Is a Tummy Tuck painful?

During the procedure, you will be pain-free owing to the anesthesia. Post-surgery, in the first few weeks following your Tummy Tuck recovery process, you can expect to experience some medium-level pain or at least some discomfort. You are recommended not to put pressure on your abdomen and walk slightly bent so as not to stretch the incision. Your belly will be sore and swollen but may be more comfortable if you continue to use pain medication and/or compression garments.

How many appointments will I need?

Most patients, without complications, will have between three and six follow-up appointments after their abdominoplasty procedure, These occur usually at the one, two, and six-week mark. These check-ups are primarily so your provider can monitor your healing process and make sure you are satisfied with your results. We will also ask your permission to take post-op pictures near your final check-up appointment so that you can track your healing journey.

How long until I see results?

The length of recovery depends on various factors including the technique performed for your Tummy Tuck, your general health, and skin laxity. We recommend that patients wait up to the three-month mark to see their final abdominal contour.

Can I combine a Tummy Tuck with other procedures?

Many of our Los Angeles and Arcadia patients will combine their Tummy Tuck with other body contouring procedures such as an Arm Lift, Breast Lift , or Liposuction . If you are interested in having any other cosmetic procedure performed, please discuss your desires with Dr. Yu during your Tummy Tuck consultation. He will be able to offer his expert advice as to the best combined procedures for your medical profile.

What are the risks associated with a Tummy Tuck?

Given that a Tummy Tuck is an involved surgery, there are the following risks patients should be mindful of: Anesthesia risks Asymmetry Bleeding Deep vein thrombosis Cardiac and pulmonary complications Fat necrosis Fluid accumulation Infection Numbness or other changes in skin sensation Persistent pain Poor wound healing Possibility of revisional surgery Recurrent looseness of skin Skin discoloration and/or prolonged swelling Skin loss Suboptimal aesthetic result Unfavorable scarring If you begin to experience concerning reactions or have long-lasting side effects, please contact our office immediately.

Tummy Tuck

In Los Angeles

Question? Text Us Now!

Introduction to Tummy Tuck

A tummy tuck is one of the most popular and transformative plastic surgery procedures sought after worldwide. It involves reducing the signs of aging and loss of elasticity in the abdomen, tightening the contours to a more youthful shape. A Tummy Tuck in the greater Los Angeles and Pasadena area will aim to remove excess skin and fat from the lower abdomen, reposition the belly button, and tighten the abdominal muscles. If this is something that intrigues you, please contact Premier Cosmetic Surgery & Medspa in Arcadia, CA to schedule your consultation with Dr. Arthur Yu.

Tummy Tuck Results

Tummy Tuck B&A

Enter Gallery

woman in white tan and undies laying on bed | Premier Cosmetic LA

What is a Tummy Tuck?

A Tummy Tuck, medically known as an Abdominoplasty, aims to improve your abdominal contour giving your stomach a flatter appearance. This procedure removes excess skin and fat deposits from the stomach with the additional benefit of repairing loose and damaged abdominal muscles.

Age, gravity, heredity, sudden weight gain/weight loss, and childbearing are some of the factors that challenge the abdominal skin’s elasticities. Despite exceptional discipline with diet and exercise, sometimes restoring the abdominal muscles is just not possible. For instance, there can be an abdominal muscle- tear known as diastasis recti after pregnancy. There are various techniques for the procedure. Some offered at our practice are outlined below:

Traditional Tummy Tuck

Formal Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) is done when there is too much loose skin and the tummy muscles are too separated and too loose from pregnancy or weight gain. The skin below the belly button is excised (gone with the stretch marks), and the rectus muscles are tightened in the midline, returning to their pre-pregnancy state. Dr. Yu would also repair and tighten the external oblique muscles in the lower half of the tummy.

These, when combined with strategically done liposuction, using our low-trauma MicroAire power-assisted liposuction device, could generate a new tummy with great looking “corset lines” and “groin lines” (Apollo’s Belt, Adonis Belt, iliac furrow, inguinal crease, or “V” lines). As far as the belly button, it will either be made with the old one (if still looking good) or created anew.

Mini-Tummy Tuck

Mini-tummy tuck is carried out in the lower abdomen, just above the pubis. By removing one to three inches of skin and tightening the underlying abdominal muscles (fascia), the lower tummy is much flatter and firmer. People with a bothering lower tummy “pooch” and lots of stretch marks should seriously consider this procedure.

