Indications You cut your calorie and fat intake and practically live at the gym. But despite doing hundreds, if not thousands, of abdominal exercises every week, you cannot control your protruding belly. Your midsection is a blight on your otherwise trim figure, and it bothers you to no end.

You may be a candidate for an abdominoplasty, or "tummy tuck." For a growing number of Americans, this surgical procedure which offers to tighten and thin the stomach may be worth the risks, discomfort, time off from work and associated scarring.

Once healed from surgery, your tummy will be flat and tight. You may lose up to several inches from your waistline and your clothes will often fit better. You may also be a few pounds lighter, depending on how much skin and fat were removed. Any stretch marks and old scars that you had below the level of your belly button may be gone after the operation.

Intended Results
A smoother flatter abdomen. Have you been Dieting and exercising, but can't get rid of that bulge between your belly button and pubic hair line? This procedure can once again give you the flat stomach you once had.

Procedure Description
The procedure is performed under general anesthesia. The skin between the belly button and pubic hairline is removed. Dr. Mariotti then tightens the muscles that have been stretched with pregnancies or weight gain, before pulling the skin down tight and recreating a more youthful looking belly button.

Recuperation and Healing
Because an abdominoplasty is a larger procedure, an overnight stay at the surgery center is usually indicated. Light activity is comfortable in 1-2weeks. Sports will not be comfortable for about 6 weeks. Your incisions will feel somewhat rigid or firm and have a reddish purple appearance, which will then fade with time.

How Can I Tell If I Need a Tummy Tuck, Liposuction, or Both?
If your abdominal skin hangs loose and has numerous stretch marks, liposuction (fat suctioning) is generally ill-advised because it would result in more loose skin and has no impact on stretch marks. In cases where there is both excess fat and a weakened abdominal wall, a limited amount of liposuction can be performed along the flanks and on the sides of the abdomen just prior to abdominoplasty. Liposuction should not be performed on the middle of the belly, however, because it could hinder the blood supply to the skin when followed by a tummy tuck. In order to achieve a complete transformation of one’s waistline approximately half of all abdominoplasty patients also have liposuction.