7322 E 91st St, Tulsa, OK 74133 · 918-392-0880 · tulsasurgicalarts.com
Oklahoma Surgical Arts · 12400 Saint Andrew’s Dr, Oklahoma City, OK 73120 · 405-751-0042
Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)
Plain-language patient guide
What this surgery is
A tummy tuck flattens the belly. It removes loose, hanging skin that diet and exercise cannot fix. It also repairs stretched or separated belly muscles, common after pregnancy.
It is not a weight-loss surgery. It works best when your weight is stable.
What happens during it
You get anesthesia (medicine that makes you sleep).
The surgeon makes a long cut low on the belly, hidden below the underwear line.
The skin is lifted, and the stretched muscles are stitched back together down the middle.
Extra skin is removed. The belly button is brought out through a new small opening.
The cuts are closed in layers. Thin drain tubes are sometimes placed for a few days.
Surgery takes two to three hours. Some patients stay one night.
Main risks
Every surgery has risks. Here are the main ones for this surgery, in plain words. We will go over all of them with you in person.
Fluid buildup under the skin (called a seroma). It may need to be drained with a needle in the office.
Slow wound healing at the middle of the scar, especially in smokers.
Blood clots. The risk is higher after a tummy tuck than most cosmetic surgeries. Early walking lowers it.
Long-lasting numbness of the lower belly skin.
Bleeding. Some bleeding can need another trip to the operating room.
Infection. Signs are spreading redness, warmth, pus, or fever.
Scars. Every cut leaves a scar. Most fade over a year. Some stay raised or wide.
Numb skin near the cuts. Feeling usually returns over months. Small areas can stay numb.
Blood clots in the legs. A clot can travel to the lungs. That is an emergency.
Problems from anesthesia (the medicine that makes you sleep). These are rare in healthy people.
Uneven results. The two sides of the body are never a perfect match.
The need for another surgery to fix a problem or improve the result.
What recovery is like
First few days
You walk bent at the hips. Soreness is real but managed. Walk a little every few hours.
One week
Standing straighter each day. Drains, if used, usually come out.
Two weeks
Most desk workers return. No lifting over ten pounds.
Six weeks
Core exercise and full workouts restart. Swelling keeps fading for months.
One year
The scar fades and flattens.
When to call us right away
Call us at 918-392-0880, day or night, if:
A growing bulge of fluid or blood under the skin of the belly.
You have chest pain or trouble breathing. Call 911 first, then call us.
One leg swells, or one calf hurts more than the other.
You have a fever over 101 degrees.
Blood soaks a bandage and does not slow down with gentle pressure.
Redness spreads out from a cut, or you see pus.
Your pain gets much worse instead of better.
A wound pulls open, or stitches come apart.
Approved for patient use — released under the clinical review of the Tulsa Surgical Arts surgical team, August 2026.