CosmeticSurg blog: Expert insights from Dr. Ricardo L. Rodriguez

In my previous blog post about postoperative Tummy tuck swelling I talked about how the blood supply is disrupted to different degrees using the two different types of Tummy tuck techniques (standard vs. Lockwood). In summary, the more skin that is elevated and separated from the muscle layer, the more blood supply disruption you have. On this post we will address swelling of the tissues after Tummy tuck and why compression garments following surgery are important to reduce swelling. The body is made mostly of water, and there is a constant fluid leakage from the tissues balanced by reuptake of fluid into the lymphatic drainage system. When the lymphatic system is impaired, we get fluid accumulations. The fluid can accumulate between the tissues as interstitial fluid (like a soaked sponge), or outside of the tissues as a seroma (like a sac of fluid). It can also accumulate at some distance from the operative site, usually the upper thighs or legs. The drawing illustrates the various types of fluid accumulation following surgery. As you move from left to right on the illustration you have increasing swelling to result in these conditions:

I get many patients who come into my Baltimore office requesting a Tummy tuck. The Tummy tuck will give a much flatter tummy, and if they get liposuction around the love handle area, a drastic reshaping of the entire midsection. But the biggest drawback is the scar. It goes most of the time from hip bone to hip bone. Invariably, I get the question, can we do a Mini Tummy tuck? The patient is hoping to get most of what she needs with a smaller scar and a less involved surgery. What is the difference between the Tummy tuck and the Mini Tummy tuck?

As a senior (a little over 60 years old) I had given continued thought and prayer to having Breast reduction surgery for a number of years (at least 30 or more). In the past few years the thought and prayers became more and more on my mind and approximately 2 years ago I went as far as having a consultation with a plastic surgeon. I don’t know if it was my frame of mind or exactly what all the reasons were, but I was not comfortable with the surgeon, his staff, or even the thought of continuing on with this surgery. I didn’t go back for a 2nd visit…

“Can I have another procedure at the same time as the Brazilian butt lift?” The answer is yes and no. A Tummy tuck can be safely combined with the Brazilian butt lift to give a great result. However, combining the butt lift with breast aug is usually not advisable. Watch this video by Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez, a Yale trained Plastic Surgeon.

Dr. Rodriguez explains how Abdominoplasty surgical techniques influence blood supply disruption and post-operative swelling, so let’s take a look at how that plays into reducing swelling and eliminating fluid collections.

There have been several comments recently on one of my previous blog posts about Tummy tuck swelling. While swelling is a definite concern, it’s only one of the possible complications following Abdominoplasty. Other complications can include infection, wound separation, and fluid collections. Be sure to discuss these things with your plastic surgeon prior to your surgery.

The most common question we get about Tummy Tuck recovery in my Baltimore practice is ‘How much time off work do I need?’ The answer is 2-3 weeks. If you have an office job, you can resume WFH computer type work in week 3. You can go into work in week 3, but no driving until the end of week 3. 

Exparel is a long acting local anesthetic which is injected into the operative area at the end of the procedure. Like the pain pump, it focuses just on the operative area, and does not disseminate to the entire body like a narcotic does. The function of the Exparel is to numb the area of surgery so you do not feel pain. With cosmetic surgery, patients only need the one injection, and the pain control lasts for about 3 days. Similar to the pain pump, patients take fewer narcotics post operatively, because the pain is more controlled.

I’m sitting here waiting for my next case, a Mini Tummy Tuck. It is a natural tendency to want maximum results for minimal effort. That is why the words “mini facelift”, mini this and that, are so popular today. The main thing to remember about these procedures is that they are limited versions of the original procedure designed for patients with a minimal defect. Be aware that mini procedures can also mean mini results. Not everybody is a candidate, but some are.

I asked the patient if he be interested in a procedure to tighten the muscles that was not described anywhere in the literature (this was early 90’s!) but that I could perform a surgery using techniques I was comfortable with? He agreed, signed the informed consent, and I did the procedure by making an incision around the belly button for access to the deeper tissues. The procedure went so well I immediately felt bad for all those patients on whom I had done a traditional incision to treat this problem. So if I could do this going above the belly button, why not do it for muscle separations below the belly button?

The Mommy makeover is a combination of cosmetic surgery procedures done at the same time to address the changes in the body after pregnancy. Each Mommy makeover is customized to your concerns. However, the Mommy makeover should address 3 main issues: the breast , stomach, and upper body changes.

Plastic surgery doesn’t have to be painful. If you are having a cosmetic surgery procedure ask your plastic surgeon about pain pumps. These types of pumps use local anesthetics, not narcotics. Pain pumps eliminate pain, reduce nausea, and result in much quicker recovery.  

How do you achieve a flat stomach? Do you need more exercise or a Tummy tuck? Find out about the rectus abdominis muscle and how to perform a self examination of this muscle.

The question of whether to have a Tummy tuck or Liposuction is a very common one from my Baltimore patients. The two procedures address different problems. Liposuction deals only with fatty tissues, whereas Tummy tuck deals with muscle, skin, and fat. If you have loose skin,  liposuction will not address this. Some patients are candidates for liposuction only, some for Tummy tuck only, and some could have either procedure, depending on their priorities.

If you are considering a Tummy Tuck you should find out exactly where the surgeon will place the incisions.  The incision will determine what the scar looks like. Two types of incisions are made for the Tummy tuck: 1) horizontal and 2) belly button. The horizontal incision should be as low as possible ,and the belly button incision should be more similar to an inverted “U”.