There are many approaches to a tummy tuck and all involve an incision in the lower abdomen in the area below the "bikini line." For a complete tummy tuck, skin is separated from the abdominal wall up to the ribs and the underlying muscles and supportive tissues are tightened. This will narrow your waistline as well as strengthening and flattening your abdominal wall. Excess skin is removed, resulting in a flatter, trimmer and tighter stomach. Your surgeon will discuss the different incision options in advance of surgery so you will know what to expect.

You will have seen Mr Sojitra on more than one occasion to fully answer all your questions. It is important to avoid medications, if possible, such as aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) e.g Ibuprofen (Nurofen), Sodium Diclofenac (Voltarol) for 1 week before surgery. These tablets may increase bleeding during and after surgery. It is advisable to stop smoking and no nicotine products 4 weeks before and after surgery from both a wound healing and an anaesthetic perspective.

You will be admitted to hospital on the morning of surgery and Mr Sojitra along with his consultant anaesthetist will come and discuss the surgical plan again with you and make some marks on your skin with pen. The operation will take approximately 1-2 hours and you will wake up with dressings in place before being taken to the ward. In general, tummy tuck is performed as an in-patient procedure. You will need to have a friend or family member to drive you to and from the hospital and to look after you for the first few days following surgery. Drains are used and you will need to stay in hospital overnight.

You will experience varying degrees of bruising, swelling, and some tenderness all of which improve by the day. Our consultant anaesthetist will prescribe you adequate medication to take home to alleviate any discomfort you may experience. You will be up and moving the day after surgery. It is important not to get the dressings wet after surgery and you will be advised on showering. Depending on your type of work, you may return to work between 14-21 days after your procedure. No heavy lifting or strenuous exercise for 6 weeks. It will take approximately 3 months before the swelling completely subsides and the final result seen. The scar will continue to improve for up to 18 months and you are encouraged to firmly massage the scar after 4 weeks. Your surgeon will see you 1 week after surgery at which point the dressings will be reduced and again at 2 weeks. At 2 weeks the stitches, which are dissolvable, will be trimmed flush with the skin so they cannot be seen. All dressings will be discarded at this stage. Your surgeon will closely follow your recovery to ensure you are able to resume normal exercising and activities. It is suggested you wear an abdominal support garment for 6 weeks.

Scarring on the whole is not problematic. A scar will always exist and will be hidden in the "bikini-line". Certain individuals e.g. afro-carribean races and red haired individuals are at a higher risk of forming excess scar tissue (keloid or hypertrophic scars). Should these scars develop excellent advice and treatment will be provided by your surgeon.

This is an uncommon event and occurs in perhaps less than 1% cases. Antibiotics are given during induction of the general anaesthetic.

Rarely, small blood vessels that have been cauterised during surgery open up afterward. This results in a collection of blood (haematoma) that needs to be removed. This involves a return to the operating theatre where the blood collection is washed out. There are no permanent side effects due to this occurrence should it occur.

This can occur in the lower central part of the scar and is more common in smokers as smoking impairs wound healing. When this happens, dressings are often applied by the nurse and the wound often heals without any surgical intervention.

Any general anaesthetic procedure is associated with a small risk of DVT which can potentially move to the lungs (Pulmonary Embolus). Here at Cosmetic Surgeons London we attempt to minimise this risk by the use of compression stockings before and after surgery, use of pneumatic compression devices during surgery and motivating the patient to mobilise as soon as possible after surgery.