Tummy Tuck surgery is almost invariably greatly appreciated by the proper patient. These top ten facts might help you figure if you are such a person.

(1) Tummy Tuck surgery is one of the largest scale operations a plastic surgeon can offer a patient.

(2) Patients who have lost a good deal of weight or completed child bearing involving large weight gain and loss are the most common candidates. Patients do not lose much weight from the operation itself in most cases….maybe a few pounds on average.

(3) Post-operative pain used to make it necessary to admit the patient to a hospital for narcotics.

(4) Pain pumps when properly utilized can decrease pain significantly. Overnight stays often reduce risk when properly supervised.

(5) Revisions are not uncommon but can often be done in a lower key environment….such as local in the office. The revision rate varies enormously between surgeons.

(6) All tummy tucks are not alike. The work of the novice really shows in this operation.

(7) Many physicians in the OC offer these operations including plastic surgeons, cosmetic surgeons, gynecologists and general surgeons. You guess which ones look the best?

(8) When you go to the bargain basement doctor, some of what may happen may not be correctable later.

(9) Drains and pump catheters will need to be used for a week or longer. They reduce risk of fluid collections that can ruin otherwise nice results (My opinion of course.)

(10) Smoking can really impair healing and lead to skin necrosis which commonly detracts from the quality of the result and delays wound healing sometimes for months. Don’t have the surgery if you can’t stop the cigarettes and tell your surgeon a true indication of how many cigarettes you are smoking daily.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia, M.D.

Originally posted 2011-04-20 07:30:15.