abdominoplasty (Tummy tuck) ($4,ooo to $8,ooo)
Sometimes, after multiple pregnancies or major weight loss, a person’s abdominal muscles weaken and the skin in that area becomes flaccid and hangs below the pubic bone. Abdominoplasty can tighten the abdominal muscles and, in some instances, banish stretch marks (because they are cut away, never to be seen again). In both men and women, the procedure removes excess skin and fat. Generally, an incision is made across the pubic area just above the bikini line and around the navel. The skin is lifted up and away from the sides of the body and up to just under the breasts, then pulled down and reshaped firmly along the body. Liposuction may be used to remove excess fat along the back area just in front of where the skin is lifted away from the body. Often the stomach muscles, which may have separated and pulled apart, are stitched back together, re-creating the natural girdle you had when you were younger. The excess skin is then cut away, and what remains is stitched back together around the navel and at the original incision above the pubic bone.
The complication rate for this type of surgery is significant. Primary problems include wound infection, the wound splitting open, blood-filled swelling, blood clots, and intestinal obstruction. It is a serious operation with potentially excellent results, but it is not a procedure to venture into lightly without taking all the risks into consideration. (Sources: Annals of Plastic Surgery, January 2009, pages 5-6; and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2001, volume 107, pages 1869-1873.)