A full tummy tuck or abdominoplasty involves the removal of excess skin and fat from the lower tummy or abdomen, bikini line in women, belt-line on men. In addition, the underlying muscles are tightened, and any hernias are repaired. This can produce a beautiful, flat shape to the tummy.

Dr Aggarwal is a well regarded, respected, highly skilled and experienced Specialist Plastic Surgeon. Graduating at the top of his class throughout his training, Dr Aggarwal has completed fellowship training at some of the world’s most prestigious reconstructive and cosmetic plastic surgery institutions. He continues to publish research is prestigious plastic surgery journals, and is actively involved in the training of future plastic surgeons.

Take a look at public reviews of Dr Aggarwal on Realself, Cosmetic Journey and Plastic Surgery Hub.

During your first consultation, Dr Aggarwal will discuss your concerns, and go through a full medical history and physical examination. He will also discuss your treatment options, including a discussion of risks, and benefits.

At Mode Plastic Surgery, we will always ask you to see Dr Aggarwal at least twice before deciding to have a cosmetic procedure as we believe the decision to have surgery is a significant one, and you should consider all options, have the opportunity to ask questions and have time to understand and ponder over the risks and benefits before committing to surgery.

After your first consultation, an estimate of surgical fees will be provided to you as a written quote (usually emailed). More information about the cost of a tummy tuck are available here.

Dr Aggarwal wants there to be no confusion in your mind about Tummy Tucks so we have compiled this list of myths to make sure you aren’t labouring under false information.

5 Myths about Tummy Tuck Surgery

• Tummy tucks are for lazy people. This is 100% untrue! Tummy tucks are best performed on healthy patients who eat right and maintain a healthy weight. Exercise and diet cannot remove loose skin. This procedure is for healthy individuals who want their excess skin surgically removed.
• Only women undergo tummy tucks. Another false myth. Many men have tummy tucks. Both men and women can have excess skin that requires removing and both can desire to improve their appearance through cosmetic and surgical procedures.
• An optimal time for a tummy tuck is after a C-section. Another big myth that can cause unnecessary stress on mothers. Dr Aggarwal would not recommend undergoing a tummy tuck immediately following a C-section. Your body has just been through an immense journey and then putting it through a surgical procedure can cause excess stress for your body. Additionally, following pregnancy, your weight and stretched skin and muscles would benefit from healing prior to a tummy tuck.
• You cannot get pregnant after a tummy tuck. False! Again. While many people choose to perform a tummy tuck after they have finished with having babies, there are no additional risks to getting pregnant following a tummy tuck; it may, however, impact the results you achieved with the tummy tuck procedure prior to pregnancy.
• If I work out enough, I will not need a tummy tuck. Simply put, life happens to all of us! We gain weight and lose weight. We may have a baby. We may have a few. We age and our muscles change. How (and where) we store fat changes and how (and where) we burn off fat may change. Our skin ages and loses elasticity. While diet and exercise are critical to healthy ageing, they cannot prevent or reverse all the changes life and genetics have in store for us. Some of these effects can be mitigated by a healthy lifestyle. Exercise can tone muscles, but cannot be restored if they have been separated by pregnancy. Reducing body fat is healthy, but unfortunately, skin that is stretched out will not regain tone through physical activity. Consequently, abdominoplasty can be an ideal adjunct to a healthy lifestyle by removing excess fat and loose skin to regain a healthy, fit appearance.

A tummy tuck procedure can help you gain the confidence to:

• Wear tight-fitting clothes that may otherwise reveal the loose skin or excess fat they find embarrassing,
• Wear swimwear they want to wear,
• Restore shape of a woman’s tummy after pregnancy and child-rearing,
• Remove skin and fat that cannot be addressed through diet and exercise alone

The medical benefits of a tummy tuck can include improved back pain, improved incontinence and improvement in skin rashes under the skin.

The best candidates for a tummy tuck are women who:

• Have completed their families,
• Are physically and mentally healthy,
• Have already lost the weight they want to lose,
• Have been a stable weight for at least 6 months (ideally 12 months),
• Have realistic expectations, and are willing to accept the scar of an abdominoplasty

What follow up appointments do I need?

We see all our patients at week 1, 2, 4 and 8. After this we see patients around the 6-month mark and again 1 year out from surgery. These follow up appointments are included in costs of surgery.

What Else Do I Need to Know about a Tummy Tuck

Performed under general anaesthesia as an inpatient, the length of surgery is around 2-3 hours. Most patients return to work in approximately 3-4 weeks after surgery and should avoid strenuous activity for 8 weeks.

Results are seen straight away but will continue to improve up to 6 months post operatively; however, this varies from one person to another.

It is important to note that a tummy tuck is not intended to correct major weight-related issues. This surgery will not be performed on current smokers or extreme obesity.

To understand what is reasonable to expect from the surgery, it is a good idea to look at before and after tummy tuck photos. This will give you a good perspective of what results other patients have achieved through our plastic surgeons’ work.

Please note abdominoplasty may not be suitable for women who:

• Have not lost the weight they want to lose,
• Have fluctuations in their weight,
• Are very overweight or obese (BMI >35) – ideally your BMI should be less than 30 for best results,
• Have multiple medical problems,
• Have multiple scars on their tummy, or have had a gallbladder removal through a large incision (open cholecystectomy),
• Are on blood-thinning medication,
• Are actively smoking,
• Will not accept a long scar of a tummy tuck

5 Things real tummy tuck patients said they wish they had known before surgery (from Realself):

Patient 1

”It is going to take a long time to heal. I went in thinking I was going to be up and running in two weeks. What the heck! I am an intelligent woman, but this was really stupid thinking. Please plan on taking a minimum of two weeks off work, or three to four if you can swing it.”

Patient 2

“You’re going to swell. They tell you that you’ll be swollen. Whoa, that is an understatement. Hang tough. Your clothes won’t fit for a while. Don’t think you are jumping into a pair of skinny jeans anytime soon. It’s so not going to happen. I had visions of the tummy being removed, fat being sucked out of my hips, and running out to a party the next week. Dreamer.”

Patient 3

“Let people take care of you. Don’t try to be a superwoman. Yes, ladies, we all know we can run the show and manage everything and everyone in our lives, but this is not the time. Surrender to your caretakers and focus on healing. If your spouse is not doing things the way you normally would, let it go. You can straighten everything out later. Nobody will die if you are not running the ship for a while.”

Patient 4

”It’s going to hurt when you laugh, cry, sneeze, take a deep breath, move, and so on. They tell you pre-op that you will have some discomfort after surgery. That’s a damn lie because it hurts like hell. Obviously, the people telling you this have probably never had a tummy tuck. As long as you don’t laugh, cry, sneeze, take a deep breath, move, poop, try to push and pass gas, or any other sudden movements you will be fine. Basically just lie in bed for about a week, and you will be fine.”

Patient 5

”Don’t watch funny movies for the first two weeks. I made that mistake. You don’t want any deep gut laughter. My son laughed so hard watching me trying not to laugh, I thought he was going to wet his pants. Apparently, the face of a woman in pain after a tummy tuck is quite comical to a teenager.”