Tummy Tuck

IN LONG BEACH, CA AND SERVING LA, ORANGE COUNTY AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

A flat belly and narrow waist are often seen as tokens of fitness and good health. And common knowledge says that with hard work, we can achieve the belly of our dreams. But the truth is, it’s downright impossible for some folks. Some have to contend with a stubborn layer of fat that can’t be removed through dieting or exercise. For others, pregnancy came and went, but loose skin and fat remained.

When all else has failed, a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) can help. This surgical procedure can help you achieve a narrow waist and tight core. With the right surgeon, it can also help you feel proud and confident about your body.

Did you now that Dr. Waltzman offers a cutting-edge new technology that dramatically reduces recovery times? Click here to learn more!

Our Tummy Tuck Results

  • Tummy Tuck Before and After Result Long Beach & South Bay
  • Tummy Tuck Before and After Result Long Beach & South Bay
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*Individual results may vary.

Learn More About Tummy Tuck

Your Consultation for a Tummy Tuck

Dr. Waltzman achieves remarkable results by meticulously planning each tummy tuck in Long Beach. The planning process begins during the consultation, where you will meet with Dr. Waltzman himself.

Consultations with Dr. Waltzman are in relaxed and supportive environments. He’ll answer your questions or concerns about the tummy tuck. Because he wants you to have a complete understanding of what abdominoplasties can or can’t do, he’ll go through every aspect of the procedure in detail. You’ll also have Dr. Waltzman’s full attention and never be rushed through your appointment.

Dr. Waltzman will use the consultation to determine whether you’re a good candidate for tummy tuck surgery in Long Beach. You should be prepared to discuss your aesthetic goals, your medical history, and what medications you’re taking. He’ll also perform a thorough exam of your tissues to determine which path to take.

He’ll make his recommendations and discuss the different risks and complications that may occur. He wants the patient to be an active participant in the tummy tuck, so he’ll give you all the tools you need to make an informed decision.

You should be in good overall health prior to a tummy tuck, and your weight should be stable for at least six months. Before your consultation, it is a good idea to do some research from reputable sources (the surgeon’s website, surgery.org, plasticsurgery.com) so you can prepare some good questions for your surgeon. 

If you smoke cigarettes, you should be aware that you will need to quit at least 4-6 weeks prior to your surgery. It’s also a good idea to bring a friend or family member to your consultation who can help take notes and ask questions.

The answer is yes, but we always have to consider safety first. As long as the total amount of time in the OR is kept at a safe level, it is usually appropriate to combine multiple procedures.

On average, a tummy tuck costs around $10,000. This includes the consultation, pre-op visit, surgery, OR fees, anesthesia, scar therapy, and all of your post-op follow-up appointments.

Most patients plan to wait 4-6 weeks before having a tummy tuck. However, if you have a specific week in mind, it is always better to schedule as soon as possible.

How Does a Tummy Tuck Work?

Our abdomen is essentially an inner girdle made up of connective tissues and muscles. This girdle, also known as your “core,” holds our internal organs in place. It’s built to grow, especially during pregnancy and weight gain.

Unfortunately, it sometimes doesn’t bounce back. After weight loss or childbirth, the patient develops excess folds of skin, stretch marks, weak abdominal muscles, and fatty deposits. That’s what tummy tucks are for; they can address the causes of a large belly and help you attain a flatter, more appealing stomach.

Your tummy tuck will be performed either in a Long Beach hospital where Dr. Waltzman has hospital privileges or at an outpatient surgery center. Abdominoplasties are performed under general anesthesia.

In the first step of the procedure, he’ll make an incision between the belly button and pubic bone and around the belly button. Then, he’ll lift up the skin from the underlying tissues and remove excess skin and fat. The next step is tightening the muscles and moving the belly button to its new position.

After that, we require a trusted family member or friend to drive you home following your tummy tuck.

You will need to fast the day of your surgery (nothing to eat or drink from midnight the night before). When you get to the surgery center you will change into a gown. The nurse will place an IV in your arm to provide fluids. You will meet your entire OR team, which includes the Anesthesiologist and the Room Nurse. Next, Dr. Waltzman will talk with you and make his pre-operative markings on your abdomen. You will then be taken back to the OR by your Anesthesiologist. 

After surgery, you will wake up in the recovery room. You will be wearing an abdominal binder. The recovery nurse will be at your side to help keep you comfortable. Usually, patients remain in recovery for 1-1.5 hours. 

Once you are ready to go home, your ride will be contacted. Post-op instructions will be discussed by the nurse. You will need to remain in a flexed position at your waist. Dr. Waltzman will call you at home that evening to check up on you and answer any questions.

