Tummy Tuck Mobile, AL

Tummy tuck surgery is one of several popular plastic surgery procedures today. Among women whose tummies have excess skin, fat, or muscle weakness after pregnancy or weight gain, it can be life-changing. Many women can diet and exercise to help reduce their abdominal bulge, but it isn’t enough for many.

Once the skin and muscle layers have been stretched during pregnancy, the tissues often lose elasticity and may not return to their pre-pregnancy proportions. With advances in weight loss surgery, such as gastric bypass and banding, board-certified surgeon Randy Proffitt, MD, FACS, frequently addresses the effects of loose skin and weakened abdominal walls.

Remember that all patients are unique, so results vary depending on many factors.

How is the surgery done?

Abdominoplasty is done either as an outpatient procedure or an overnight stay, depending on each patient’s health requirements. It is done under general anesthesia and takes from one to two hours, depending on the length of the incision.

After a transverse incision in the lower abdomen, the skin and fat are elevated off the muscle layer up to the ribs. It allows exposure to tighten the muscle layer with sutures. The belly button remains where it always has been. Then, the skin and fat are pulled tight, and the excess fat is removed. The belly button is brought out through its new location in the skin and sutured in place.

The remaining incision is closed with absorbable sutures beneath the skin, and one or two drains are placed before the wound is sealed. These drains help remove excess fluid and minimize swelling. Patients typically go home with both dressings and drains in place. After four to six days, Dr. Randy Proffitt removes the drains during a follow-up visit. For the next six weeks, the patient wears a snug-fitting girdle for support.

This graphic illustrates a common incision for a tummy tuck

A mini tummy tuck is a variation where surgery is performed only below the belly button. Some women only have looseness of skin and muscle below the belly button and don’t need a full abdominoplasty. This incision is also shorter in length.

Planning Your Surgery

To prepare for your surgery, Randy Proffitt, MD, FACS Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, has several recommendations:

• If you smoke, you must completely stop smoking for at least six weeks before the surgery. Dr. Proffitt will prescribe a medication that may help you stop.
• You should avoid several medicines, herbal remedies, vitamins, and over-the-counter medicines at least two weeks before and one week after surgery. We will provide you with a list of drugs to avoid before your surgery.
• As with many abdominal surgeries, exercise, lifting more than ten pounds, and driving are not allowed for some time after surgery. You must plan on helping after your surgery and leave work if necessary.
• Usually, a tummy tuck can be performed as an outpatient surgery, but sometimes, it may be necessary to stay overnight. It depends on your overall health and the extent of surgery.
• An abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) is best suited for the patient who has completed her family planning.
• A tummy tuck is also best suited to the patient at their desired weight. If you are planning a significant weight loss campaign, a tummy tuck should wait until weight loss has reached a plateau.

Risks

Many risks associated with surgery can be lessened or avoided with careful planning. However, you can avoid certain medications before surgery and appropriate antibiotics at the time of surgery to minimize the risk of excessive bleeding, infection, and poor healing. Compression leg pumps significantly reduce the risk of blood clots in leg veins. A blood thinner may be administered in patients at high risk for blood clots.

Patient compliance with Dr. Proffitt’s recommendations before and after surgery will diminish many risks.

Your New Look

The scar from your surgery will be pink for one to two months and gradually fade but never disappear entirely. It will also soften over time. Most of the swelling from your surgery should have resolved after six weeks, but in some patients, it may take up to six months.

When you’re ready to discuss tummy tuck surgery in Mobile, Alabama, with a board-certified plastic surgeon, call or email the office of Dr. Randy Proffitt. Use the online email form to get in touch or call 251-344-0322.

Insurance Coverage

Many patients want to see if their insurance company will pay for their “tummy tuck” or “abdominoplasty.” Indeed, there are certain circumstances under which the insurance company will consider a “panniculectomy” medically necessary.

What is the difference between abdominoplasty and panniculectomy? An abdominoplasty involves the excision of redundant skin and fat on the anterior abdomen and “plication,” or tightening of the muscle layer. A panniculectomy consists of the removal of the redundant skin and fat only. It does not include tightening of the muscle layer.

During my 25 years practicing plastic surgery, I have never seen an insurance company pay for or consider tightening the abdominal muscle layer medically necessary. Suppose a patient undergoing a panniculectomy covered by their medical insurance company wants to pull the muscle layer. It can be performed at an additional fee.

For those patients who desire to see if their insurance company will cover their panniculectomy procedure, it is the patient’s responsibility to obtain supporting documents from their primary care physician or gynecologist. Insurance companies will require the office notes from the treating physician’s office documenting that the patient has skin problems (rash or infection) underneath the overhanging abdominal skin directly caused by the redundant skin.

Records also have to include treatment in the form of a prescription for antibacterial cream and/or pills or antifungal cream and/or pills for this skin problem. Documents must also include a second visit 3-6 months later, noting that the treatment has been ineffective.

Letters from the treating physician or a note written on a prescription pad saying the patient needs this procedure or that they consider it medically necessary are not acceptable. Only office records made at the time of the office visit are acceptable. Once my office receives these documents, I will dictate a letter and take photographs of the patient’s abdomen in the frontal and side views, as well as a photo of the skin rash/infection itself.

Occasionally, insurance companies only approve coverage if the overhanging skin and fat completely obscure the pubic area. Again, it is the responsibility of the patient to supply these documents before a letter can be sent to the insurance company requesting coverage.

I have enclosed links below for two insurance company websites outlining their policy regarding coverage for abdominal panniculectomy.

• Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama: “Management of Excessive Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue”
• United Healthcare

Tummy Tuck FAQs

How Much Does Tummy Tuck Cost?

The total cost of a tummy tuck is determined based on factors like your medical examinations, surgeon’s fees, hospital charges, post-surgery garments, and anesthesia. The exact techniques will also impact the cost and the total time needed to perform the surgery.

Schedule a Consultation

If you have any questions about tummy tuck in Gulf Coast in Mobile, Alabama, or would like to book a consultation with Dr. Randy Proffitt, please contact Randy Proffitt, MD, FACS, today. Our skilled team can help you get the sculpted body you have always desired.

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