Tummy Tuck
Tummy Tuck in Oklahoma City, OK | Bajaj Plastic Surgery
Your stomach may protrude or sag over your jeans for many reasons. For example, age, pregnancy, diastasis recti, significant weight loss, or bariatric surgery can cause excess skin or stubborn fat to accumulate in the abdomen. If your stomach has become an area of dissatisfaction or discomfort, despite your healthy and active lifestyle, you can choose to pursue a cosmetic procedure to help reach your aesthetic goals. A tummy tuck is one of the most popular procedures offered at our Oklahoma City office. Medically known as abdominoplasty, a tummy tuck can reduce a protruding abdomen and flanks for a more sculpted figure.
Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Anureet Bajaj has helped countless patients who live an active lifestyle, but aren’t able to target the stubborn fat or excess skin around their abdomen to achieve the results and confidence they desire. Dr. Bajaj and her team of highly trained experts are committed to providing a welcoming, enjoyable experience for their patients. They strive to make each person leave their office feeling like the best version of themselves.
Ready to take back your self-confidence with abdominoplasty in Oklahoma City? Call our office at (405) 724-2977 today to schedule a personalized consultation with Dr. Bajaj and learn more about Oklahoma City abdominoplasty! Our services extend to surrounding locations, including Edmond, Yukon, Mustang, and Norman.
What Is a Tummy Tuck?
An abdominoplasty, commonly known as a tummy tuck, is a cosmetic procedure designed to contour the abdomen by trimming excess fat and skin while also tightening muscles in the abdominal wall. Many patients choose to undergo an abdominoplasty to remove unsightly fatty tissue and skin that is unresponsive to a healthy and active lifestyle.
What Are the Benefits of Tummy Tuck Surgery?
It’s no secret that a tummy tuck can improve the appearance of your stomach. However, it offers so much more than just cosmetic improvements. In addition to enhancing your appearance, a tummy tuck has numerous other benefits.
Enhanced posture
Excess weight and weakened core muscles in the abdomen can strain the back and spine, causing the shoulders to slump forward and the back to round. As the core abdominal muscles are tightened and excess skin removed, your back and spine are better supported, reducing the strain on the rest of your body, and improving your overall posture. Having good posture allows you to sit up and stand tall, exuding more confidence and improving your overall appearance.
Relieved Back Pain
Another benefit of abdominoplasty comes from the relief of back pain. As previously mentioned, poor posture can strain the back, causing posture-related medical issues, such as bulging or herniated discs. By strengthening the abdominal muscles and improving your posture, you can reduce the risk of developing back conditions and relieve current back pain.
Exercise Becomes Easier
Were you at one point passionate about physical activity and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but pregnancy or stubborn belly fat has gotten in the way? With a newly sculpted abdomen, the activities you used to enjoy, like running, yoga, or cycling, will become far less laborious and more enjoyable. In addition, with a tighter stomach and less skin that results from a tummy tuck, exercise will be easier, helping your ability to keep the weight off better than before surgery.
Better Fitting Clothes
It can be frustrating to find a pair of jeans or leggings that fit your legs but won’t buckle due to a protruding stomach, so you have to wear a pair of pants that don’t fit the rest of your body well to accommodate the excess fat or skin. In addition, shaping garments can be constricting and inconvenient. A tummy tuck allows you to wear clothes that fit your whole body, so you no longer have to feel disappointed about baggy material around your legs or shimmying out of your shapewear every time you use the restroom.
Why Choose Dr. Bajaj for a Tummy Tuck?
At Bajaj Plastic Surgery, our office strives to cultivate an environment that is welcoming, educational, and enjoyable for every patient who walks through our doors. We believe that by preparing our patients for their surgery, we can optimize their recovery and boost their results. To help them prepare, we create a nutritional plan that fits their lifestyle, curate a proactive pain and nausea management schedule, and exercise plans so that they can quickly return to their active lifestyle after surgery and maintain their results.
Patients choose Dr. Anureet Bajaj not only for her incredible skill as a surgeon but for her compassion, professionalism, leadership, and dedication to listening to her patients’ concerns and finding the best solution to fit their lifestyles. In addition, Dr. Bajaj’s passion for plastic surgery stemmed from a desire to help people make life-changing choices that change how they see and feel about themselves and ultimately make them feel whole again.
Who Is the Ideal Candidate for a Tummy Tuck?
However, a tummy tuck procedure is not an alternative to a healthy lifestyle. Ideal candidates for an abdominoplasty with Dr. Bajaj are at or near their goal weight. Having already established a nutritional diet and dedicated time to physical activity will significantly lower the chances of complications during the procedure and aid in a faster, smoother recovery.
Abdominoplasty is a great companion to your weight loss journey, especially if you’re finished having children or you’ve lost a significant amount of weight and are left with sagging skin and stubborn belly fat.
Patients must also be realistic about their expectations surrounding their results. Dr. Bajaj prioritizes each of her patient’s individual stories. During your consultation, she will explore all aspects of your lifestyle, including why you want to pursue a cosmetic procedure. She’ll consider this information as she cultivates a plan of action to help you achieve your aesthetic goals in a way that will make lasting improvements in your life and aid you in the future.
