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BOSTON PLASTIC SURGERY
At Clareo Plastic Surgery in Boston, our tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, offers a transformative solution for achieving a firmer and flatter abdomen. This outpatient surgical procedure is designed to tighten and remove excess skin from the front of your stomach, while also tightening abdominal muscles and repositioning your belly button for a smoother, more contoured appearance.
For optimal results, our tummy tuck is frequently combined with liposuction to target and eliminate stubborn fat from the upper abdomen and waist. Additionally, we offer customizable treatment plans that can integrate a tummy tuck with other popular procedures, such as breast augmentation or liposuction in various body areas, to enhance your overall physique.
The Clareo Plastic Surgery team, led by Dr. Michael Tantillo and Dr. Christopher Lee, can help you achieve the confident, revitalized look you’ve always wanted.
When deciding between a tummy tuck and liposuction, it’s crucial to consider the condition of your abdominal skin, including its excess and elasticity. Unlike a tummy tuck, liposuction does not remove excess skin. If your skin has significant sagging or lacks the elasticity to “bounce back,” liposuction alone might result in loose, hanging skin.
At Clareo Plastic Surgery in Boston, our body sculpting experts will assess your unique needs during your consultation. We will explore the best options for you and provide a thorough discussion of the benefits and potential drawbacks of each procedure. Often, liposuction is performed in conjunction with a tummy tuck to enhance results. In fact, nearly all of our tummy tuck patients also undergo some form of liposuction to achieve optimal body contouring outcomes.
Liposuction can remove stubborn pockets of fat that diet and exercise cannot get rid of. This can help to improve your results from a tummy tuck by giving you a more sculpted appearance.
Once you have completely healed, your tummy will be flat with tighter muscles. Your tummy tuck scar will be placed low and can easily be covered by clothing and swimwear. With a full tummy tuck, there also is an incision around the belly button. Patients are encouraged to have completed their pregnancies prior to having abdominoplasty, as pregnancy can stretch the skin and separate the muscles even after a tummy tuck, reversing all the work the abdominoplasty did.
Clareo Plastic Surgery proudly serves the Greater Boston Area. Our team of expert plastic surgeons – led by Dr. Christopher Lee and Dr. Michael Tantillo – is dedicated to helping you achieve your aesthetic goals with cutting-edge treatments and personalized care.
Ready to enhance your appearance? Request a consultation today to explore the advanced cosmetic procedures we offer. At Clareo Plastic Surgery, we are committed to guiding you through every step of your transformation. Contact us now to begin your journey towards a more beautiful you.
Board-certified plastic surgeons recognize the increased risks, including blood clots and wound infections, associated with patients with a high BMI. While surgeons may vary slightly regarding the upper BMI limit, Dr. Tantillo does not offer tummy tuck to patients whose BMI is greater than 33. Patient safety is the most important consideration.
Our surgeons, and most board-certified plastic surgeons, agree that it’s best to be as close as possible to your ideal body weight before having a tummy tuck. This will ensure that your results are both rewarding and long-lasting. A stable and realistic weight is best.
Scars are an unfortunate trade-off for the many benefits of a tummy tuck. The abdominoplasty scar in the lower abdomen will be such that it will be covered by most any clothing. The length of that scar depends on how much excess skin needs to be removed. Patients who have a full abdominoplasty also have a scar around the belly button; a mini tummy tuck does not require an incision around the belly button. Precision surgical techniques are used to minimize the appearance of the scar and we will give you recommendations for scar management after the surgery. Over time the scars are almost always inconspicuous and acceptable to patients.
Yes, abdominoplasty is an excellent procedure for removing C-section scars and other post-pregnancy-related issues, such as repairing muscle laxity and bringing your abdominal muscles back together.
Depending on the location of the tattoo and how much excess skin you have, the tattoo may be removed completely or altered. We will be able to plan for this ahead of time and sometimes alter the surgery a bit to accommodate a tattoo.
Typically abdominoplasty takes about three to four hours to complete. However, this depends on the number of additional procedures you have done. During your consultation, your surgeon will discuss with you how long your specific procedure will take and address any concerns.
Not necessarily. We often have abdominoplasty patients who also have young children at home. The key is asking for help and preparing for your recovery. Typically, you will need to avoid lifting anything over 5 pounds for 6 weeks. This can be very difficult for mothers who want to carry or hold their children, but it is only temporary and is necessary to ensure your results are not compromised. Engage the help of a friend, relative, or trusted loved one for some assistance during the weeks following your procedure.
Yes. A tummy tuck really can help you regain your pre-baby body. That’s because a tummy tuck addresses excess skin and muscle separation that is caused by pregnancy. In fact, many of our patients even say that they look better after their abdominoplasty than they did before they had children.
It’s important to note that tummy tuck surgery does not improve the quality of the surrounding skin or tissue that is not removed at the time of your operation. So, if there are stretch marks outside of your treatment area, they will remain.
A tummy tuck, like liposuction, is a body contouring procedure rather than a weight loss surgery. While excess tissue is removed in the operation, this weighs very little and a tummy tuck is not a substitute for a healthy diet and exercise.
An abdominoplasty does not affect a woman’s ability to become pregnant. Because pregnancy will stretch the soft tissues on the abdominal wall, we recommend postponing a tummy tuck until you have completed your pregnancies.
A tummy tuck includes the removal of the skin from the lower abdomen, and any stretch marks included on this removed skin are removed as well. Stretch marks above or to the side of this area are not removed.
Yes. Some medications can help lighten scars and minimize their appearance. Different surgeons will recommend different things, but most agree that silicone, pressure, and antioxidants are effective. Our Clareo surgeons recommend BIOCORNEUM® and scar massage.
No. All surgery leaves a scar, but our surgeons use techniques to make scarring as inconspicuous as possible. Scars can be faint with proper wound closure and scar management. Genetics also affect how noticeable your scar is. Regardless, most of our patients find that their scar is a small price to pay for the transformative results they enjoy and that their scar can be easily concealed by clothing and swimwear.
Yes, other procedures besides liposuction can be combined with a tummy tuck. These include aesthetic breast surgery, circumferential torso surgery, thigh lift or liposuction, or an arm lift or liposuction. We will only perform surgery that is safe; if you are interested in more procedures that can be safely done as one procedure, we will devise a plan for staged surgery.
Nearly all tummy tuck procedures performed at Clareo will include postoperative drains to help achieve the best results during your recovery.
Doctors recommend sleeping in a reclined or elevated position and avoiding sleeping on your side or stomach for the first two to three weeks. Place plenty of pillows under your knees, and your head should give you the most comfortable position.