APPEAL BY DR. CHET MAYS styles to the tummy tuck. The overall goal is to remove the unwanted skin, improve laxity and fullness of the abdomen and hips. A tummy tuck is a procedure that removes skin laxity, skin up and removing, hiding the scar below the breast. Compare this to a traditional tummy tuck that involves pulling the skin down hiding the scar in the waistline.
There is no insurance coverage for tummy tucks. Select individual’s insurance will cover a panniculectomy, which is the removal of large areas of hanging skin on the lower abdomen that is causing irritation and skin breakdown. A panniculectomy does not include muscle tightening, sculpting of the waistline, or the creation of a new belly button. It is more of a functional procedure instead of a cosmetic procedure. There are times when the skin laxity is only in the upper abdomen, above the belly button and a reverse tummy tuck is needed. This technique involves making an incision underneath the breast and pulling the excess
tightens the abdominal muscle weakness called a diastasis, and creates a new belly button in the remaining skin while contouring the waistline. Creating the new belly button is always a topic of discussion because patients want to know what it will look like. Just like there are a variety of tummy tuck techniques there are a variety of ways to make a belly button. As we stretch the remaining skin of the upper abdomen down to the lower incision line, we have covered the belly button. Once all the skin is removed, a new hole is cut in the remaining skin and the belly button is brought out through the hole and stitched into place. The different types of tummy tucks are treating the same issues of skin laxity, muscle weakness, and fullness of the waistline. The difference is the length of the incisions. Amini tummy tuck is traditionally a shorter scar length in the lower abdomen that does not extend hip to hip. The standard tummy tuck scar is a lower abdominal incision that extends all the way across the abdomen from hip to hip. The extended tummy tuck is designed for individuals who have skin laxity that extends to the hips and back. In the extended tummy tuck, the incision will go past the anterior hips onto the sides and back to remove the unwanted skin. The fleur-di-lis tummy tuck involves a long horizontal incision and a vertical incision that extends in the middle of the lower abdomen up to the chest which is common to perform on individuals who have undergone greater than 100-pound weight loss. Another common procedure for individuals who have undergone massive weight loss is a 360-degree skin removal called a belt lipectomy. This involves an incision all the way around the body from the front, onto the back, and then back around to the front.
Not every patient is a candidate for each procedure. A consultation with a board- certified plastic surgeon is the best place to start to see which procedure is going to give you the desired result.
See More Before & After Photos in Our Special Look Book Section, “ Seeing is Believing ,” on pages 29-39.
TUMMY TUCK
EXTENDED TUMMY TUCK
CaloAesthetics Patient
CaloAesthetics Patient
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
TUMMY TUCK, LIPOSUCTION HIPS
FLEUR-DIS-LIS TUMMY TUCK
CaloAesthetics Patient
CaloAesthetics Patient
A common question we get is about insurance coverage of a tummy tuck.
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BODY LANGUAGE 43
BODY LANGUAGE 43
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