What To Expect from a Tummy Tuck at Bajaj Plastic Surgery
All surgeries are performed in our fully accredited, on-site operating room. On the day of their surgery, patients will first meet our incredibly kind nurse, who will help to fully prepare them for surgery. Then, Dr. Bajaj and our anesthesiologist will enter and answer any questions or concerns to ensure the patient is fully prepared and at ease for their procedure. We provide a bag of goodies where they can keep their belongings while in surgery.
Once fully prepared, patients will be led into the operating room, where Dr. Bajaj will get started. An abdominoplasty will take between two to four hours, depending on the extent of the procedural plan.
What To Expect from a Tummy Tuck Recovery
Recovery time varies from patient to patient, but generally, recovery requires two to three weeks. Dr. Bajaj will monitor you closely to ensure a smooth and comfortable recovery. Abdominoplasty is generally performed as an outpatient procedure, meaning you can return home once your surgery is complete. Dr. Bajaj will provide you with prescriptions and appropriate medications at your pre-operative visit, which you will begin taking one to two days before your operation.
Dr. Bajaj believes in a multi-pronged approach to the treatments of post-operative pain. Therefore, she will inject your stomach tissues with the fast-acting anesthetic Exparel before the completion of your procedure. In addition to Exparel, you’ll also be provided with pain and anti-nausea medication and anti-inflammatory medication to help with swelling. The incision site will be covered with dressings and a compression garment to help reduce swelling, which should be worn for the first week.
Strenuous activity should be avoided for the first three weeks. However, Dr. Bajaj does encourage light walking to help promote healthy blood circulation. You will also receive detailed care instructions for your incisions to reduce the risk of infection. Following your surgery, you will walk in a partially bent position, which will improve over the first week. During this time, patients find it more comfortable to rest in a recliner or with pillows propped under their back and knees. Dr. Bajaj will schedule a follow-up appointment two days after your surgery, then weekly until you’re fully healed.
How to Prepare for a Tummy Tuck
In preparation for an abdominoplasty, we encourage our patients to start prepping weeks in advance. We offer ways to optimize their nutrition by following a high-protein diet, getting plenty of rest, and staying hydrated. We also incorporate ERAS protocols into our patient’s pre-operative routine, meaning we will start them on medications a day or two before their surgery. We find that this significantly aids in their transition from hospital to back at home and boosts their recovery.
Companion Procedures
Mini Tummy Tuck
A Mini Tummy Tuck offers amazing results for those who don’t require a full tummy tuck. It involves the removal of excess skin and tightening the muscles beneath the belly button. The scar associated with this technique is much smaller, and this procedure is commonly performed with liposuction.
Modified Tummy Tuck
Dr. Bajaj also offers a modified technique for patients who wish to address a specific issue like the abdominal muscles or excess skin. There is minimal scarring, providing the best results for patients requiring only minor improvements.
Male Tummy Tuck
A Male Tummy Tuck focuses on men who have lost weight and are struggling with excess abdominal skin and fat. The abdominal muscles are tightened for a chiseled, masculine appearance.
Liposuction
Liposuction is an ideal companion to a tummy tuck for patients with stubborn belly fat that will not respond to diet and exercise. With the use of powerful suction, it removes fat deposits that lay between the muscle and skin.
Body Lift
For patients who have recently lost a significant amount of weight, a tummy tuck may not be enough to reach their ideal results. A body lift enhances the midsection and incorporates a thigh lift and a buttock lift for a total body transformation.
Oaklahoma City Tummy Tuck FAQs
How should I prepare for my Tummy Tuck consultation? Prior to your consultation, you should consider your goals and expectations about the surgery. I would also recommend that you have a timeframe in mind for surgery as well as a plan as to who will help you during the postoperative recovery period.
What should I expect on the day of my tummy tuck procedure? The day prior to your surgery, you will have a bland diet and need to hydrate with gatorade. If you are well hydrated before surgery, you will likely have less nausea after surgery. The day of surgery, you will arrive at our office, meet with your anesthesiologist, and myself. After I have completed my surgical markings and reviewed my plan with you, you will be taken to our fully accredited operating room where we will be able to begin your surgery.
Will I Have Drains After the Surgery? How long will they stay? Most of the time (90% of the time), I do not use drains after a tummy tuck. I may use drains after larger tummy tucks, however.
Do you always repair the muscle? Muscle repair may be necessary when there is rectus diastasis or separation of the rectus abdominis muscle. This separation typically occurs during pregnancy or weight gain. I find that it is very rare that a patient will not benefit from rectus plication (repair of the rectus separation). The muscle repair helps to give you a flatter abdominal contour, and I believe it is an integral part of most tummy tuck procedures.
Will my “abs” show? The ability of your abs “to show” is dependent on your abdominal muscle bulk and how much fat you have between the muscle and skin layers. In other words, if your abdominal muscles do not show before surgery, it is unlikely that they will show after surgery.
