Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Michael Vennemeyer, has over a decade of experience making tummy’s look beautiful again after weight loss and/or pregnancy.

In general, tummy tucks address three major things:

1. Excess tummy skin:
   Loose abdominal skin can happen from weight gain and loss or pregnancy. Stretch marks are common. Excess skin is removed, leaving a scar. Stretch marks present on the removed skin go away, too. The length of your scar depends on how much skin is removed.

2. Excess tummy fat:
   Fat between the skin and your core muscles is called "subcutaneous fat". Skin removal includes the fat underneath it. Additional fat can be removed by cutting it away or with liposuction.

3. Loose inner girdle or core:
   Your abdominal muscles, known as the "six-pack" muscles, are normally paired closely together up and down the middle of your tummy. With pregnancy or weight gain the inside of your abdomen expands. This creates pressure on the core girdle from the inside. This pressure stretches the core and separates the six pack muscles. This is called a diastasis. The effect is like loosening a belt. The circumference of your abdomen increases. A rounded or bulging contour results. This is sometimes referred to as a "pooch". Unfortunately, sit-ups and other core exercises will not bring the muscles closer together. Many women find this incredibly frustrating. Do not be hard on yourself—surgery is the only way to fix this.

The various tummy tuck techniques used by Dr. Vennemeyer address these three major problems to a different degree and in slightly different ways.

Expert Bikini-worthy Belly Buttons after Tummy Tuck:

Over the past decade, Dr. Vennemeyer has perfected his unique technique to give his patients the most natural looking belly buttons possible.  He is now known for creating beautiful, natural-looking belly buttons in his tummy tuck results.

The best belly buttons after an abdominoplasty have the 3 following characteristics:

1. Slight hooding of the upper part of the belly button relative to the lower part.
   
2. The scar is hidden through its location inside the new belly button rather than around the umbilicus.
   
3. There is a natural appearing concavity flowing into the belly button, avoiding a stuck-on, 2 dimensional appearance.
   

Dr. Vennemeyer is very detail-focused with his belly buttons. He wants his patients to be able to wear a bikini afterwards without anyone knowing they had a tummy tuck, since a bad belly button result is a total giveaway, that you’ve had a tummy tuck.

Tummy Tuck combined with 360-Degree Core Liposuction

If you have a thicker layer of fat underneath your skin, combined with loose skin, a combination of 360-degree core liposuction in addition to a tummy tuck/abdominoplasty may be the best option for you.

These patients all opted to combine 360-degree liposuction with a tummy tuck for the best improvement.

Liposuction is used to remove fat from the tummy. Then Dr. Vennemeyer removes extra skin as he does in a full tummy tuck. The core muscles are tightened together, too. The result is a more dramatic improvement for people who would still be left with a thicker layer of fat after a normal tummy tuck.

Dr. Vennemeyer’s circumferential liposuction, also called 360-degree Liposuction, can also be combined with a tummy tuck. If you have a thicker layer of fat in the abdomen, flanks, hips and lower back, 360 Lipo may help you get better result.

Tummy Tuck Scars

Photo: Loose skin and stretch marks improved with tummy tuck. Patient shown 6 months post-op. Additional scar fading occurs over first 1 to 2 years.  Notice how natural the belly button looks with Dr. Vennemeyer’s unique belly button technique.

Fear of tummy tuck scars is a very common concern.  The goal of a tummy tuck is to get your core looking amazing, so Dr. Vennemeyer uses a special technique, to place your scar as low and as thin as possible based on your anatomy.  His goal is for you to be able to wear a bikini or lingerie after your procedure, so that you can feel and look amazing.  Your natural pigmentation and how your body heals plays a role in your final scar appearance, but scars typically fade significantly over the first few months and continue fading maximally over the first 12-24 months.  Dr. Vennemeyer also recommends that you use silicone scar strips, once your incision is at the right stage of the healing process, which is typically three weeks after surgery.

Tummy Tuck After Massive Weight Loss

Mini Tummy Tuck

A mini-tummy tuck, or mini-abdominoplasty, is perfect for those with excessive skin limited to the area between their belly button and pubic area. Bulging tissue in this area may result from separation of the lower abdominal muscles and accumulation of excess skin and fat. The procedure involves a small incision directly above the pubic area. In this procedure, loose skin is removed and muscles are tightened below the belly button so that your lower abdomen is flatter and tighter. This procedure will not tighten the upper abdomen. In some cases, Dr. Vennemeyer recommends liposuction along with your mini-tummy tuck to help you get the best result possible.

This procedure is great for women and men with loose skin, core bulging and smaller amounts of excess fat. A full tummy tuck or abdominoplasty tightens the entire abdomen from ribcage to pubic area. Most stretch marks below the belly button can be removed with this procedure. The core muscles are tightened above and below your belly button to improve bulging.