TubelessTuckSM in New York City with
Dr. Shridharani

TubelessTuckSM NYC

Top New York City Plastic Surgeon Dr. Shridharani is proud to offer the TubelessTuckSM option for multiple plastic surgery procedures. TubelessTuckSM is a drainless surgical technique that Dr. Shridharani champions and has used in countless surgeries. This technique is applied to his abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), mini-abdominoplasty (mini tummy tuck), breast reductions, breast lifts (mastopexy), facelifts, as well as neck lifts. Be sure to give our office a call at (212) 508-0000 if you wish to learn more about the TubelessTuck and whether you are a candidate!

What Is A Tummy Tuck?

A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is performed to improve the appearance of the abdomen. A tummy tuck is most often performed on women who have had their abdominal muscles stretched from pregnancy or weight gain or after major weight loss. The skin and extra fat is removed and the result is an improved and flat tummy!

Typically, the scar line is from hip to hip along your underwear line. Dr. Shridharani defines and contours your skin and muscle as need be. Dr. Shridharani also repairs the bulge associated with abdominal muscles that have been stretched apart. Some patients will need drains under their skin for a week or two. These drains will prevent fluid from building up under the skin as your body heals. Dr. Shridharani offers a Tubeless tummy tuck through a special technique that does NOT require drains.

How Common Is The Abdominoplasty Procedure?

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of tummy tuck procedures rose an impressive 87 percent in the past 15 years. Many procedures were, no doubt, for cosmetic reasons, but there are several medical benefits to be gained after the procedure. Mostly due to the rise in “mommy makeovers,” a tummy tuck with Dr. Shridharani allows women to restore their figures after pregnancy.

In addition, due to the increase in various weight loss surgery procedures, there has also been an increase in tummy tuck procedures. A tummy tuck is commonly used to help patients that have undergone extreme weight loss in a short period of time and have excess skin after their massive weight loss.

Watch Dr. Shridharani Perform A “Drainless” Abdominoplasty

Types of Tummy Tucks

Traditional tummy tucks can be done as either a complete or mini (partial) tummy tuck. Dr. Shridharani also offers the TubelessTuckSM.

Mini Tummy Tuck

A partial, or mini tummy tuck, is done on patients who have excess skin or fat located primarily below the belly button. In this procedure, Dr. Shridharani may not have to alter your belly button. Typically, this is a shorter procedure with less down time/recovery time. Again, Dr. Shridharani favors a drainless technique. Every patient is considered on a case-by-case basis. During your consultation, Dr. Shridharani will assess whether a full or mini tummy tuck is the best option for you.

What is a TubelessTuckSM?

Dr. Shridharani is proud to be the first surgeon in New York to offer the TubelessTuckSM option for plastic surgery. TubelessTuckSM is a drainless surgical technique that Dr. Shridharani champions and has used in countless surgeries. This technique is applied to his abdominoplasty surgery (tummy tuck), mini-abdominoplasty surgery (mini tummy tuck), breast reductions, breast lifts (mastopexy), facelifts, as well as neck lifts.

The TubelessTuckSM abdominoplasty eliminates the use of these messy and painful drains by placing a series of dissolvable sutures in the abdomen to close up the dead space and prevent the fluid build-up. Many patients say they wanted a tummy tuck for many years but they did not want the hassle of drains. Once they heard Dr. Shridharani offers a TublessTuck, they were ready to proceed with surgery.

When Can I Resume Normal Activities After A Tummy Tuck?

Patients typically may return to work two weeks post-surgery. Once the soreness has subsided, light activity may resume. Weight lifting may be resumed in moderation four to six weeks post-surgery. Start off using light weights, as you do not want to aggravate the scar and healing. Please do not do anything that will put excess strain on the incisions. 

What People Say About Us!