Belly Button lift

In both formal abdominoplasty and lipo-abdominoplasty procedures, Dr. Yu adds a very welcomed extra step for better aesthetic results, that is, he always pulls the low-placed belly button up by one to two inches, using his innovative technical solution. And the elevated position of the belly button, which is about the same height as it would be when the person was young, is permanent! The resulting belly button assumes a natural, and vertically oriented slit-like shape (innie), instead of a “sad” looking shape.

Lipo-Abdominoplasty

Of note is that Dr. Yu performs more and more lipo-abdominoplasty (formal tummy tuck with 360 degrees all-around liposuction) nowadays. Dr. Yu makes only very minimal undermining in the central upper tummy, to preserve as many of the essential blood supplies (penetrating branches) as possible.

Mommy Makeover

After one is done with pregnancies, it is always nice to consider a mommy makeover for the much-labored mommies. The breasts become droopy and deflated, the arms thick, the back showing bra rows, and the tummy floppy with the skin laden with stretch marks.

Mommy makeover fixes all the above problems and restores a lady’s original body shape, as it should be before her pregnancy. In a master plastic surgeon’s hands, a lady could regain her shape, or even better, get a much more polished and sexier body than she ever had. Just make sure you have a thorough consultation with your plastic surgeon, so he listens to all your needs.

For more information on what a Mommy Makeover entails, please visit its dedicated page HERE.

What are the Benefits of a Tummy Tuck?

Our patients who have received a Tummy Tuck in the Los Angeles, Pasadena, and surrounding Arcadia area have been able to see some of the following examples of the benefits that this surgery can provide:

Better overall flexibility
Boost of self-confidence
Ease towards an active lifestyle
Improved control over bodily functions
Prevents painful hernias
Reduced sagginess of skin
Relieves stress urinary incontinence
Repairs issues such as diastasis recti
Stronger and improved core

Who are the Best Candidates for the Tummy Tuck Procedure?

The ideal candidate for a Tummy Tuck in the Los Angeles and Arcadia area is one in good health without significant medical problems. Below are some characteristics to think about:

Are done with bearing children
Close to ideal body weight
Have abdominal or inguinal hernias
Have diastasis recti
Have good diet and exercise habits
Have incontinence due to childbearing and pregnancy
No underlying medical conditions
Reasonable expectations

woman in black tan leaning on bed | Premier Cosmetic LA

Tummy Tuck First Step

What’s The First Step?

If you’re interested in a Los Angeles and Arcadia Tummy Tuck, the first step is to schedule a consultation at Premier Cosmetic Surgery & Medspa. During your consultation, you will meet with Dr. Yu and have the opportunity to discuss your aesthetic and functional goals for the surgery, as well as your expectations. Dr. Yu will perform a complete examination, checking for diastasis and/or hernias, determining your prime areas for treatment, and your medical history.

He will disclose the various techniques, their risks, pros and cons. He might also take photos and share other patients’ pre and post-photos to help you decide what techniques to use. If Dr. Yu determines that you are an ideal candidate for the procedure, he will create a surgical plan for you. You can then take that plan to your Patient Coordinator to discuss scheduling, pricing, and any other questions you might have.

What to Expect on the day of Tummy Tuck Surgery

On the day of your Tummy Tuck at Premier Cosmetic Surgery & Medspa, Dr. Yu and his team will welcome you and go over your surgical plan in case of any last-minute questions and/or concerns.

Based on the techniques discussed and chosen during the consultation, Dr. Yu will begin with the incision, which typically will be very low to hide the scar in your underwear or bikini line. He will then lift the abdominal skin and fat as a flap. The belly button will then be released from the surrounding skin and a narrow tunnel will be created in midline almost to the chest. In the case of diastasis recti repair, Dr. Yu will perform that repair to the appropriate tension required. The excess skin and fat will then be removed, and the incisions will be closed.

There might be drains placed for fluid removal. Local Anesthetic will be administered directly into the muscle to allow for post-operative pain relief. A new belly buttonhole will then be crafted, and your belly button will then be brought out and sewn into place.

A compression garment will be put on after the drains and bandages are placed.

Tummy Tuck Recovery

After the surgery, our team will monitor you in the recovery room to make sure that the sedation wears off as expected. We recommend you have family or a friend drive you home for extra safety.

