A newsletter from David J. Levens, MD, FACS
Board-certified Plastic Surgeon
Please contact me for a free consultation with Dr. Levens.
CASE STUDY: Tummy Tuck
A year after Joan P*, 57, of Orlando had her tummy tuck, she says she still loves “looking at myself in the mirror…my stomach wasn’t this flat as a teenager.” 
“I’m only 4’11” and I had two large babies 30 years ago,” she adds. “My belly became very stretched and has bulged ever since. I decided I finally deserved to do something about it. I lost a pant size and everything is so much more comfortable. It’s just so great to be able to look down and not see that awful bulge.”
Joan says she researched plastic surgeons online and was impressed with Dr. Levens’ credentials, “especially the fact that he’d been practicing since 1989 and had been Chief of Surgery at the Coral Springs Medical Center. I wanted someone who really knows what he’s doing.
The Procedure: Dr. Levens placed incisions low on Joan’s abdomen to conceal them, then lifted skin and fat off the abdomen’s underlying musculature. He tightened fascia (the tissue that interconnects the muscles) by placing multiple rows of sutures, thus reshaping the abdomen’s underlying framework. He then pulled skin and fat downward, and removed excess skin. The umbilicus (belly button) was repositioned, and all incisions were then closed with sutures placed beneath the skin. During the surgery, Dr. Levens also performed lipoplasty, using a tiny cannula tube to remove excess fat on the front and on the side’s of Joan’s torso.
Recovery: “I was uncomfortable for about two days but I felt it was a small price to pay for the results that I got,” Joan says. “From start to finish, it was a great experience. Dr. Levens answered all my questions and I could tell he really cared about me. His staff is phenomenal, too. Sometimes at a doctor’s office, the staff makes you feel like you’re just a number to them. But Dr. Levens’ staff always seemed genuinely happy to see me and went out of their way to make me feel comfortable.”
Most patients have moderate discomfort the first 48-72 hours, decreasing rapidly thereafter. A pain pump is utilized to administer a long –acting anesthetic to the surgical area for the first 3 days, which greatly eases the initial discomfort. The degree of discomfort depends largely on the patient’s personal pain tolerance. The abdomen will feel tighter as the result of the procedure. The feeling of tightness will decrease over 3-6 weeks as swelling fades and the tissues become accustomed to their new position.
After a tummy tuck, the patient can usually shower or bathe after 3-5 days. Patients wear an elastic garment (provided by the office) for two weeks or more after surgery to minimize fluid collection and swelling, and to improve comfort in treated areas. Often, small plastic drainage tubes are used to prevent accumulation of fluid under the skin. Dr. Levens will remove them in his office 7-10 days after the surgery.
Abdominoplasty can be an outpatient procedure, but occasionally we will opt for a 1-night hospital stay. It is important for patients to be up and moving around the day following the procedure to minimize blood clots. Recommended activity levels during the recovery depend on the specific procedure, but typically, the schedule of recovery is: Bruising and swelling, 7-21 days; return to work & social activity, 10-14 days; aerobic or strenuous activity, 4-6 weeks.
Dr. Levens comments: If you are significantly overweight, you'll get a much better correction if you achieve a more ideal body weight before your abdominoplasty. There is a limit to the amount of fat and skin that can be safely removed during the procedure. In most cases, it is necessary to reposition or reshape your umbilicus (belly button). How much your abdomen can be reshaped depends on several factors, including the condition of your tissues and amount of fat or protuberance coming from inside your abdomen prior to surgery.
Any incision will produce a scar. The nature of these scars will depend on several factors, including the extent of your specific procedure and your skin’s own healing characteristics. However, scars fade and can be covered, while a bulging abdomen is difficult to camouflage.
* Name changed for privacy purposes.