Abdominoplasty, known more commonly as a "tummy tuck," is a procedure to remove excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen and to tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall. The procedure can dramatically reduce the appearance of a protruding abdomen and remove unsightly stretch marks that resulted from pregnancy and weight gain. Sometimes liposuction alone can produce the desired results. Sometimes skin removal with the tummy tuck is necessary.

A typical patient will have extra skin and/or fat in the abdominal area. The length of the scar varies, depending on how much extra skin is present. It is usually placed within the bathing suit (bikini line) area.
	If the muscles underneath have stretched because of pregnancy, they are brought together.
The extra skin is pulled down like an apron and removed. The belly button, if a full tummy tuck is performed, is brought through the skin at the normal location (usually at the hip level).
	The scars are hidden in the bathing suit line but they do exist. Because of tension scars can stretch with time. These can be improved through a "scar revision" about one year following the surgery.

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