Tummy Tuck in Concord California
Tummy tuck
(Abdominoplasty)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Tummy tuck" is a cosmetic surgery procedure used to make the abdomen more firm.
The American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary defines abdominoplasty as "Plastic surgery of the abdomen in which excess fatty tissue and skin are removed, usually for cosmetic purposes."
The surgery involves the removal of excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen in order to tighten the muscle and fascia of the abdominal wall. This type of surgery is usually sought by women with loose tissues after pregnancy or individuals with sagging after major weight loss.
Procedures
Tummy tuck operations vary in scope and are frequently subdivided into categories. Depending on the extent of the surgery, a complete Tummy tuck can take 1 to 5 hours. A partial abdominoplasty (Mini-Tuck Tummy tuck) can be completed between 1 to 2 hours.
Complete Tummy tuck
A complete (or full) Tummy tuck involves:
• An incision is made from hip to hip just above the pubic area.
• Another incision is made to free the navel from the surrounding skin.
• The skin is detached from the abdominal wall to reveal the muscles and fascia to be tightened. The muscle fascia wall is tightened with sutures.
• The remaining skin and fat are tightened by removing the excess and closing the defect.
• The old belly button stalk is brought out through a new hole and sutured into place.
• Liposuction is often used to refine the transition zones of the abdominal sculpture.
• A dressing and sometime a compression garment are applied and any excess fluid from the site is drained.
Partial Tummy tuck
A partial (or mini) Tummy tuck involves:
• A smaller incision is made.
• The skin and fat of the lower abdomen are detached in a more limited fashion from the muscle fascia. The skin is stretched down and excess skin removed.
• Sometimes the belly button stalk is divided from the muscle below and the belly button slid down lower on the abdominal wall.
• Sometimes a portion of the abdominal muscle fascia wall is tightened.
• Liposuction is often used to contour the transition zone.
• The flap is stitched back into place.
Extended Tummy tuck
An extended Tummy tuck is a complete Tummy tuck with extensions into the thighs (front) and/or flanks (sides).
Combination Procedures
A Tummy tuck is a component of a lower body lift and can be combined with liposuction contouring, breast reduction, breast lift, or occasionally hysterectomy, depending on the reason for the hysterectomy.
Recovery
Depends on the problem to be treated, surgical technique(s), and other factors.
Can take one to four weeks and patients are advised to take at least a portion of this recovery time off from work.
Heavy activity especially is best avoided during this time.
Initially there may be bruising and discomfort.
A supportive abdominal binder or compression garment can minimize swelling / bruising, and support the repaired tissues.
Patients are advised to avoid all forms of nicotine for a month or longer prior to surgery and also during the recovery period
Costs
The cost of a "tummy tuck" varies from country to country and even within locales of countries. As with most cosmetic surgery operations, the cost depends on a variety of factors like the age of the patient, their weight and the state of their health. Depending on the individuals, there may also be other costs involved after the operation. This does not include the follow-up visits as required by some doctors.
On average in the United States, this procedure can cost from USD$4,000 to as much as $20,000.
The pre-operative and post-operative care, facility fees, anesthesia, and medications must be taken into consideration when reviewing surgery costs. No surgeries are a guaranteed success and therefore a second procedure or a touch-up may be required to achieve the desired appearance. These costs are typically not included in the original cost.
More Concord info...
Concord See
Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, [2]. This memorial honors 320 individuals (including 200 young African American men) who were killed in a munitions accident during World War II while loading munitions and bombs onto ships bound for the Pacific Rim. Following the explosion many of the enlisted men refused to work, resulting in the Navy's largest mutiny trial and eventually helping to push the US Armed Forces to desegregate. Reservations are required to visit the memorial and can be made by calling (925) 838-0249. Tours are available Wednesday-Saturday from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM and take one hour. The memorial can be reached by exiting on the Port Chicago Highway exit from either highway 4 or highway 242, and heading north to the Concord Naval Weapons Station.
Concord Get out
Walnut Creek. Concord's nearest neighbor, the downtown Walnut Creek area offers shopping, bars, restaurants.
Clayton. One of Concord's next door neighbors, Clayton is a bit more rural than other communities and still offers somewhat of a small-town atmosphere.
Pleasant Hill. This neighboring city is primarily a typical family suburb, but it does offer options for food and shopping.
Mt. Diablo State Park (www.mdia.org/spinfo.htm). As one of the tallest mountains in the Bay Area, Mt. Diablo dominates the area landscape and provides an escape from the suburbia which surrounds it.
Plastic Surgery News...
- A space-based technology may provide an inexpensive and more reliable way to gauge the walking capacity in many patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), whose clogged leg arteries cause them severe pain when they walk, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
- This BMJ review on gynaecomastia and breast cancer in men addresses the following questions:
• What is gynaecomastia?
• How do hormones affect the breast?
• What are the hormone sources in men?
• When is gynaecomastia physiological?
• What disorders or drugs enlarge the breast?
• Who is at higher risk for breast cancer?
• How should male breast tissue be evaluated?
• Metastatic and non-malignant breast masses
• When and how should gynaecomastia be treated?
• How is male breast cancer treated?
The article notes that 1% of breast cancers occur in men, with higher rates in men with a family history of breast cancer or previous chest radiation; they typically have more advanced breast cancer at diagnosis than women, but management is similar. With regards to treatment for painful or embarrassing gynaecomastia, an anti-oestrogen such as tamoxifen, or surgery (liposuction or mammoplasty) are the usual options.