I had my first experience with Dr Shridharani about a year ago. I had a full tummy tuck with flank lipo and I can’t believe how great I look! My hip scar is almost completely faded. I have used him for my botox, and today just had filler put in my lip as I have some asymmetry due to a scar on one side. I can’t believe how perfect my lips look!! Not bigger or ‘done’ but even and fabulous. And as a bonus I walked out of there after both botox and the filler with zero swelling or bruising. I travel over 2 hours to see him. I would not go anywhere else

Click here to read more reviews.

Medical Benefits Of A Tummy Tuck

An abdominoplasty is a cosmetic procedure, yet many people are now considering a tummy tuck for the medical benefits as well. After weight loss and pregnancies, the abdominal muscles can become widened and diet and exercise alone cannot help. No matter how many sit ups you do in the gym, the widening of abdominal muscles (called diastasis) will not improve. A tummy tuck surgically tightens weak muscles, while removing excess skin and fat, to flatten the abdomen.

Weak abdominal muscles are often associated with back pain. After an abdominoplasty, patients often notice that their posture has improved significantly, thanks to the tightened abdominal muscles. The improved support and better posture can have the added benefit of relieving certain types of back pain.

A tummy tuck may also be considered if you have a hernia due to abdominal wall weakness. Once you develop a hernia, reoccurrence is much more likely to happen. Often, Dr. Shridharani will recommend adding a tummy tuck in conjunction with a hernia repair to strengthen the abdominal wall and prevent future occurrences. Combining the procedures is not only safe, but very practical, as it can reduce medical expenses and recovery time.

A typical abdominoplasty removes up to 5-10 pounds of stomach fat by disconnecting the skin from the underlying tissue, suturing abdominal tissue, and cutting away any extra skin. A full recovery can take several weeks, and just like any other surgery, there are risks involved. That said, the various medical and cosmetic benefits of a tummy tuck make the procedure appealing for many people. During your consultation Dr. Shridharani will discuss the procedure in detail and consider all of your options before deciding whether to undergo surgery.

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How Can I Optimize My Abdominoplasty Results

Make sure to empty your drains if you have them and wear a compression garment to minimize swelling and the build up of fluids. The compression garment will help define your body’s new shape, so it’s crucial to wear during the first several days post-surgery!

Tummy Tuck Before And After

woman in black underwear before and after tummy tuck, much flatter stomach after procedure

Can I Still Have Children After My Abdominoplasty?

If you plan on getting pregnant in the future then you may want to postpone getting a tummy tuck until you are finished having children. During pregnancy, a woman’s body changes which can have a lasting impact. Stretch marks can occur from the uterus expanding as the abdomen expands to accommodate the baby. The skin rarely heals from stretch marks, which can lead to sagging skin that droops over the pelvis region.

The abdominal muscles are also distorted as the baby grows inside the mother. These muscles can be tightened during a tummy tuck procedure, as these muscles will not repair themselves. Also, if you plan to have massive weight loss, you may want to wait on getting a tummy tuck until after you lose the weight. A tummy tuck is not a weight loss alternative.

Do I Have To Wear A “Girdle” Or “Spanx” Or “Compression Garment” After A TubelessSM Tummy Tuck?

Since there are NO drains involved post-procedure, the recovery involves wearing a compression garment and abdominal binder for 7-10 days after the procedure to decrease the risk of forming a seroma or hematoma. At LUXURGERY, our team will take measurements of you at your consultation and provide you with the correct garment size, so you do NOT have to worry about finding one. It is important to go to your post-operative appointments to ensure your incisions are healing correctly and you have not formed any of the above-mentioned fluid collections.

Is It Possible To Have A Tummy Tuck And Arm Lift At The Same Time?

It is possible to have these surgical procedures performed simultaneously, however, there are several considerations that a patient should take in to account when planning multiple
procedures with your surgeon. Most importantly, it is best to have an evaluation and discussion with a board-certified plastic surgeon such as Dr. Shridharani at LUXURGERY. Whenever multiple procedures are attempted, although the risks remain quite low, there is an increase in possible complications such as infections or wound healing.