You will go home the same day of surgery and rest. There will be some tension on the incision closure, and a modified “beach chair” position will be required. This means keeping both the head/back and legs/knees bent and supported with pillows to remove any tension on the mid-section.

To prevent blood clots, you are encouraged to walk the first day after surgery but will likely need to stay bent over slightly for the first few weeks until the skin begins to stretch enough for you to stand upright. You will also start on a blood thinner the day after surgery and continue that for approximately ten days to minimize the chances of developing a blood clot in your legs.

You will likely have two drains in place and will be given detailed instructions on how to manage them and record the fluid output. They will be removed after two weeks.

You will be able to return to light work duty within two weeks if you have a desk or computer job. If you have a physically challenging job, you will not be able to return for at least six to eight weeks.

You can slowly increase your activity and begin exercising again at the discretion of Dr. Yu based on your progress and individual healing but you cannot resume all activities including heavy lifting, sit-ups and crunches, and full cardio exercise until you are at the three-month mark, and that too, if there are no other complications.

Tummy Tuck Cost

How much does a Tummy Tuck cost in Arcadia, CA?

The cost of a Tummy Tuck in Los Angeles, Pasadena, and the surrounding Arcadia area depends on the extent of your case, your surgeon’s fees, and many other factors. The fastest way to arrive at a cost is to schedule your consultation so that your surgeon can provide you with a treatment plan that can then be priced out by a patient coordinator.

Why Choose Premier Cosmetic Surgery & Medspa?

Premier Cosmetic Surgery & Medspa in Arcadia, CA is the practice you want to choose for your Tummy Tuck. It was established in 2006 by Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Arthur Yu who has amassed over 19 years of plastic surgery experience with successful procedures of generations of patients now under his belt. He is the inventor of ART TIPLYFT® and an award-winning surgeon with his most recent awards of Best Threads Treatment and Top 3 Best Surgery Body Shaping at the 2023 AMWC Monaco conference.

Dr. Yu completed his plastic surgery training at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic and has learned from some of the world’s most admired and respected masters of plastic and cosmetic surgery. He completed his general surgery residency at Cornell University Brooklyn Hospital Center. He completed an additional fellowship in Head and Neck Surgery at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is a top-ranked international organization. He is a proud member of the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).

Tummy Tuck FAQ’S

During the procedure, you will be pain-free owing to the anesthesia. Post-surgery, in the first few weeks following your Tummy Tuck recovery process, you can expect to experience some medium-level pain or at least some discomfort. You are recommended not to put pressure on your abdomen and walk slightly bent so as not to stretch the incision. Your belly will be sore and swollen but may be more comfortable if you continue to use pain medication and/or compression garments.
Most patients, without complications, will have between three and six follow-up appointments after their abdominoplasty procedure, These occur usually at the one, two, and six-week mark. These check-ups are primarily so your provider can monitor your healing process and make sure you are satisfied with your results. We will also ask your permission to take post-op pictures near your final check-up appointment so that you can track your healing journey.
Many of our Los Angeles and Arcadia patients will combine their Tummy Tuck with other body contouring procedures such as an Arm Lift, Breast Lift, or Liposuction. If you are interested in having any other cosmetic procedure performed, please discuss your desires with Dr. Yu during your Tummy Tuck consultation. He will be able to offer his expert advice as to the best combined procedures for your medical profile.
Given that a Tummy Tuck is an involved surgery, there are the following risks patients should be mindful of:
- Anesthesia risks
- Asymmetry
- Bleeding
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Cardiac and pulmonary complications
- Fat necrosis
- Fluid accumulation
- Infection
- Numbness or other changes in skin sensation
- Persistent pain
- Poor wound healing
- Possibility of revisional surgery
- Recurrent looseness of skin
- Skin discoloration and/or prolonged swelling
- Skin loss
- Suboptimal aesthetic result
- Unfavorable scarring
If you begin to experience concerning reactions or have long-lasting side effects, please contact our office immediately.

Schedule a Consultation

If you are in the Los Angeles or Pasadena area and have excess skin and fat in your abdominal region caused by weight fluctuations or pregnancy and you’ve tried everything else to reduce a protruding abdomen, a Tummy Tuck from Premier Cosmetic Surgery & Medspa in Arcadia might be what you are looking for. Call our office today or use our website to fill out a consultation request form and we will be in touch with you! We look forward to meeting with you and helping achieve a more toned abdomen.