Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

Full and mini abdominoplasty to remove excess abdominal skin and fat, tighten the rectus abdominis muscles if separated (diastasis recti), and create a flatter, firmer abdominal contour. Part of the mommy makeover offering at Boston Plastic Surgery Specialists. Performed by Dr. Brooke R. Seckel MD FACS at Emerson Hospital's Clough Surgical Center. The practice also offered C-section scar revision as a component of or standalone procedure.

Tummy tuck surgery (abdominoplasty) at Boston Plastic Surgery Specialists addressed the abdominal changes that commonly occur after pregnancy, significant weight loss, or the natural effects of ageing — changes that diet and exercise alone cannot reverse because they involve excess skin and muscular laxity rather than fat alone. The full abdominoplasty procedure involves a horizontal incision placed low across the lower abdomen, typically within the bikini line, through which the abdominal skin and subcutaneous tissue are elevated off the rectus abdominis muscles from the pubis to the lower ribcage. If diastasis recti is present — the separation of the paired rectus abdominis muscles along the midline linea alba that commonly follows pregnancy and causes the characteristic forward-bulging abdominal profile — the muscles are reapproximated in the midline with permanent sutures, restoring a flat and firm abdominal wall. The elevated skin flap is then re-draped downward under tension, the excess skin is excised, and the abdominal skin is closed with the incision scar positioned below the waistline of underwear or swimwear. A new umbilicoplasty is performed to reposition the navel through the lowered skin flap in a natural position. For patients with limited lower abdominal excess and no significant upper abdominal laxity, a mini-abdominoplasty was offered — a shorter scar technique with dissection limited to the infra-umbilical zone, which does not require umbilical transposition. Tummy tuck was frequently performed as a component of the mommy makeover — a combination procedure combining abdominoplasty with breast lift or breast augmentation. C-section scar revision, addressed as part of the lower abdominal incision design, was also offered as a component of the abdominoplasty when an existing C-section scar was present. The practice closed permanently in September 2023.