These complications are related to the increase in OR time (and therefore an increase in time under anesthesia), and also gives your body more to heal after the surgery is done. In the case of a tummy tuck and arm lift, combining these procedures will make mobility harder after surgery because of the soreness in the core and also the arms. For most people, with understanding and preparing for these risks, the surgery can be completed quite safely, but again shows the importance of consulting with a thoughtful, well trained and board-certified surgeon—Dr. Shridharani. At LUXURGERY we care for the entire patient and present a multi-focal and scientifically proven based approach to prepare a patient to undergo surgery and have the best outcome possible.

Is It Safe For A Person Have A Breast Lift, Tubeless Tuck, Liposuction And Fat Transfer All At Once?

In plastic surgery we use a classification system to grade the level of breast ptosis or droopiness. In Grade I, the areola is at the level of in the infra-mammary crease and above the contour of the gland. Grade II is when the areola is below the infra-mammary crease and above the contour of the gland. Grade III is when areola below the infra-mammary crease and below the contour of the gland. Pseudoptosis is when the areola is above the infra-mammary crease but there is loose skin due to hypoplasia.

How Do Most People Feel About Abdominoplasty Drains?

One of the most difficult aspects of a classic tummy tuck can be the presence of closed suction drains that are attached to both hip points that remain in the body for 1-2 weeks. These drains help prevent fluid from accumulating and need to be emptied two to four times per day.

When patients are sent home postoperatively with drains in place, patient discomfort is usually higher as there are small plastic tubes that exit the skin. Often patients need to take pain medication to help with the discomfort of drains hanging, often resulting in a rubbing or pulling along the scar line. There is an added need for assistance in having to care for the drains and the patient must keeping track of the volume of liquid in drains.

The drains can also leak body fluid and blood onto garments and furniture. There is an additional risk of scarring from the drains since they are placed through gaps in the incision site. In addition, many patients are placed on antibiotics so that potential infections don’t develop around these plastic drains. In our era of MRSA and other “superbug” infections, keeping you off additional antibiotics helps us decrease your chance of developing antibiotic-resistant infections as well to decrease the side-effects of these medications.

Why Are Drains Used At All With Tummy Tucks?

Drains are used to help decrease the build-up of fluid under the skin that sometimes appears after certain procedures are performed. Tummy tucks, breast lifts and breast reductions as well as facelifts and neck lifts are more prone to the accumulation of the serous fluid, which can cause problems after surgery (seroma). Seromas are associated with infections that often require subsequent corrective procedures and antibiotics for treatment. By championing the TubelessTuckSM surgical technique, Dr. Shridharani is able decrease the risk of the fluid accumulation without using drains.

Do Abdominoplasty Scars Go Away?

A well-planned and performed tummy tuck leads to a sculpted abdomen with an inconspicuous scar placed in the bikini line. No scar ever “goes away,” but the majority of scars fade significantly over time. It takes up to one full year for scars to mature and fade, but they may take beyond a year to fully settle in the final appearance. In our practice, we constantly assess the patient’s progress and use microneedling and lasers when appropriate to help the maturing scar continue to fade. Many factors play into scarring like surgical technique/trauma, tension on the wound and patient skin color (to name a few).

Can Tummy Tuck Scars Be Fixed?

Typically, scar revisions can be performed on unsightly scars that have healed in a way that you may not like. Without seeing photos, it is challenging to advise you. At the most basic explanation, however, a scar revision is removing a scar that has not healed well or is not well-concealed and repairing the resulting wound in a way that the scar heals finer or is hidden. Several factors play into how a scar will appear. The best thing is for you to see a plastic surgeon who has experience with abdominal surgery and see how he/she can help!

Schedule A Consultation

Ready to learn more about TubelessTuckSM and find out if you are a good candidate? Call (212) 508-0000 to schedule a consultation with board certified NYC Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Shridharani. You can also fill out the form in our contact page, and our staff will help you set up your appointment.

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