Abdominoplasty in La Jolla - San Diego County

Abdominoplasty in La Jolla offered by Dr Rechnic located in San Diego County. Dr Rechnic offers all aspects of cosmetic surgery including but not limited to breast augmentation, breast lifts, tumy tucks, breast reconstruction, eyelid surgery and more.

The "tummy tuck" is a popular procedure for removal of stretched, loose, and excess skin and fat from the lower part of the abdomen. The effects of aging, multiple pregnancy and major weight loss contribute to weakening of the abdominal muscles. When skin has been stretched and loses its ability to 'snap back', it has to be surgically removed. View abdominoplasty photos.

The operation may involve liposuction, either alone or in combination with removal of skin. Some tummy tucks are done without "repositioning" the navel, by removing skin only from the lower-most part of the abdomen ("mini" tummy tuck).

A "full" operation generally takes two to two and a half hours of surgery time. They are all done on an outpatient basis (with rare exceptions). The navel is kept in its original position, as the skin around it is lifted and pulled downward, a new "belly-button hole" is made and stitched around the navel. There is a scar across the lower abdomen, kept low enough to conceal below the "swim-suit" line.

Surgical drain tubes are used to remove accumulations of fluid that may form during the recovery period, usually for the first week. Accumulation of fluid is called a "seroma", and it is fairly common after the procedure. This can usually be treated with needle aspiration during office visits scheduled after surgery. A binder may be used and may help, but not prevent all seromas.

Breast lift ("mastopexy") is a procedure that is done for breasts that sag excessively due to aging, weight loss, or after pregnancy. This surgery involves repositioning of the nipple level, reduction of the amount of skin in the lower part of the breast, or both. Small lifts might be done with relatively minimal incisions. The more skin that needs to be removed, the more extensive the surgery is likely to be. Scars are unavoidable in this situation. It is difficult to anticipate in advance what kind of scars any individual will form (favorable or unfavorable), but some tendencies can be estimated based on age and skin type.

Also known as breast enlargement or breast enhancement, breast augmentation is among the most popular procedures in our practice. The numbers of augmentation surgery done annually has increased steadily in the past few years. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2003, more than 250,000 women had breast augmentation. Dr. Rechnic has been performing the surgery for over 20 years.

Eyelid surgery (technically called Blepharoplasty) is a procedure to remove fat--usually along with excess skin and muscle from the upper and lower eyelids. Eyelid surgery can correct drooping upper lids and puffy bags below your eyes - features that make you look older and more tired than you feel, and may even interfere with your vision. However, it won't remove crow's feet or other wrinkles, eliminate dark circles under your eyes, or lift sagging eyebrows.

Dr. Rechnic is Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery as well as the American Board of Surgery. He maintains active membership in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the clinical faculty at UCSD. He is a member of the senior staff at Scripps and Sharp Hospitals, and Plastic Surgery section chief at the San Diego Outpatient Surgery Center. Contact him at 858-587-9970.

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