You can still perform liposuction in the front of the abdominal muscles during a traditional abdominoplasty; however, you can not be as aggressive with liposuction in this particular area as in other areas.

Yes, it is often possible to repair a small hernia at the same time as a tummy tuck. If it is a larger hernia, then sometimes the surgery will be performed with a general surgeon who will repair the hernia.

An incision is made around your belly button, but it is left attached to your body. Once the abdominal skin has been pulled down, a new opening is made. Your belly button is then pulled through this new opening and carefully sewn in place. Often, the size is slightly adjusted to fit just right.

Am I a Candidate for a Tummy Tuck?

The ideal candidate for abdominoplasty in Long Beach is someone who is close to their ideal weight but needs a little help refining their figure. Here are a few more characteristics that define the ideal candidate:

  • No major untreated diseases
  • Non-smoker
  • Wants to remove excess skin on the belly
  • Wants to remove stretch marks
  • Wants to remove C-section scars and fat hanging over the scars
  • Wants to reduce a thick, undefined waist
  • Maintains a stable, healthy weight 

We recommend that patients wait at least six months after giving birth and breastfeeding before undergoing tummy tuck surgery. We want to make sure the patient’s hormones have stabilized and that their tissues have sufficiently healed. The patient’s weight will also need to be stable. Losing weight after an abdominoplasty in Long Beach could result in more loose skin.

We also recommend that patients wait until they’re done having children to undergo surgery. Additional pregnancies can stretch out the tissues, possibly undoing the results of an abdominoplasty. A tummy tuck is often part of a mommy makeover.

  • The natural appearance of the belly button 
  • The correct level of the lower abdominal scar
  • The overall abdominal contour

How to Prepare for a Tummy Tuck

Dr. Waltzman will provide detailed instructions on how to best prepare for your tummy tuck. In general, patients are given a list of substances to avoid before their surgery. The list includes common substances such as Vitamin E, garlic, ginger, and fish oil, but it also contains over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol.

Your tummy tuck will disable your entire core, making it difficult to complete basic tasks for the first 1-2 weeks. That’s why we recommend that patients arrange for additional help with chores or childcare for about a week during recovery.

What Results Can I Expect from a Tummy Tuck?

Dr. Waltzman believes in respecting the patient’s tissues. Rather than forcing a result that doesn’t work, he tailors the tummy tuck in Long Beach to the patient’s unique anatomy. He will consult with the patient on their goals and work to create long-lasting results that are realistically possible.

Removes Excess Skin And Fat

If you’re tired of deep folds of skin and pockets of fat in the belly, a tummy tuck in Long Beach can help. Dr. Waltzman will remove excess skin and fat from the lower abdomen to sculpt the abdomen.

Narrows The Waist

A well-defined belly with a narrow waist is sometimes impossible to achieve. A tummy tuck can fix that by removing excess pockets of fat. It can also better highlight the abdominal muscles to create a more athletic look.

Tightens The Core

During pregnancy, the ligaments attached to the abdominal muscles stretch to make room for a baby. In a condition called diastasis recti, the connective tissues never snap back into place, causing the abdominal muscles to remain loose. Thus, the patient develops a weak core and a protruding stomach.

With a tummy tuck in Long Beach, Dr. Waltzman can tighten that separation between the muscles to flatten the stomach. Tightening the abdominal muscles also restores core strength.

Removes Side Effects Of Pregnancy

Since the tummy tuck excises a sizeable amount of tissue below the belly button, an abdominoplasty can remove some stretch marks. Of course, it can only target stretch marks that exist below the belly button.

Women who undergo a C-section can sometimes develop excess tissue that hangs over their scar. A tummy tuck may not only smooth and tighten that tissue, but it can also correct the C-section scar.

A tummy tuck cannot address other areas, such as the thighs or hips, and should not be considered a weight loss procedure.

Our Long Beach tummy tuck is commonly combined with other procedures like liposuction. If the patient wants a more comprehensive procedure or wants to target additional areas along with the abdomen, they can also opt for the following procedures:

  • A mommy makeover (a combination procedure for the breast and body)
  • Breast augmentation
  • A breast lift
  • Liposuction

A tummy tuck procedure in Long Beach will leave a scar slightly above the pubic bone. The scar typically goes from hip to hip, but it depends on how much work needs to be done on the abdomen. Underwear—even bikini bottoms—can easily hide the scar.

Since the belly button needs to be moved in a tummy tuck, an incision needs to be made around it. Of course, the resulting scar will exist around the natural borders of the belly button, so it’ll be nicely hidden and fade with time.

