a tummy tuck can help you achieve a curvier, flatter and sexier mid-section. Two main types of tummy tucks exist: Traditional Tummy Tuck and Hour Glass Tuck. As one of the leading cosmetic surgeons performing tummy tucks, Dr. Michael W. Gray has helped thousands of men and women feel more confident about their appearance by giving them a flatter, tighter and trimmer abdomen.
Tummy Tuck: Procedure
During a tummy tuck, Dr. Gray makes an incision through the skin and fat down to the muscle. He removes the excess skin with the adherent fat below. If needed, stitches can be placed flattening the abdomen like a corset. While liposuction is not recommended on the tummy during a tummy tuck, it can be performed on any other areas of the body at the same time as the tummy tuck or during a mini-tummy tuck if desired. After a surgical tummy tuck, Liposuction if desired on the abdomen can be performed 3 months later. Because different types of tummy tucks exist, Dr. Gray will review all the options with you during your complimentary consultation.
Tummy Tuck: Recovery
If Dr. Gray flattens the abdomen during a tummy tuck with the corset sutures, the recovery process will not be longer, but the time to return to strenuous physical activity is longer. If Dr. Gray only tightens the skin, then patients typically can return to any physical activity at three weeks post-op. Patients can often return to non-strenuous activities within the first week. Pain is minimal to non existent because of the method Dr. Gray invented that can flatten the abdomen without suturing muscles. Also Dr. Gray takes the time to inject long acting anesthetics into the area.
Mini Tummy Tuck: Overview
A mini tummy tuck is a procedure that tightens skin from the belly button down to the pubis. Excess skin and adherent underlying fat is excised. Liposuction (Liporeduction) can be combined with a mini tummy tuck if fat and excess skin is the problem. However, because mini tummy tucks do not provide access to the “muscles”, no corset type tightening is achieved. The mini tummy tuck works best for the patient who has skin that is loose (extra skin) below the belly button and who is not seeking abdominal wall flattening.
Mini Tummy Tuck: Recovery
Patients can return to non-strenuous activity within one week. Normal activity can be resumed in three weeks.
Dr. Gray’s Hour Glass Tuck™
Overview:
The current techniques of tummy tucks (Abdominoplasty) do not generate the results needed to decrease the protrusion of the abdomen and provide optimal results for patients who seek a flatter and tighter tummy.
Dr. Gray, for over sixteen years, has been performing a new type of tummy tuck called the Hour Glass Tuck™. This type of tummy tuck invented by Dr. Gray produces far superior results than any tummy tuck currently being performed.
The Hour Glass Tuck™ is a novel technique that solves all issues relating to why most patients desire a tummy tuck procedure. This new procedure produces the tightest skin and the flattest abdomen possible while producing the slimmest waistline (hour glass). You can see how flat Dr. Gray can make you by looking in the mirror and sucking your abdomen in as far as you can. Dr. Gray can adjust how flat you are based on a patient’s individual needs and desires as well.
Three different types of people seek out tummy tucks: The first group opt for a tummy tuck to tighten and remove extra skin, This group may only wish the classical tummy tuck; the second group may not have any skin issues but desire a flatter tummy. This group would obtain better results from the Hour Glass Tuck; and finally, the third group wishes to have tighter skin AND a flatter abdomen. The Hour Glass Tuck™ solves the problems that each of these groups complains about with the most optimal results.
Hour Glass Tuck™ Procedure:
During the Hour Glass Tuck™, Dr. Gray makes an incision through the skin and fat down to the muscle. He removes the excess skin with the adherent fat below. Stitches are then placed in the fascia of the muscle like a corset to flatten the muscles of the abdominal wall. While liposuction is not recommended during a tummy tuck on the abdomen, it can be performed in other areas at the same time or on the abdomen as well during a mini-tummy tuck if desired. After a surgical tummy tuck, Liposuction if desired on the the abdomen can be performed 3 months later. Because different types of tummy tucks exist, Dr. Gray will review all the options with you during your complimentary consultation.
Hour Glass Tuck™ Recovery:
Patients can often return to non-strenuous activities within the first week. Pain is minimal and no different than a traditional tummy tuck due to the techniques Dr. Gray uses to flatten the abdominal wall.
Non-Surgical Options:
When surgical procedures are not desired, these non-surgical methods may be of interest: