A tummy tuck or abdominoplasty medically falls under the
category of major invasive surgery so the first thing you
need to consider before you have the operation is whether
or not you are willing to take the risk. The best
candidates for this operation are non-smokers who are in
good health with no history of any kind of immune
compromising disorder.

The intention of a tummy tuck is to remove and then
tighten lose flesh that may be the result of rapid weight
loss or pregnancy. It is not to be confused with
liposuction, which is an entirely different procedure that
involves the vacuuming of fat from between the skin and the
abdominal wall.

If you are a woman that is planning at some time to have
more children there is absolutely no point in getting a
tummy tuck until you feel your child bearing years are
over. This is because the vertical muscles that are
tightened up during a tummy tuck can be separated again by
a future pregnancy.

You should also realize that a tummy tuck will leave
permanent scars. This is because it requires a deep
incision and removal of flesh. If you don't like the look
of lateral scars striping your stomach then this procedure
may not be for you.

Many plastic surgeons simply will not operate on a smoker
as the habit is thought to seriously undermine the healing
of bruises and stitches. If you are smoking be prepared to
quit your habit at least a couple of weeks before the
commencement of the surgery and don't plan on smoking at
all during your recovery period. Smoking can cause a
potential fatal skin condition called necrosis.

If you are not tolerant to pain then you may not be happy
to hear that the pain and soreness from a tummy tuck can
last as long as a year after the operation. This means that
you may be prescribed a lot of painkillers that could put
you at risk for addiction.

Your plastic surgeon will also probably give you a list of
medications that you will not be allowed to take for two
weeks before surgery. These include medications such as
aspirin, antidepressants or serotonin supplements. This is
because these drugs can cause excessive bleeding.

Depending on what procedures you have had you can recovery
time of at least a month and in many cases up to three or
four months. You may not be able to attend work or exercise
for three months, as that is how long you may seem swollen.
Be prepared for some discomfort and restricted movement.
You will also obviously not be able to sleep on your
stomach as that can cause further bleeding or the ripping
of stitches.

Be aware too that a tummy tuck is generally an expensive
procedure that is considered to be elective cosmetic
surgery. This means it is not covered by most insurance
plans. The only instance in which it would be covered is if
the tummy tuck was deemed necessary to correct a hernia.