I was wondering if anyone here has had a tummy tuck that could give me some advice or fill me in on the experience with having it done?
I am 30 years old and have never had a weight problem. I have always flactuated between 50-55kg and I am a tiny build but have had 4 children and the last pregnancy 2 years ago was twins and I got to around 97kg but went back to my pre regnancy weight fairly quickly so my stomach is full of stretch marks and a great deal of sagging skin which is the reason that I am wanting it done. I have been wanting to take the plunge and get it done for the past year but have been too scared until only recently as it just makes me depressed, in clothing my stomach looks flat but when the clothes come off i feel like crying because I am completely happy with the rest of my body and in proportion except for this flap of skin that just looks so bad, I worry about it all the time and even after regular excercise since the twins were born it hasn't done a great deal to improve the stomach area at all.
The other problem I am having is finding a surgeon that will do the procedure.I am not privately insured and wanted to self fund the surgery but most that I talk to will not do it unless I have private cover yet my GP cannot understand the reasons for that when most of the insurance policies over here do not cover cosmetic surgery and unfortunately most class the tummyy tuck as cosmetic
I guess the main questions I wanted to know was how long the hospital stay was, the pain after surgery and if you were pleased with the results afterwards, if you had any regrets from having it done.
There is so much info on the internet about it but its difficult to know what to go by because they all say a different thing so I thought it would be better to hear other peoples experiences that have been through the procedure so I have some sort of idea what to expect

Hi Electra,

I just had a Full TT/Lipo on March 1st.

First I had to lose 30 pounds that I had gained over the past 8 years. Those pounds were not from having my kids. My kiddo are 24 yrs & 17 yrs. I was able to lose the weight both times after having each child. But I had a lot of extra skin I did not like & had always wanted to TT. but could not afford it back in those days.

Anyway, I made a deal with myself & hubby, if I would lose these ugly 30 pounds, I would have a TT. "High Lateral Tension Abdominoplasty" It took me a year to lose the weight. I wanted to do it slow... I have gone on diets before & lost the weight fast & turn around & gained it back. So I changed my eating habits, worked out & used common sense. I lost those 30 pounds, had a TT , Muscle Repair & Lipo, went from a size 10 to a size 4. I am very happy.

I far as the surgical procedure, it can take up to 4 hrs or more to perform the surgery. After surgery, it can take up to a year for your final results to really set in. I have gone through a lot swelling & tightness. This is normal. As far as pain, my incision has never given me any pain, it's the muscle repair "tightening of my front abdominal muscles" that hurt. Nothing that a few med helped out during that time. I would do it all over again. I love my results so far & can't imagine 6 months to a year from now on how I will look.

If you do this, do your research first, make sure you get opinions from more than 1 Plastic Surgeon. Make sure he is board certified & check for any previous or pending law suites. The cost for a Full TT/Lipo/MR is around 10k give or take depending where you live.

Good luck to you
mom2jenlane

Hi Electra,

I just had a Full TT/Lipo on March 1st.

First I had to lose 30 pounds that I had gained over the past 8 years. Those pounds were not from having my kids. My kiddo are 24 yrs & 17 yrs. I was able to lose the weight both times after having each child. But I had a lot of extra skin I did not like & had always wanted to TT but could not afford it back in those days.

Anyway, I made a deal with myself & hubby, if I would lose these ugly 30 pounds, I would have a TT. "High Lateral Tension Abdominoplasty" It took me a year to lose the weight. I wanted to do it slow... I have gone on diets before & lost the weight fast & turn around & gained it back. So I changed my eating habits, worked out & used common sense. I lost those 30 pounds, had a TT , Muscle Repair & Lipo, went from a size 10 to a size 4. I am very happy.

I far as the surgical procedure, it can take up to 4 hrs or more to perform the surgery. After surgery, it can take up to a year for your final results to really set in. I have gone through a lot swelling & tightness. This is normal. As far as pain, my incision has never given me any pain, it's the muscle repair "tightening of my front abdominal muscles" that hurt. Nothing that a few med helped out during that time. I would do it all over again. I love my results so far & can't imagine 6 months to a year from now on how I will look.

If you do this, do your research first, make sure you get opinions from more than 1 Plastic Surgeon. Make sure he is board certified & check for any previous or pending law suites. The cost for a Full TT/Lipo/MR is around 10k give or take depending where you live.

Good luck to you
mom2jenlane