Will This Operation Help Me Lose Weight? No, while we do remove tissue, an abdominoplasty is not a weight loss procedure. It is a body contouring procedure to improve your abdominal contour.
Will Sutures Need to be Removed After Surgery? The sutures along your abdominal incision are the types of sutures that will dissolve. However, the sutures along your belly button will need to be removed about a week after surgery.
What are 3 things to look for in a great tummy tuck result? Things that contribute to a great tummy tuck result include the location of the lower abdominal incision, the appearance of the belly button, and the abdominal contour. When looking at these results, I also believe that it is important to look at the ‘before’ picture because all results are dependent on where we started.
What is Post-Treatment Abdominal Swelling Like? You will have bruising and swelling after a tummy tuck. A significant decrease in swelling will occur between 3 weeks to 3 months. However, if you are active or have long days on your feet, you may continue to observe some minor swelling at the end of the day for the first year.
Can I get pregnant after a tummy tuck? Yes, you will be able to get pregnant after a tummy tuck. Some women who have gotten pregnant after a tummy tuck have told me that they carried that baby differently than their others. Also, if you get pregnant after a tummy tuck, it may affect your results, and you may require additional surgery.
How Long Does Recovery Take? During the first few days after surgery, you will be uncomfortable and sore; during this time, you will also be walking in a slightly flexed position. Typically, the first three days after surgery are the worst. Most women are able to drive after about 5 days, and walk fully upright after about a week. Typically, if you have a job that doesn’t require strenuous activity, you should be able to return to work after about 10-14 days.
Can I have a full body sculpting at the same time? Yes, you can have additional body contouring procedures performed at the same time as your abdominoplasty. However, since we would like to minimize surgical risks, I don’t recommend that the total time of the surgery exceed 5-6 hours.
How Long Before I Can Exercise? You will be walking immediately after surgery. During the first two weeks after surgery, you will continue light walking around your home. After three weeks, you may begin more vigorous cardio exercise and light arm and leg weights. It will be about two to three months before you will be able to resume abdominal crunches.
When can I pick up my baby or toddler after a tummy tuck? After a tummy tuck, you will not want to do any heavy lifting (more than 10 pounds) for about 6 weeks. If your baby weighs more than 10 pounds, it will be this long before you will be able to pick him or her up.
My Abdomen Feels Tight After Surgery. Will I Hurt Something If I Move? It is normal for your abdomen to feel tight for several weeks after surgery. You will not hurt anything if you move although try to avoid sudden movements. I also believe that it is important to listen to your body.
Can I Become Pregnant After an Abdominoplasty? What Happens If I do? Yes, you will be able to get pregnant after a tummy tuck. Some women who have gotten pregnant after a tummy tuck have told me that they carried that baby differently than their others. Also, if you get pregnant after a tummy tuck, it may affect your results, and you may require additional surgery.
Is a tummy tuck painful? A tummy tuck can be uncomfortable; however, my staff and I try our best to ensure that you are comfortable and prepared for surgery. We have incorporated ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) protocols to help minimize your discomfort. This means that we start preparing you for surgery before your surgery by starting multiple types of medications before surgery, then using Exparel (a long-acting local anesthetic) during surgery, and different types of medications in addition to narcotics after surgery. By using anti-inflammatories, local anesthetics, and neuromodulators, we are able to minimize the amount of narcotics that you may require.
Will you use my own belly button? Yes, we use your own belly button. Since the lower abdominal skin is removed, your belly button comes out through a new opening.
How do you recreate the belly button? After your lower abdominal skin is removed, we will flex the bed in the operating room, and begin to close the lower abdominal incision. At this point, I will mark the location of your belly button and bring it out through a frown-shaped incision. I will then shape and inset your belly button.
How long does it take to plan a tummy tuck procedure? Since an abdominoplasty is an involved surgery that requires you to adequately prepare, I would recommend planning for the surgery about 3-6 months in advance.
How long does the tummy tuck procedure take? An abdominoplasty will take about 2-3 hours depending on your size and how much liposuction you require. Surgery may also take longer if you add additional procedures such as a breast lift or augmentation.
How do I choose a Tummy tuck surgeon? When looking for a surgeon, you should ensure that he or she is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (I am) and performs abdominoplasties on a regular basis. I perform tummy tucks weekly and find them to be one of my most gratifying procedures because I believe that they have transformative results. You may also wish to review before and after pictures. When looking at these photos, look for someone with a similar body type as yours – this will help you to envision your potential outcome!
How much does a tummy tuck cost? Tummy tuck cost OKC depends on the scope of the procedure, operating time, the skill of the surgeon, and a variety of other factors. For this reason, it’s best to consult with a plastic surgeon to get a personalized estimate of your surgical procedure.
Ready To Get Started?
Are you ready to take control of how you look and feel in your own body? Schedule your personalized consultation with Dr. Bajaj to learn more about what abdominoplasty can do for you. Call (405) 724-2977 or fill out our email contact form to reach our Oklahoma City office.