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Valley Dermatology & Plastic Surgery is a comprehensive skin care center in the heart of the Napa Valley. Our practice provides complete and integrated dermatology and plastic surgery services to people of all ages. We maintain a patient-centered approach while offering compassionate and the most up to date care. Our goal is to educate and empower you to make the right decisions for your health.
Liposuction is an operation used to remove fat from underneath the skin. The fat removed is gone permanently but patients can still gain or lose weight depending on health, diet and exercise. This is not a weight loss procedure. We use multiple, small access incisions that are each 1-2 mm. Dr. Street also performs additional techniques to make sure the area is smooth. Liposuction is commonly combined with other procedures but can be a standalone surgery.
Anesthesia: General; Sedation with Local Anesthesia can be used in smaller cases
Operative Time: Varies based on size
Incisions: Multiple small access incisions
Drains: None
Recovery Timeline:
*Please note that each patient and case is unique. Nothing in surgery is a guarantee. Please talk with Dr. Street more in person about your individualized surgical plan. All general anesthesia is performed by a board-certified anesthesiologist.
Most times. Because of the large area of surgery for abdominoplasty, your body is at risk of a fluid accumulation (seroma) after. Leaving a drain will empty the surgical area of fluid until the body is ready to handle the fluid on its own. Typically patients have drains for 1-2 weeks following tummy tuck. Though, very large abdominoplasties may have drains longer.
The rectus abdominis (6 pack) muscles can spread apart over time with weight gain or, more commonly, with pregnancy. Often these muscles won’t move back together on their own. In surgery, we can suture the muscles back together at the midline. This is a common part of abdominoplasty.
Small umbilical hernias can sometimes be fixed during abdominoplasty. Larger or more complicated hernias should be fixed by a general surgeon before surgery and often involve the insertion of mesh.
Liposuction is safe during abdominoplasty and often combined with this procedure. Dr. Street frequently uses liposuction around the abdomen, flanks and suprapubic area during tummy tuck. If a patient wants more areas treated with liposuction, is usually possible and can be discussed during consultation.
C-section scars are common and do not create an issue during surgery. Your surgical incision will be placed below the level of your c-section scar. So, your c-section scar will be removed during the procedure.
A “mini” tummy tuck uses a shorter incision to perform an abdominoplasty on the lower portion of the abdomen only. This does not address the muscles or the skin above the belly button. If a patient does not need a large amount of skin removed, then mini-abdominoplasty is a good option because there is no scar around the umbilicus (belly button).
Our goal is to educate and empower you to make the right decisions for your health.
