The Operation

Mr Masters will mark out his surgical plan on your skin indicating the areas for removal or liposuction before you are taken to the operating room.  Circumferential abdominoplasties are commenced by removing the excess back and flank tissues.  Once the back is complete, an incision is made around the tummy button (umbilicus) to free it from the surrounding abdominal skin.  Your tummy button stays in place where it emerges from between the two vertical ‘six-pack’ muscles – later in the procedure it will be reattached to the abdominal skin through a new opening. 

The main incision is then made low on the abdomen either within or close to the natural skin fold, or below any pre-existing caesarean section scars (these are removed as part of the procedure). The skin and abdominal wall fat are raised off the muscle layer as far as the lower rib cage. The two vertical ‘six-pack’ muscles (the rectus abdominis) are sutured together in the midline. The excess skin and fatty tissue are pulled towards the patient’s feet and removed.  The incision is closed with several layers of internal stitching designed to take the tension of closure away from the skin surface, increasing the likelihood of a pleasingly thin and inconspicuous scar.  

A small hole is made and the tummy button returned to the surface.  Surgical tape is applied to the wounds and a compression garment is worn for the next three weeks (except when showering).

The Anaesthetic Used

This surgery is performed under general anaesthetic – you are asleep. As a routine part of the procedure, Mr Masters infiltrates a large amount of long-acting local anaesthetic both through the abdominal tissues and also around the margins of the surgical site. This long-acting local anaesthetic means that most of the stimulation due to the procedure is numbed out when you awaken. This means the anaesthetist can help you have a far smoother transition from anaesthetic to recovery. Furthermore, post-operative pain is vastly diminished with the use of this local anaesthetic.

In some institutions overseas, abdominoplasties are routinely performed under local anaesthetic and sedation. This is not Mr Masters’ usual routine; however, he will happily discuss the advantages and disadvantages of such a regime with you during your consultation.

Where is the Surgery Performed

A circumferential tummy tuck is a significant surgical procedure, as such Mr Masters performs them in a fully equipped and appropriately expertly-staffed operating room at Southern Cross Hospital Wellington.