• Why you want the procedure, your objectives and desired outcome.
  
• The options available
• Medical conditions, drug allergies and medical treatments
• Use of current medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco and drugs
• Previous surgeries

Dr. Gray will also:

• Evaluate your general health status and any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors
• Examine your body
• Take photographs for your medical record
• Discuss your options and recommend a course of treatment
• Discuss likely outcomes of your surgery and any risks or potential complications
• Ask you to acknowledge required medical documentation for her files in the event you choose to have Cynthia perform your Tummy Tuck procedure.

Special instructions you receive will cover:

• What to do on the day of surgery
• The use of anesthesia during your body contouring surgery
• Post-operative care and follow-up

Dr. Gray will also discuss where your Tummy Tuck will be performed.

You'll need help

Anesthesia -  A Tummy Tuck is performed in a hospital setting under general anesthesia.  The procedure typically requires between two and five hours to complete.  A Mini Tummy Tuck requires less time.  Typically requiring 2 hours to complete.

Tummy Tuck Techniques

A Mini Tummy Tuck does not require an extensive incision, muscle repositioning or excess skin removal.  Dr. Gray may use an endoscope to visually guide herself through a small incision to the treatment area.  Mini-Tummy Tucks focus on the lack of requirement for extensive muscle and skin elasticity improvements. *Abdominal etching, sometimes accompanying a Tummy Tuck procedure helps create a "six pack" abdominal appearance.   

A traditional Tummy Tuck typically involves an extensive incision across the top of the pubic area.  The skin is then separated at the abdominal wall.  Excess skin and fat are removed.  The tissue connecting the navel may be removed.  The muscles are lifted, repositioned and tightly sutured together.  The belly button is repositioned and sutured back into place.

Previous abdominal surgery may limit the potential results of a Tummy Tuck. And depending upon past surgical procedures and/or women who have undergone cesarean section, Dr. Gray may incorporate the existing scars into the new scar.

Your recovery

Following your surgery, dressings or bandages may be applied to your incisions, and you may be wrapped in an elastic bandage or a compression garment to minimize swelling and to support your abdomen as it heals.

A small, thin tube may be temporarily placed under the skin to drain any excess blood or fluid that may collect.

You will be given specific instructions that may include: How to care for the surgical site and drains, medications to apply or take orally to aid healing and reduce the potential for infection, specific concerns to look for at the surgical site or in your general health, and when to follow-up with Cynthia.

Important facts to know about the safety and risks of Tummy Tuck Surgery include:

• Unfavorable scarring
• Bleeding (hematoma)
• Infection
• Fluid accumulation
• Poor wound healing
• Skin loss
• Blood clots
• Numbness or other changes in skin sensation
• Anesthesia risks
• Skin discoloration and/or prolonged swelling
• Fatty tissue found deep in the skin might die (fat necrosis)
• Major wound separation
• Asymmetry
• Recurrent looseness of skin
• Pain, which may persist
• Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications
• Persistent swelling in the legs
• Possibility of revisional surgery

You will be given specific instructions that may include: How to care for your surgical site(s) following surgery, medications to apply or take orally to aid healing and reduce the risk of infection, specific concerns to look for at the surgical site or in your general health, and when to follow-up with Dr. Gray.

Common questions that are asked during the initial consultation and/or when planning the surgery include:

• Where will I be taken after my surgery is complete?
• What medication will I be given or prescribed after surgery?
• Will I have dressings/bandages after surgery?
  • When will they be removed?
• Are stitches removed? When?
• When can I resume normal activity and exercise?
• When do I return for follow-up care?

When you go home

If you experience shortness of breath, chest pains, or unusual heart beats, seek medical attention immediately. Should any of these complications occur, you may require hospitalization and additional treatment.

The practice of medicine and surgery is not an exact science. Although good results are expected, there is no guarantee. In some situations, it may not be possible to achieve optimal results with a single surgical procedure and another surgery may be necessary.

Be careful

Following Dr. Gray's instructions is key to the success of your surgery. It is important that the surgical incisions are not subjected to excessive force, abrasion, or motion during the time of healing. Cynthia will give you specific instructions on how to care for yourself.

The final results and longevity of a Tummy Tuck procedure
The results of a Tummy Tuck are visible almost immediately.  However, if your transformation included massive weight loss prior to your procedure it may take as many as one to two years or more for the final results of all the recommended body contouring procedures to fully develop. Visible scars will remain, but the overall results are long lasting, provided that you maintain a stable weight and general fitness.  As your body ages, it is natural to lose some firmness. However, most of your initial improvement should be relatively permanent.

• Abdominoplasty: A surgical procedure to correct the apron of excess skin hanging over your abdomen.
• Abdominal Etching: Takes tummy tightening a step further than liposuction and it's a procedure that is intended to give you a flatter, tighter stomach area with stronger muscle definition.
  
• Diastasis: Condition in which abdominal muscles have separated.
• General anesthesia: Drugs and/or gases used during an operation to relieve pain and alter consciousness.
• Hematoma: Blood pooling beneath the skin.
• Intravenous sedation: Sedatives administered by injection into a vein to help you relax.
• Liposuction: Also called lipoplasty or suction lipectomy, this procedure vacuums out fat from beneath the skin's surface to reduce fullness.
• Local anesthesia: A drug is injected directly to the site of an incision during an operation to relieve pain.
• Mini Tummy Tuck: A less invasive version of a full Tummy Tuck.
  

• Panniculectomy: Surgical procedure typically used after massive weight loss to remove excess hanging skin. 

• Sutures: Stitches used by surgeons to hold skin and tissue together.
• Tummy Tuck: A surgical procedure to correct the apron of excess skin hanging over your abdomen.