Tummy tuck in Las Vegas: after pregnancy, explained plainly

A free referral service, Mommy Makeover Las Vegas is not a clinic: a request sent from this page reaches an independent plastic surgery office in the Las Vegas Valley, which sets its own prices and answers for its own care.

What the operation changes, and its limits

In ASPS terms, a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) takes away surplus skin and fat and, most of the time, stitches weakened or separated muscles back together. Its limits deserve equal attention. It will not replace weight loss. It leaves stretch marks alone, apart from any on the skin that is cut away. And ASPS says to wait if a big weight loss or another baby is still ahead, since either one changes the result.

Cleveland Clinic points out that the result holds as long as your weight holds. That is why surgeons ask about your plans for the next few years, not only about the abdomen in front of them.

The types surgeons describe

Cleveland Clinic lists four types. Which one fits depends on how much loose skin there is, where it sits, and whether the muscles need repair. Your surgeon explains which incision suits you and where the scar would sit.

• Full: the standard operation, usually with muscle repair.
• Mini: a shorter incision, and usually no incision around the navel.
• Extended: for loose skin beyond the usual area.
• Fleur-de-lis: a further pattern for larger amounts of skin.

The extended and fleur-de-lis types overlap with body contouring after weight loss. If fat sits mainly on the flanks or thighs rather than in loose skin, liposuction may be added or used instead.

Separated muscles: diastasis recti

Diastasis recti means the two long “six-pack” muscles have pulled apart down the middle. It most often appears in the third trimester, Cleveland Clinic says, and roughly six in ten women have it after giving birth; in one study it cites, 45% of women still had the gap at six months postpartum. It is diagnosed when the gap measures more than 2 cm, roughly two finger widths.

An operation is not where treatment starts. Cleveland Clinic puts physical therapy and exercises first, with crunches and sit-ups avoided. A belly band gives support but will not close the gap. Where the gap stays, a tummy tuck is one surgical option, and a hernia repair is another when there is a hernia at the navel. This site could not confirm whether insurance ever pays toward a diastasis repair; the office and your insurer can tell you.

Who is usually asked to wait

• Anyone planning another pregnancy, since it can undo the result.
• Anyone less than about six months after giving birth (ASPS).
• Anyone still losing a lot of weight.
• Smokers, until they have stopped: one ASPS article suggests at least three weeks before surgery.

The day itself

Expect general anesthesia and an operation of one to five hours, according to Cleveland Clinic. It is usually done as an outpatient procedure; an overnight stay is more likely once other procedures are added, as in a mommy makeover. Ask where your surgery would happen. ASPS requires its members to operate in accredited, state-licensed or Medicare-certified facilities.

Recovery, in general ranges

These figures come from Cleveland Clinic’s tummy tuck page and an ASPS article on mommy makeovers. They are general ranges for planning, not a promise, and your surgeon gives you your own timeline.

• Time off work: at least one week.
• Feeling more like yourself: after about two weeks, for most people.
• Swelling: mainly over the first three to six weeks.
• Strenuous exercise: after about four to six weeks.
• Complete healing: about two to three months after a full tummy tuck, or two to four weeks after a mini.
• Scar: goes on fading and flattening for up to a year.

Lifting is the hard part with small children at home. ASPS says you may need help with childcare for a while, and your surgeon will set a lifting limit. Line that help up before you set a date. The recovery calendar on the homepage lays the first six weeks out tile by tile.

Risks to talk through

Among the tummy tuck risks ASPS names are blood clots in the deep veins, heart or lung complications, fat necrosis, a seroma (fluid build-up), skin loss, infection, bleeding, numbness, slow or poor wound healing, uneven results, unfavorable scarring, loose skin that returns, and the possibility of revision surgery. A longer operation that combines several procedures adds risk too, including blood clots, which is why some surgeons stage a plan in two operations. Ask how your surgeon reduces each risk and what happens if one occurs.

What it costs

For the surgeon’s fee alone, ASPS puts the 2024 national range for a tummy tuck at $8,000 to $13,500. Anesthesia, the facility, tests, garments and prescriptions are extra, and Las Vegas offices set their own prices. The mommy makeover cost guide shows how a quote with several parts is built.

Questions to take to a consultation

1. Is your certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery?
2. Which type of tummy tuck do you suggest for me, and why?
3. Do I have diastasis recti, and would you repair it?
4. Where will the surgery take place, and is the facility accredited?
5. Would you combine it with liposuction or other procedures, or stage them?
6. What lifting limit will I have, and for how long?
7. Where will the scar sit, and how do you care for it?

The ABPS certification search finds surgeons by name, or near a ZIP code.

This site gives general information, not medical advice. A licensed provider decides with you whether a treatment suits you.

Before a consultation, you can look up a Nevada physician’s license on the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners licensee lookup.

Questions people ask