Tummy Tuck Before & After Case 49

This young woman was unhappy with the appearance of her belly and came to our Albany, New York, office to explore the potential options for improvement. In addition to 2 pregnancies, she had abdominal surgery through a vertical scar on her lower abdomen. This scar is often indented, as was the case of this woman. She wished to have a flat abdomen and have her clothes fit better, so she came to see us.

As you can see in the before photographs, she had lost her waistline in addition to having fullness of her belly. The indented scar highlighted a combination of loose skin and excess fat of the lower belly. There is no amount of diet and exercise that could improve this, and body contouring surgery is often the only option for improvement.

We choose to restore this woman's belly with a combination of a tummy tuck and liposuction in Albany.  Tummy tucks are often used to remove low vertical scars such as this woman's. The procedure does produce a horizontal scar, but this is usually much easier to hide within underwear or a bikini. Liposuction was added to contour her waistline and lower back, and the degree of improvement is quite noticeable in her lateral postoperative photograph.

The combination of liposuction and tummy tuck is a common one, and it can be done as an outpatient procedure. In most cases, there is a 10- to 14-day recovery period, though everyone does heal at different rates. The scar from a tummy tuck is well concealed and over time tends to fade quite nicely. This patient now has a flat belly, an improved waistline, and a happy attitude.