Your results will be permanent, but keep in mind that they may be compromised if you gain weight after your tummy tuck. To help maintain your results, Dr. Waltzman suggests sticking with a healthy diet and a regular exercise regimen.

Muscle repair or tightening is performed in the vast majority of procedures. However, a tummy tuck does not enlarge or alter your abdominal muscles. If you already have well-developed abdominal muscles, a tummy tuck will help accentuate them because less extra skin and fat will cover them up.

It is unlikely that your weight will change at all after a tummy tuck. The amount of skin that is removed typically is not enough to make much of a difference on the scale.

What is Recovery Like After a Tummy Tuck?

Dr. Waltzman will create personalized post-surgery instructions for you to follow. Typically, patients go home on the same day as the surgery and then spend the first recovery day resting at home. You’ll probably need to take at least a week off from work – but it’ll all depend on how physical your job is.

After the tummy tuck, you will experience some bruising, soreness, discomfort, and swelling. You will also feel some numbness at the incision site. All of these symptoms will dissipate over time. Every patient is different, but it can take up to three months for swelling to resolve completely.

Dr. Waltzman now offers ELIXIR MD™, an FDA-cleared, medical-grade device developed exclusively for plastic surgery recovery. It delivers precise wavelengths of light to different layers of the skin, stimulating cellular repair and tissue regeneration while reducing surface-level redness and swelling. The result is a better, faster healing experience.

Most patients will have two drains after their tummy tuck. They typically stay in 1-2 weeks. Depending on the technique used, there are usually a few stitches around the belly button that need to be removed at the 1-week mark. 

Swelling varies greatly by patient. Wearing compression garments does help with some of the swelling, but it also takes some time for your body to heal. Swelling typically goes away first in the upper abdomen, followed by the lower abdomen, and finally, the pubic area. By about six weeks, the majority of swelling is gone, but it can take up to 12 weeks to really see the final result.

Your abdomen should feel tight after surgery. As long as you are not performing anything strenuous, you are unlikely to hurt yourself. It is important that you follow your surgeon’s guidelines regarding your activity level.

The discomfort from a tummy tuck mostly comes from muscle plication or tightening. To help alleviate this pain, Dr. Waltzman injects a medication called Exparel into the muscles and around all of the incisions. This medication provides pain relief for up to 72 hours. 

You should still expect to feel tight and sore, but this medication will help to decrease your overall discomfort. You will also have access to Tylenol, ibuprofen, and a narcotic medication. Most patients are off of all pain medications within 1-2 weeks.

Complications are similar to those of other plastic surgery procedures and include bleeding, seroma, infection, and problems with poor scarring. Additionally, compared to other plastic surgery procedures, tummy tuck surgery has an increased (although still low) risk of blood clot formation in the legs. On rare occasions, this blood clot can travel to the lungs and become a very serious, life-threatening complication.

There are two scars from a tummy tuck: one around the belly button and one along the lower abdomen. The length of the lower scar depends on how much extra skin needs to be removed. 

All scars fade with time, but there will always be a scar. The best way to know how you will scar in the future is how you have scarred in the past. Some patients form thin white scars, and other patients form thicker red scars. Our experienced surgeons have optimal techniques to minimize scarring.

Return to Life Faster & Quicker After Surgery

ELIXIR MD™, an FDA-cleared medical-grade device, is exclusively designed to transform post-surgical care. It employs advanced photobiomodulation technology, infusing energy into the skin with varying light wavelengths. Each wavelength is precisely calibrated to penetrate different skin layers, enhancing specific healing mechanisms. Deeper wavelengths stimulate cellular repair and tissue regeneration, while surface-level wavelengths reduce redness and swelling.

Accelerated Healing Process

Reduced Pain & Discomfort

Minimized Swelling & Bruising

Customizable Treatment Options

Hands-Free, Relaxing Experience

Why Choose Dr. Waltzman for Your Tummy Tuck?

Dr. Josh Waltzman is a board-certified plastic surgeon known for cultivating an outstanding patient experience. He’s a kind, compassionate surgeon who recognizes that abdominoplasty is more than a physical improvement – feeling whole is the ultimate goal of any patient. To that end, he’ll perform your tummy tuck in Long Beach with the care and attention to detail you deserve.

Dr. Waltzman also offers advanced recovery options like ELIXIR MD™ to enhance your healing experience.

Take the Next Step

When you are ready to consider a tummy tuck, reach out to The Waltzman Institute Plastic Surgery & Aesthetics at (562) 448-6100 to schedule your initial consultation and learn more about our many aesthetic enhancement options.

We are located in Long Beach and serve patients in LA county, Orange County, the South Bay and all of Southern California. You’ll find that we are fully committed to the best possible experience and outcomes for all of our patients!

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