Stomach reduction surgery cannot be considered as an easy way out for generally obese people, but it is suitable for men and women who have lost significant amounts of weight, and for women following childbirth, especially if their pregnancies were large or they carried twins or triplets. It is recommended, however, and often ruled by a surgeon, that women finish having their families before opting for stomach reduction surgery.

When a woman’s stomach has been stretched to capacity during pregnancy, and has not retracted back after the baby’s birth, she can be left with an unsightly overhang of excess skin, which is impossible to shift. Although stomach muscles can be tightened by exercise, there are no exercises that have any effect on slack skin. Very often a woman who has exercised herself back into shape can feel her taut stomach muscles underneath the overhang of sagging skin, which is all the more demoralising.  

These results are the same for those who have successfully shed their excess pounds, only to find their new stomachs hidden beneath a flap of skin and a stubborn fat pouch, which once again cannot be totally exercised away. Some of those affected find that they still have to wear trousers and skirts one to two sizes bigger than they should actually need because their skin overhang gets in the way and pads out their shape.

For anyone with a large flap of excess skin on their stomach, a drop in confidence, particularly in terms of sexual relationships, is often inevitable. In some circumstances, when pregnancy has been the cause, the problem is exacerbated if a caesarean birth was necessary, with one or more scars distorting the overhanging skin still further.

These ‘aprons’ of skin can be large or small, but the technique for correcting them is the same whatever the degree of size. The surgical solution to the problem is an operation known either as an Apronectomy or an Abdominoplasty, more commonly referred to as a Tummy Tuck. 

A Tummy Tuck normally takes between two and three hours to perform and is carried out under a general anaesthetic. When performing this operation, a horizontal incision is made below the bikini or swimming trunks line. The abdominal skin is then released and pulled down until it is tight and smooth and the excess tissue is removed. In cases where a large amount of skin is removed, very often the naval has to be repositioned. In some instances the stomach muscles will also need to be repaired and tightened, and occasionally a small element of liposuction may be necessary to compliment the end result.

Once the main surgical procedures are complete, the remaining sections of skin are drawn together and sutured back into place. This operation will result in a significant scar line, but this will fade in time and a bikini or most styles of underwear will usually hide any evidence of surgery. For most people considering a Tummy Tuck, the subsequent scar line is by far preferential to the alternative of a sagging pouch of skin and fat. Caesarean scars, however, are replaced by one new and neater scar line. 

Once healed, Tummy Tuck patients are able to show off a smooth, flat tummy with confidence. Many clothing options previously denied them also open up, and the subsequent lift in mood shows itself in many ways, from dressing more fashionably or provocatively, to a general heightened sense of self-assurance.  

Post Operative Healing
The operation generally involves a 1 –2 night stay in hospital, subject to a surgeon’s recommendation, and recovery is generally 3 to 6 weeks, during which time the patient should not participate in any strenuous activities. The sutures (stitches) are usually removed in two stages after 7 and 14 days, if they are not dissolvable. Initially, the patient will encounter some discomfort, and some difficulty in standing or walking is to be expected in the very early days following surgery. An element of bruising and swelling will also occur, but the patient wearing a medical support garment for a period of three to four weeks postoperatively counters this.