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864 West Jericho Turnpike Huntington, NY 11743

Tummy Tuck

Drainless Tummy Tuck in Long Island, NY | Dr. Meredith Vandegrift

Achieving a flat tummy isn’t as easy as diet and exercise. For many patients, loose skin and stubborn fat make it impossible to achieve their desired abdominal shape. If you’re struggling with skin and muscle laxity in the abdominal area, a tummy tuck may be the key to creating the body you desire.

If you’re interested in learning more from a female tummy tuck surgeon in Long Island, NY, reach out to board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Meredith Vandegrift. Call (631) 935-0303 to get started today. Vandegrift Plastic Surgery is located in Huntington, NY, and proudly serves patients from all over Long Island and New York City.

What Is a Tummy Tuck?

A tummy tuck, also called abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure to create a tighter, flatter abdomen. This procedure can be performed on its own or paired with other body contouring procedures like liposuction. Many women choose to include a tummy tuck in their mommy makeover. 

Pregnancy, aging, and weight loss can permanently alter the shape of the abdomen. Skin stretches out and abdominal muscles loosen or separate. These changes can make it challenging, and in many cases impossible, to restore the body to its former appearance. A tummy tuck may be able to help. By removing excess skin and fat, tightening abdominal muscles, and reshaping the tummy, patients can once again enjoy a flat stomach and defined waistline. 

Patients may benefit from an abdominoplasty if they are experiencing one or more of the following concerns:

  • A bulging or protruding abdomen, often caused by stretched or separated abdominal muscles. 
  • Sagging, stretched out abdominal skin and/or stretch marks
  • Lack of definition in the waist area
  • Medical difficulties caused by a lack of core strength including poor posture, urinary incontinence, and hernias. 
before tummy tuck front view
after tummy tuck front view
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How is a Tummy Tuck Performed?

In a tummy tuck procedure, these issues and others are corrected through a long, low incision located just above the pubic area. Through this incision, muscles are tightened and secured, excess fat is sculpted and removed, and the skin is pulled tight. Dr. Vandegrift will remove excess skin and close the incisions. After a tummy tuck the core is strengthened and a flatter, tighter abdominal appearance is restored.

Going Drain-Free Can Improve the Tummy Tuck Experience

An often challenging aspect of tummy tuck recovery is the drains, medical devices positioned under the skin to remove fluids from the abdominal area as the body heals. These drains are attached to tubes and small bulbs that collect fluid and must be cleaned, measured, and drained several times each day. Drains are uncomfortable and thankfully unnecessary after a tummy tuck. 

Most plastic surgeons use drains after a tummy tuck to prevent fluid accumulation under the skin and the development of tummy tuck complications like a seroma. However, drains are not the only way to achieve this objective. Dr. Vandegrift uses a specialized suturing technique called progressive tension sutures to adhere the skin to the abdominal tissues. These quilting sutures close the space where fluid traditionally accumulates. They serve the same purpose as a post-surgical drain but are much more comfortable and convenient for patients. 

Benefits of a drainless tummy tuck include:

More Comfortable

Drains hanging from the body can be very uncomfortable. These drains are sutured into the skin and cannot be removed for showers or sleeping. 

Easier Recovery

Drains require daily care to clean out collected fluids. Without drains, patients can focus on recovery instead of drain care. 

Better Scars

Progressive tension scars can improve the scar line by removing areas of the tension along the scar and allowing for smoother, better healing. Additionally, scars or dimples may form around the drain site incisions. A drain-free technique eliminates these extra scars entirely. 

Meet Dr. Meredith Vandegrift

Dr. Meredith Vandegrift is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon who specializes in breast and body rejuvenation that restores a youthful, supple appearance after pregnancy or weight loss.

While offering a full complement of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures including breast lift, tummy tuck, vaginal rejuvenation, and oncoplastic breast reduction, Dr. Vandegrift also has a special interest and expertise in both invasive and non-invasive facial rejuvenation. With a focus on keeping your look natural, she provides a holistic approach to each patient, specifically tailoring a treatment regimen that will leave you looking and feeling your absolute best.

Get Started Today!

Do All Surgeons Offer a Drainless Tummy Tuck?

Most plastic surgeons do not offer a drainless tummy tuck. There are many benefits to this technique and our patients often wonder why other surgeons are hesitant to provide this specialized procedure. 

A drainless tummy tuck is safe and produces results that rival or exceed traditional abdominoplasty procedures, but it does require specialized training. Using progressive tension sutures is a newer technique, and many surgeons do not have the training or experience to perform this type of tummy tuck effectively. These surgeons rely on the methods they have always used—methods which often do not include a drainless tummy tuck technique. 

Dr. Vandegrift is one of the only plastic surgeons in the Long Island area that offers a drainless tummy tuck using progressive tension sutures. Our patients are delighted that they can create their ideal body without the hassle or risk of post-surgical drains. 

Learn More About a Drainless Tummy Tuck

Deciding to pursue plastic surgery can feel very vulnerable. You know you want to improve your body and enhance your shape, but you also want to make an informed decision for your body and situation. You need information and advice from a trusted doctor, not a slick sales experience. 

