Tummy Tuck History

Abdominoplasty, or more commonly called a tummy tuck, is a relatively new addition to the field of plastic surgery, as compared to some facial cosmetic procedures that were first performed 4000 years ago in India.  This knowledge was transferred to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians  and much later to Europe by way of the Roman Empire.

The first stirrings of modern plastic surgery began around the year 1800, often re-inventing techniques first discovered by the ancient Greeks and Indian civilizations, when the first flaps (a piece of skin that is stretched to cover an open wound) were utilized in surgery. These surgeries were very limited and only attempted on critically injured patients, because anesthesia and sterilization, two techniques that made surgery safer and tolerable, were not discovered until the late 19^th century. Although people of the 19^th century were probably as vain as we are today, the possibility of death and the certainty of pain were logical reasons for not attempting to enhance their looks through cosmetic surgeries.

Reconstructive Surgery Gave Birth to Plastic Surgery

Even in our modern era, during the first half of the 20^th century, most plastic surgery was limited to reconstructive surgery. However, because of the millions of wounded on both sides of the trenches of World War I that surgeons had to save, huge advances were made in the art and science of reconstructive surgery.

Once the seeds of reconstructive surgery were sown, it did not take long before plastic (from Greek: to mold) surgery evolved into what we now call cosmetic surgery.

Plastic Surgery Exploded Between 1970's & 1980's

After World War II, plastic surgery reached mainstream America and eventually exploded in the 1970's and 80's, when the baby boomers decided that becoming old ungracefully was not an option. Currently, about 90% of the cosmetic surgeries done today are on women, because eternal female beauty is important in a throwaway society where older males seek younger partners to either impress others about their virility or their financial means. Indeed, we could say that modern plastic surgery is fed by women's desires to remain in the game, or better still, when they are dumped by their wealthy first mates, to make themselves look a generation younger, so they can find themselves a younger man, and all this at their ex-husband's expense. Seems fair. 

Of Genes, Diet, Exercise, & Childbirth

What isn't fair are the genes that we are handed down from our ancestors. Some women can have several children and years later, through good diet and exercise, look as if they worked out in the gym all their lives while their girlfriends were keeping the obstetricians busy. No studies have been made to understand why certain women will never need a tummy tuck after child birth. It's certainly due partly to genes, weight gain during pregnancy, post child birth recuperation and exercise, and most importantly, the number of pregnancies.

Damaged  Skin After Large Weight Gain

Multiple Births, Age, & Elasticity

Pregnancy not only stretches the skin around the abdominal area, but it also stretches the muscles holding in the abdominal cavity. Although both skin and muscles expand and contract based upon the body's requirements, as we age, this elasticity or ability for our bodies to change shape based on demand, diminishes.  A young woman of twenty can bounce back much more quickly than a woman of forty. And, because women are delaying childbirth more and more, we can understand why tummy tucks and mommy makeovers are becoming more prevalent.

Summary

Today, a tummy tuck on healthy people is a very safe procedure if you are in the hands of an experienced and competent board certified plastic surgeon and if the surgical facility where the procedure is done is certified either by AAAASF , JCINC, or is a Medicare approved facility, or certified by a National or State outpatient surgical facility accreditatation agency. This web site is designed to tell you everything about tummy tucks, the good, the not so good, and all the reasons you should have it or not have it. Furthermore, we help you find a competent surgeon, and make certain that you are able to ask all the right questions and understand everything about the possible complications as well as the necessary recovery period after an operation.