Tummy Tuck Dallas

Traditionally, the first few days after abdominoplasty are quite painful, especially in areas where muscle repair is performed. Dr. Raj uses a specialized local anesthetic, such as Exparel, to provide a long-acting buffer against pain during the initial healing stages. By injecting the anesthetic into the muscle repair sites and surrounding skin, overall pain from the procedure is greatly reduced during the early healing stage, and patients can look forward to an easier recovery process. As an added benefit, the use of these long-acting anesthetics reduces the amount of narcotic medication required. Within 24 hours after the procedure, patients can resume walking and most normal activities, returning to work in as little as 7-10 days.

An abdominoplasty can significantly enhance your quality of life. Patients typically lose between four and 15 pounds, depending on the amount of excess abdominal skin, fat in the abdominal area, and the specific type of procedure chosen.

It is recommended that patients are at their goal weight at the time of a tummy tuck. Losing too much weight after surgery can result in loose skin, which defeats the purpose of the original procedure. Small amounts of weight loss typically do not diminish the results.

Yes, it is safe to do a tummy tuck in conjunction with gynecological procedures. For patients seeking to have procedures performed simultaneously, Dr. Raj works with a network of gynecologists. Combined gynecological/abdominoplasty procedures are available in Arlington, Southlake, Irving, and Dallas. Generally, patients are kept overnight in a hospital or facility with a nurse for monitoring since multiple procedures are performed.

While you technically can get pregnant after abdominoplasty, tummy tuck surgery is not recommended for people who anticipate becoming pregnant in the future. A goal of a tummy tuck is to remove excess skin and tighten the muscles. Getting pregnant would quite likely undo the results of the procedure.

A compression garment is an undergarment similar to a girdle or Spanx, which provides support and helps to reduce swelling, bruising, and discomfort. All patients who undergo a tummy tuck are expected to wear a compression garment for 6 weeks after the procedure. A compression garment is provided to patients on the day of their procedure.

Absolutely. It is common to have a tummy tuck combined with other body contouring procedures such as breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reduction, and arm lift. It is safe to combine procedures. The key is to maintain safety by only selecting procedures that can be performed in an efficient manner. Dr. Raj only combines procedures that can be done safely.

Dr. Raj’s use of modern surgical techniques minimizes fluid collections and replaces the need for drains. By performing abdominoplasty without drains, Dr. Raj avoids many points of failure that can impede a swift recovery and the best possible outcomes. This also reduces the number of office visits required during recovery and eliminates drain-related complications, such as skin irritation or pain at the drain sites and drain-related scarring.

All abdominoplasties have an incision that will form a scar. The placement of the scar will depend on every patient, but Dr. Raj employs a meticulous closing technique designed to reduce the appearance of scarring, and the scar is planned in a very low position. This allows the scar to be easily hidden beneath undergarments and bikinis. It takes up to a year for the scar to fully heal, mature, and become less noticeable. It is important that patients follow Dr. Raj’s ongoing aftercare instructions to help facilitate this healing.