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Tummy Tuck Yourself into a Mommy Makeover

The Tummy Tuck for Anniston, Birmingham, Gadsden Areas of Alabama
A Tummy Tuck can help produce a flatter and better-toned abdomen that might otherwise be unattainable from exercise and weight control alone. Through pregnancy, aging, weight fluctuations and heredity, many women of otherwise normal body weight and proportion can develop an abdomen that protrudes or is loose and sagging.
 A tummy tuck, also known as abdominoplasty, removes excess fat and skin, and in most cases restores weakened or separated muscles creating an abdominal profile that is smoother and firmer.
Many of our patients in the Birmingham, Gadsden and Anniston areas have requested a tummy tuck as part of their Mommy Makeovers.  You may have heard the phrase “Mommy Makeover” in the news or read about it in popular women’s magazines. A  Mommy Makeover is actually a combination of procedures designed to restore your body to your pre-pregnancy look—it usually involves a tummy tuck as well as a breast lift with or without implants.

Who Would Benefit from a Tummy Tuck and Mommy Makeover?

Healthy women who have completed their families and have experienced the negative body changes that result from pregnancy are ideal candidates for Mommy Makeovers with tummy tucks.  Dr. Eich recommends that you consider this procedure no sooner than 6 months following your final pregnancy to insure that your body has had time to recover from the pregnancy itself.
One thing to keep in mind, though, a tummy tuck cannot correct stretch marks, although these may be removed or somewhat improved if they are located on the areas of excess skin that will be excised, generally those treated areas below the belly button.

Surgical Options for a Tummy Tuck 

There are several options for tummy tuck techniques so this portion of the makeover can be customized to your goals and your body.  In general, a full tummy tuck requires a horizontally-oriented incision in the area between the pubic hairline and navel. The shape and length of the incision will be determined by the degree of correction necessary. Through this incision, weakened abdominal muscles are repaired and sutured and excess fat, tissue and skin is removed. A second incision around the navel is usually necessary to remove excess skin in the upper abdomen.
Further options for Mommy Makeovers, besides the inclusion of a tummy tuck, are breast implants, a breast lift or a combination of both of these breast procedures. A large portion of your consultation with Dr. Eich will be spent discussing your goals, reviewing your examination and options, and helping you decide which options fit your  lifestyle best.

 Recovery Considerations for your Tummy Tuck and Mommy Makeover

The Mommy Makeover is performed in Dr. Eich’s cosmetic plastic surgery operating suite in his office in Birmingham.   A tummy tuck, with or without breast restoration, requires general anesthesia and takes two to four hours to accomplish.
You will need to avoid heavy lifting during the first six weeks following your procedure, and you will be sore, so it’s best to consider having household help during some of this time— to help care for the children, cook meals, shop, clean house, etc.

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