Tummy Tuck Gatineau - Ottawa

Tummy Tuck drawing If dieting and exercising doesn't seem to flatten and tone your abdomen, tummy tuck surgery performed at our Gatineau practice can help you. Dr. Patricia Berbari excels at helping her patients achieve the toned, youthful tummy they desire.

General Information

An abdominoplasty, commonly referred to as a tummy tuck, is a body contouring procedure that tightens the skin on your abdomen and brings together the muscles of your abdominal wall. The treatment works well for both men and women who have good overall health and want to alter the appearance of their mid-section. A tummy tuck is most commonly performed on patients who have completed significant weight loss, and mothers who have had several pregnancies. Dr. Berbari performs a comprehensive consultation with patients at her Gatineau office who are interested in tummy tuck surgery to better evaluate their needs and desires for having treatment. Taking into account the complexity of your situation and personal goals for surgery, Dr. Berbari configures a course of action that will yield the best results for your unique body. There are two types of the procedure that can be performed on patients depending on their specific needs:

The scar in the lower abdomen cannot be seen when a bathing suit is worn. A second scar, in the umbilicus, is usually well hidden. The length of the horizontal scar depends on the amount of skin to be removed. If there is not too much extra skin on the hips, your scar will be between 15 and 20 cm long. Abdominoplasty is performed on a patient under general anesthesia and liposuction can be done at the same time, if needed, to give a more slender shape and a better defined contours.

Are You An Ideal Candidate?

A tummy tuck is ideal for patients who desire a flatter, tighter abdomen. If you are a non-smoker who has recently lost a significant amount of weight, or if pregnancy has cost you skin and muscle tone in your abdomen, a tummy tuck can help you achieve the youthful midsection you desire. After a pregnancy, the tissues do not always regain their elasticity and even if the patient returns to her normal pre-pregnancy weight she will still have excess abdominal skin that neither dieting nor exercise can eliminate. It is strongly recommended that you lose weight and maintain the resulting weight loss BEFORE abdominoplasty, as the procedure will not get rid of intra-abdominal fat (especially in men), which is usually found in large amounts around the intestines and stomach. Only dieting will solve this problem.

Risks & Complications

Infection, bleeding, a seroma or a hematoma may occur, but only in rare cases.
Numbness is unpredictable and may occur in the abdominal area, between the umbilicus and the scar above the pubic zone. It may be temporary or permanent, as with patients who have had a caesarean section.
Tissue necrosis: Specifically in smokers, poor blood flow in the skin resulting in a lack of oxygen in the area may lead to the formation of a black crust, especially if there are other scars (gallbladder, hernia…) on the abdomen.
Deep venous thrombosis, or even a fatal pulmonary embolism if the patient keeps on taking oral contraceptives or hormone therapy that affect blood flow. During the consultation, we will go over all the contraindications, to reduce risks.
Smokers cough following anaesthesia; this may cause the abdominal muscular tightening to rupture.
Lymphatic drainage will help the swelling disappear more quickly (see the section on massage to find out more about lymphatic drainage).

Recovery

One of the concerns patients express before having tummy tuck surgery is scaring. Although scaring is unavoidable when surgery requires incisions, Dr. Berbari will follow you closely to help optimize the healing. She will offer you a number of treatment options in case of bad scaring.

A drain is left in for 5 days after the procedure, to prevent a seroma or a hematoma formation. A compression girdle must be worn for 6 weeks after the procedure to help the skin and the deep tissues to tighten. The healing period following undergoing a tummy tuck is anywhere from three weeks to six weeks, with no physical exercise for at least six weeks.