Every woman wants a flat, even, firm tummy, but few succeed. Pregnancies, weight gain and weight loss take a tremendous toll on a woman's body, especially in the stomach area. Repeatedly stretched and scarred, many women's bellies are loose, oversized and out of shape. Often, the situation can't be improved much even with a strenuous exercise program. But, there is a solution.

A tummy tuck can help. It can remove the excess skin and tighten up the underlying musculature giving you a flatter, firmer, and tighter stomach . If there is a significant amount of fat excess over the abdomen, liposuction or suction assisted lipectomy may be needed as a separate procedure.

There are several popular approaches for abdominoplasty. The most common involves an incision across the lower abdomen, a little above the pubic area, and beneath the bikini line. An incision is also made around the belly button to free it from the surrounding skin. The skin is separated from the abdominal wall and lifted up above the rib cage. Next deeper loose tissue is pulled from the left and right of the abdomen together, towards the center, and it is sutured together.This tightens muscles, provides a stronger abdominal wall and may make the waist smaller.

The skin is then lowered and the excess is removed. A new opening is made for the belly button at the proper position (the old location is now much too low). The incisions are closed with sutures and a light dressing is placed over the area. You will have drains in place for a few days.

You may have to wear a light support garment for several weeks after this cosmetic surgery. After surgery, you will have some soreness and discomfort which can be controlled with medication. You will need to remain in bed for two or three days with your hips bent to reduce the strain on your abdominal area. You will be up and around after that, but you should avoid over activity and straining for six to eight weeks. You will probably be able to return to work in two to three weeks.

By removing the sagging, excess skin and accumulated fatty tissue, you'll immediately enjoy a flatter, firmer abdomen and thinner waist. Although every effort is made to minimize scarring, the scars will be permanent but will fade to some degree over time. Within six to twelve months your scars will get flatter, become lighter in color and improve considerably.