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Sue's Modified Abdominoplasty (Mini Tummy Tuck)

Hi! My name is Sue and I had a modified abdominoplasty (aka "mini tummy tuck") on December 14th, 1999. I had gained 73 lbs during my pregnancy, going from 111 lbs to 184 lbs. I lost the weight but, as you can imagine, my skin was incredibly stretched. All the excess skin was puddled below my belly button, causing me to have to buy clothes 1-2 sizes larger just to fit over the "pouch". I worked out, did sit-ups, walked, etc, and nothing helped reduce the size of the pouch, so I opted to have a mini-tummy tuck.

My surgery was done in a outpatient surgi-center. The procedure took approximately 3 hours, and after one hour in recovery I was sent home. My doctor followed my c-section scar (so I have no new scars) and removed 2 inches of excess skin, 85 cc's (about 2 tablespoons) of fat from the sides of my lower ribcage and repaired my abdominal muscles (the abdominal muscles that had separated during pregnancy were stitched together). The first couple of days were the worst as far as pain and discomfort. The worst thing for me was I had post-nasal drip (coughing and sneezing is incredibly painful - you never realize what you're abdomen muscles are used for!). After the first week, I was able to "walk erect" (I teased the doctor, telling him when I stood up straight, all the wrinkles in my face disappeared). By New Years, I was wearing jeans and helping my sister-in-law with her party. Another bothersome thing (more of an annoyance than anything) is the girdle some doctors have you wear for 6 weeks. The "iron maiden", as my husband and I lovingly referred to it, is a crotchless girdle that covered from the bottom of my ribs to the tops of my knees, had a zipper which covered hook and eye closures - quite sexy indeed!

After 6 weeks my doctor had me begin doing sit-ups. I found that using an ab-roller helped a lot (sticking my feet under the couch and trying to do a sit-up was too much of a strain). The swelling took over 3 months to really subside - I still, after almost 6 months, find that my lower abdomen swells after I exercise (sit-ups) and if I've spent a lot of time on my feet. I still have pinches where my muscles have been stitched (my doctor says I will likely feel the pinches throughout my life since the stitches used on the muscles will never dissolve and will be there long after I've died). And I still have numb spots on my abdomen.

Before the tummy tuck I wore a size 6 or 8, now I can fit into a size 2 or 4 in women's, 14 in children's (I'm short - 5' 1 1/4" - I love children's clothes because I don't have to hem them!). I am ecstatic with the results! At my 5 month check up, my doctor injected Kenalog into my scar and gave me a silicon strip to wear over my scar 8 hours a day. My scar is almost completely flat and I am amazed at how it has begun to fade (just the center is still red - the rest is fading from pink to flesh-tone)!

click photo for a larger image

One thing you have to take into consideration when thinking about having a tummy tuck - if you plan on ever having any (more) children, wait until after you've finished childbearing before having a tummy tuck. You're skin can only stretch so much, and after you've had a tummy tuck you may not be able to accommodate the size of a pregnancy.

I hope my story is helpful to anyone considering having a tummy tuck.

~Sue