Tummy tuck with Dr. Claire Duggal
Tummy Tuck
A tummy tuck restores a flatter, tighter abdomen by removing excess fat and skin and repairing any separation between the stomach muscles. Dr. Duggal’s signature technique improves your outcome and speeds your recovery.
At a glance
Surgeon
Dr. Claire Duggal
Procedure time
2–3 hours
Anesthesia
General
Setting
West Annapolis Surgery Center
Home same day
Usually, overnight optional
Office work
About 2 weeks
Physical work
About 4 weeks
Exercise
About 6 weeks
Final results
6–12 months
When a tummy tuck is the right answer
Pregnancy, significant weight changes, aging, and genetics can all affect the appearance and strength of the abdomen. For some patients, the skin and abdominal wall may stretch beyond the point where they can fully return to their previous shape on their own.
A tummy tuck may be appropriate when excess skin and weakened or separated abdominal muscles create a loose, protruding, or less defined abdomen that does not improve with healthy lifestyle changes alone. By removing excess skin and addressing abdominal wall laxity when needed, abdominoplasty can create a smoother, firmer, and more contoured midsection.
Why patients consider it
Am I a good candidate?
The best candidates are in good overall health, at or near a stable weight, and bothered by excess abdominal skin, abdominal wall laxity, or changes that have not improved with diet and exercise alone. The procedure is highly individualized — during your consultation, Dr. Duggal will evaluate your anatomy, discuss your goals, and determine which approach will best achieve your desired result.
If you are planning significant weight loss or future pregnancy, Dr. Duggal may recommend waiting until your weight and family planning are stable. A tummy tuck is a body-contouring procedure, not a weight-loss procedure — results can be long-lasting when a stable weight and healthy lifestyle are maintained.
Tummy tuck before and after — an actual patient of Dr. Duggal.
“An abdominoplasty is a wonderful way to restore a woman’s stomach after pregnancy and childbirth. Not only can we remove the excess skin and often the majority of any stretchmarks she has, but we can also tighten her abdominal muscles and restore a flat, strong abdomen.”
Dr. Claire Duggal
Often combined with
What happens during the procedure
A tummy tuck is performed under general anesthesia. Dr. Duggal makes a low abdominal incision, removes excess skin, and, when needed, repairs separation or laxity of the abdominal muscles. She then re-drapes the skin and carefully repositions the belly button for a natural appearance.
Dr. Duggal does not routinely perform liposuction of the abdomen during a tummy tuck. When additional contouring is appropriate, she may combine the procedure with liposuction of the waist and flanks, upper back, or bra roll. Exparel®, a long-acting local anesthetic, is used to help manage postoperative discomfort, and the incision is closed with dissolvable sutures.
Her progressive-tension technique is designed to minimize the space where fluid can collect. A drain is typically placed to help manage fluid during the early stages of healing. The procedure typically takes two to three hours. Dr. Duggal places the incision as low as possible to keep it concealed beneath underwear or a bikini bottom; scar appearance continues to improve as it matures, and treatments such as laser or microneedling may be considered when appropriate.
Variations on the procedure
A full tummy tuck addresses excess abdominal skin and may include repair of separated or weakened abdominal muscles (diastasis recti), with an incision across the lower abdomen designed to create a flatter, firmer contour.
A mini tummy tuck focuses on excess skin below the belly button — similar in concept to a C-section scar revision — with a shorter incision and no muscle repair, best suited to concerns limited to the lower abdomen.
An extended tummy tuck uses a longer incision extending toward the hips, addressing excess skin along the lower abdomen and sides.
Additional body contouring may be performed when appropriate — liposuction of the waist and flanks, upper back, or bra roll for a more balanced, defined silhouette.
What to expect in recovery
Most patients go home the same day, but some prefer to stay overnight in our surgical suite, especially when combining procedures. You will need someone to drive you home, and it is best to have someone stay with you for the first 24 hours.
The first three to five days are typically the most uncomfortable. Medication can help manage discomfort, and light walking is encouraged early in recovery. Most patients gradually return to normal activity as they heal, with most swelling resolving around six weeks and final results continuing to develop over the following months.
Many patients can return to office-based work in approximately two weeks, while more physically demanding work may require closer to four. For the first two to three weeks, plan to have help with lifting, childcare, household tasks, and other strenuous activities. Most patients can gradually return to exercise around six weeks, depending on their healing and Dr. Duggal’s recommendations.
Questions patients ask.
The results will last for many years, even a lifetime, if you maintain a stable weight with healthy eating and exercise habits. Factors like significant weight gain, pregnancy, or ignoring your postoperative care instructions can compromise them.
Abdominoplasty is not a weight-loss procedure. It is body contouring surgery. It will remove some excess skin and fat, though most patients do lose up to 10 pounds. Consider a tummy tuck if you are close to your ideal weight or mildly overweight and want a firmer, flatter, smoother abdomen.
Since an abdominoplasty is performed on healthy patients, the risks are low overall. Infrequently there can be wound healing complications or a wound infection, most of which are solved with dressing changes and possibly antibiotics. Occasionally a collection of fluid develops which requires drainage in the office or operating room. A rare complication is the development of a blood clot; for patients at higher risk, blood thinning medication is sometimes recommended for a few days after surgery.
When additional contouring is appropriate, Dr. Duggal may combine an abdominoplasty with liposuction of the waist and flanks, upper back, or bra roll. It can also be part of a mommy makeover, which refers to any combination of procedures to restore a woman’s body after childbirth and breastfeeding — most often adding an abdominoplasty to a breast lift or breast augmentation, and sometimes a labiaplasty.
Dr. Duggal, her board-certified anesthesiologist, and her surgical assistant will meet with you and discuss the operation and recovery once again. She will mark your incision pattern and demonstrate it to you, keeping the pattern as low as possible to achieve a bikini line incision and lift the mons pubis.
A drain is typically placed to help manage fluid during the early stages of healing, and usually stays in for 5 to 7 days. Dr. Duggal’s progressive-tension technique is designed to minimize the space where fluid can collect.
It is very rare that Dr. Duggal does not repair the muscles.
Your abs will only show if your abs were showing before.
Swelling is usually not too significant, but it will take about 6 weeks for the majority of it to resolve and 6 to 12 months for final results to show. Swelling can extend to surrounding areas including the thighs, due to fluid retention and changes in lymphatic drainage; wearing compression garments as directed reduces it faster.
A typical recovery takes 10 to 14 days, with no heavy lifting for 6 weeks. The first three to five days are often the most challenging, as swelling and discomfort peak. You may find it difficult to stand up straight due to tightness in the abdominal area — a normal, temporary part of the adjustment. Most patients feel significantly better by the end of the first week.
Most patients can exercise in 6 weeks.
Yes, you can, but it is preferred that you do not. Getting pregnant after a tummy tuck may diminish your results.
Dr. Duggal will place your incision low enough on your abdomen that you can easily conceal it beneath underwear or bikini bottoms. Revision techniques like microneedling and laser treatments will also fade the scar over time, making it even less noticeable.
The belly button, the level of the scar, and how contoured the waist is with added liposuction. These help give more of a 360-degree transformation.
Schedule your consultation.
Dr. Duggal will review your goals, mark and demonstrate your incision pattern, and explain the operation and recovery in full before you decide anything.