Abdominoplasty

00:00:07.574 --> 00:00:11.920 Tummy tucks is a surgery where you take the skin from basically the belly button 00:00:11.986 --> 00:00:15.170 down to the groin or down to the pubic area off. 00:00:16.750 --> 00:00:18.228 Then you pull that skin down; 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:20.521 usually during that, you tighten the muscles. 00:00:20.587 --> 00:00:24.558 Most patients that need a tummy tuck have had a number of pregnancies 00:00:24.640 --> 00:00:26.493 or a lot of weight gain and weight loss. 00:00:26.560 --> 00:00:29.330 Who is a candidate for plastic surgery or for a tummy tuck? 00:00:29.400 --> 00:00:33.530 It's usually when I see a patient who has had one or two pregnancies or more, 00:00:34.668 --> 00:00:37.130 or who has gained a lot of weight and then lost it. 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:43.170 Any reason to have that skin that has been expanded from either a baby 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:44.878 or weight gain and weight loss? 00:00:44.945 --> 00:00:48.170 Patients love to ask me, or they hear from everybody else, 00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:49.970 Oh, why do you not just go to the gym? 00:00:50.040 --> 00:00:53.170 That's never going to make skin tighten. 00:00:53.240 --> 00:00:57.324 That is one of the biggest falsehoods or misconceptions out there. 00:00:57.391 --> 00:01:02.196 That is where plastic surgery comes in: to get rid of that skin that's loose 00:01:02.396 --> 00:01:04.130 and suture it up. 00:01:04.200 --> 00:01:07.900 With a tummy tuck, a formal tummy tuck, really, 00:01:08.100 --> 00:01:10.370 the skin is pulled down over your belly button. 00:01:11.605 --> 00:01:14.775 When the curtain is pulled down over the belly button, 00:01:14.842 --> 00:01:16.210 we make a new hole for it. 00:01:16.276 --> 00:01:19.513 That's the main definition of a tummy tuck. 00:01:19.579 --> 00:01:23.450 I think I do one of the best tummy tucks, and that is because 00:01:23.520 --> 00:01:25.052 I know all the current studies 00:01:25.118 --> 00:01:29.723 but I also implement things that work and not implement things that do not work. 00:01:29.790 --> 00:01:34.595 There are probably an immeasurable number of things that I do during a tummy tuck 00:01:34.695 --> 00:01:39.099 to help increase the contouring, just on its own, and the healing process. 00:01:39.166 --> 00:01:40.970 I'm very good about the belly button instead. 00:01:41.036 --> 00:01:44.170 I think that is one of the hallmarks of a good plastic surgeon: 00:01:44.240 --> 00:01:46.039 how does the belly button look? 00:01:46.106 --> 00:01:48.075 By the time the patient is two to three months out, 00:01:48.141 --> 00:01:50.310 it looks very, very natural. 00:01:51.011 --> 00:01:54.490 If you can tell by looking at someone's belly button that they had a tummy tuck, 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:58.519 that's a good sign that you probably should not be going to that person 00:01:58.652 --> 00:02:00.454 to have a tummy tuck. 00:02:00.520 --> 00:02:02.389 I think also just the overall care 00:02:02.456 --> 00:02:06.393 and my ability to perform all ranges of tummy tucks. 00:02:06.460 --> 00:02:09.130 I can do a full tummy tuck and a mini tummy tuck. 00:02:09.200 --> 00:02:13.388 I can do various forms of application, not only centrally 00:02:13.467 --> 00:02:15.002 but also on the obliques. 00:02:15.068 --> 00:02:17.905 Also, just simply, how do we close the skin 00:02:17.971 --> 00:02:19.773 so that the incision looks its best? 00:02:21.080 --> 00:02:24.511 That honestly is not done that well by other plastic surgeons. 00:02:24.578 --> 00:02:30.517 Sometimes, it can be done lazily or not at a full depth. 00:02:31.151 --> 00:02:34.488 Bringing the skin together and all the layers together properly 00:02:34.555 --> 00:02:35.188 really helps. 00:02:35.255 --> 00:02:38.330 With my tummy tucks, I do a lot of Tumescent liposuction. 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:40.129 I would also do a lot of BodyTite, 00:02:40.329 --> 00:02:43.739 but I do the liposuction in the form of more like lipo contouring 00:02:44.164 --> 00:02:46.266 to get the right contour for every patient. 00:02:46.333 --> 00:02:49.670 Every tummy tuck is not just standard; you are not in a factory, 00:02:49.736 --> 00:02:51.290 and we are going to take the skin off. 00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:57.311 It's tailoring each patient's amount of contouring to them 00:02:57.377 --> 00:02:58.912 and their shape at the time 00:02:58.979 --> 00:03:03.617 and really enhance the body contouring aspect of the tummy tuck.