Dr. Vandegrift’s consultations are the beginning of a partnership. You’ll meet with her and delve deeply into your lifestyle, work, aesthetic goals, and family. Dr. Vandegrift wants to ensure that each patient feels comfortable and confident throughout the surgical process, from that first meeting and for the rest of their lives. She seeks to deeply understand your objectives, ensuring that your goals will be achieved and that the chosen surgery will positively impact the way you look and feel. Dr. Vandegrift seeks to build trusted partnerships, not the cold relationship you may expect from an impersonal doctor/patient interaction. 

tummy tuck before & after front view
Real Patient Results

If you’re ready to learn more, a consultation is the first step.

Feel confident in your body’s shape and appearance after pregnancy or weight loss. If you’re bothered by loose skin or excess fat in the abdominal area, contact Vandegrift Plastic Surgery to schedule a drainless tummy tuck consultation in Long Island, NY. 

FAQ

Drain-Free Tummy Tuck in Long Island, NY

Patients that are considering tummy tuck surgery are encouraged to schedule a consultation with Dr. Vandegrift. Meeting one-on-one with an experienced plastic surgeon is the best way to determine your candidacy for the procedure. Generally, the best candidates for abdominoplasty are men or women with excess skin and muscle laxity in the abdominal area. Candidates should be at a stable, consistent weight and not planning future pregnancies. Patients should not smoke if they are considering plastic surgery.

A comfortable recovery is a priority for all of our surgical patients. Dr. Vandegrift will provide detailed information about managing pain and discomfort after surgery. Prescription pain medications may be needed during the early phases of recovery. Over-the-counter medications are also useful tools for increasing post-surgical comfort.

Dr. Vandegrift customizes her surgical techniques to create the best possible results for each patient. This customized approach makes it challenging to provide a detailed quote for a procedure without first meeting with the prospective patient to examine their body and discuss treatment goals. You’ll receive a customized quote for your procedure during your appointment with Dr. Vandegrift.

A drainless tummy tuck is a variation on a traditional abdominoplasty that uses a specialized technique to eliminate the need for post-surgical drains. Few surgeons have training and experience using this advanced abdominoplasty method. Dr. Vandegrift’s patients choose her for her specialized training, exceptional results, and warm personality. Additionally, Dr. Vandegrift provides patients with a personalized experience and has a welcoming demeanor that is difficult to find at other plastic surgery practices. You can review Dr. Vandegrift’s qualifications, affiliations, philosophy, and more by viewing her profile here.

Complete healing after a tummy tuck takes time. Most patients will be back to work a few weeks after their procedures and enjoying physical activities after 6-8 weeks. After about three months, most bruising and swelling have resolved, and many patients are ready to show off their new look at the pool or beach.

While a tummy tuck can remove excess skin and fat from the midsection, it is not a weight loss procedure and cannot be used as an alternative to a healthy lifestyle. Instead, a tummy tuck works great in conjunction with a balanced diet and regular exercise plan. It is best suited for individuals who are close to their ideal weight and have specific concerns focused around their abdominal area.

While a tummy tuck is guaranteed to create a slimmer, fitter, and more toned appearance to your waist, the procedure will not accentuate or strengthen your abdominal muscles. Abdominoplasty surgery helps tighten and repair the abdominal wall if you have a separation of the muscles known as a diastasis recti, as well as remove sagging skin that can mask well-defined abs. However, even by removing excess fat and tissue, the procedure isn’t designed to provide you with washboard abs. It will, however, give patients better definition overall, and if you maintain a healthy lifestyle, you can tone your muscles and highlight your results further with a proper diet and core-strengthening exercises that focus on fat burning and muscle building around your midsection.

Yes, the female body is quite extraordinary and will adapt to your developing new addition regardless of whether you’ve had an abdominoplasty. Additionally, having a tummy tuck presents no risk factors to your pregnancy, although your stomach muscles may feel tighter as the fascia, or tissue, stretches as your stomach expands. This can cause skin redundancy which may require a touch-up procedure to achieve pre-pregnancy results. For these reasons, we do encourage our patients to wait until you are done having children to have their tummy tuck, and avoid needing additional surgeries in the same region.

Yes, many patients choose to combine procedures when undergoing tummy tuck surgery for more cohesive results and a single recovery time, rather than multiple. Dr. Vandegrift can perform some liposuction during your tummy tuck if a particular concern is excess fat around the midsection that is unresponsive to diet and exercise. Other common procedures to consider combining with your tummy tuck procedure is a breast augmentation, breast lift, or breast reduction surgery. When adding a breast procedure to your abdominoplasty surgery it is referred to as a mommy makeover which is a series of two or more procedures designed to restore and rejuvenate a woman’s figure to their pre-pregnancy appearance.

Immediately after your tummy tuck surgery, you’ll be instructed to limit your activity to light walking for 10 minutes every hour, while awake. Patients should continue these walking sessions hourly for 4 to 10 weeks. During this time, Dr. Vandergrift will continue to evaluate your recovery and may recommend some additional strength and cardiovascular exercises like weight training, sit ups, crunches, yoga, or pilates. We encourage patients to focus on exceptional form during and after the recovery process while performing these exercises to avoid injury and encourage incredible results.