Abdominoplasty in Paris 16 — tummy tuck Abdominoplasty — also called a tummy tuck — removes excess skin and fat from the abdominal wall and tightens the muscles when they have separated. It is intended for abdomens left slack after pregnancy or major weight loss, when skin laxity can no longer be corrected by exercise or by liposuction alone.

Abdominoplasty removes excess skin and fat from the abdominal wall and re-tensions the muscles that have been stretched. It is intended for situations where liposuction alone cannot give a satisfactory result.

What is an abdominoplasty?

The operation combines three procedures: removal of the excess skin and fat, repositioning of the navel, and re-tensioning of the muscle wall along the midline to restore a flat stomach.

This third procedure is often the most decisive: after a pregnancy, particularly a twin pregnancy, the rectus muscles may have separated — this is diastasis. No amount of physical exercise closes an established diastasis.

Why is liposuction not always enough?

Because beyond any excess fat there is an excess of skin — sometimes called an abdominal apron — more or less overhanging the pubis.

Because after significant weight loss, following a diet or obesity surgery, skin laxity is major and the skin no longer retracts.

Because after a pregnancy the abdominal muscle wall may have been stretched.

In these conditions, only a direct approach with a scar above the pubis makes it possible to remove the excess and repair the muscles.

What is a mini-abdominoplasty?

It is a lighter version, reserved for excess skin confined to the lower abdomen, below the navel. The undermining is less extensive, the scar shorter, and the umbilicus is not repositioned — which is what distinguishes it from a full abdominoplasty.

It suits only a small number of situations. As soon as the excess skin extends above the navel, or the rectus muscles have separated along their whole height, a mini-abdominoplasty would give an insufficient result. The choice between the two is made on clinical examination, never from a photograph.

How does the operation proceed?

The operation takes place under general or regional anaesthesia (spinal). One to three nights in hospital are generally necessary.

The skin is lifted up as far as the lower part of the sternum, preserving the navel which is left as an island; it will be repositioned at the end of the operation. The excess skin is removed and the remaining wall re-tensioned to allow closure.

Liposuction of the hips is often carried out at the same time. A drain is left in place for at least twenty-four hours and a compression garment is fitted at the end of the operation.

Where is the scar?

The scar is curved, at the level of the pubic hairline, and extends sideways according to the size of the abdominal apron. Its line is designed to remain hidden under underwear or a swimming costume.

Where a caesarean scar is already present, it is usually incorporated into the marking and removed with the excess skin: only one scar then remains, that of the abdominoplasty.

What happens to stretch marks?

Stretch marks below the navel are taken away with the spindle of skin that is excised: they disappear with it. Those above the navel remain, but are drawn downwards and stretched by the tightening, which often makes them less visible. Abdominoplasty is not a treatment for stretch marks: it removes some of them by virtue of the design of the operation itself.

What is the recovery like?

The drains are generally removed between twenty-four and seventy-two hours after the operation.

The compression garment must be worn for one month, day and night.

Sport cannot be resumed before three months where the muscles have been re-tensioned: this delay protects the muscle repair.

Progressively significant swelling appears within twenty-four to forty-eight hours and persists for several weeks.

How is follow-up organised after an abdominoplasty?

This is one of the procedures where follow-up weighs most: a drain left in place for at least twenty-four hours, a compression garment worn for several weeks, and local care delivered by nurses at the practice and the clinic. A specialist physiotherapist may attend at home for manual lymphatic drainage, which aims to limit collections and swelling. The surgeon sees you within seven days, then between day ten and day fourteen. The anaesthetist adjusts pain relief in the early days. See post-operative care.

What is a lymphocele?

Collections of lymph, called lymphoceles, may appear over several days or even several weeks and require aspiration at follow-up appointments.

This is not serious, but it can be uncomfortable and worrying. In the vast majority of cases these collections stop of their own accord.

When can you fly again?

Here the logic changes, and it must be said plainly: this is no longer a question of comfort.

Abdominoplasty is the aesthetic operation most exposed to the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Several mechanisms combine: re-tensioning the muscle wall raises venous pressure within the abdomen, the flexed position of the first few days and immobility maintain venous stasis in the legs, and general anaesthesia adds its own part.

The figures reported in the literature put deep vein thrombosis at around three to six cases per thousand, and pulmonary embolism at around four per ten thousand. They rise markedly where abdominoplasty is combined with another procedure, and more still for a circumferential body lift.

This risk is not confined to the first few days: it stays high for up to six weeks. A long-haul flight, which adds several hours of immobility, does not sit the same way at ten days as at six weeks.

There is therefore no single interval. Yours is established after examination, from your risk score, the procedure carried out and the length of the planned flight. Preventive anticoagulation for seven to ten days is prescribed in line with French recommendations, and may be extended.

If you are coming from abroad, this must be settled before booking: a considerably longer stay may be needed.

When is the result final?

The result can be judged from three months and will be final after one year.

What are the risks?

This is an operation most often carried out under general anaesthesia, with the risks inherent in that type of anaesthesia.

Among the specific risks:

• thromboembolic risks — deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism — increased by obesity, heavy smoking and a longer operating time. They are prevented by wearing compression stockings during the operation, preventive anticoagulation afterwards, and by respecting the contraindications;
• lymphatic collections, draining through the drain (lymphorrhoea) or remaining under the skin (lymphocele);
• healing problems: widening of the scar, hypertrophy, keloid, wound breakdown.

The other, rarer complications are set out in detail in the SoFCPRE information leaflet.

Is abdominoplasty reimbursed?

Where there is a significant abdominal apron overhanging the pubis, the surgeon submits a prior authorisation request to obtain reimbursement from French health insurance.

This reimbursement is not automatic. The patient is generally called in by the medical adviser of the health insurance fund, who does or does not give approval.

Frequently asked questions

Should you wait after a pregnancy?

Yes. The operation is considered at a distance from pregnancy and breastfeeding, at a stabilised weight. A subsequent pregnancy may in any case undo the muscle repair.

Does skin sensation come back?

An area of numbness above the scar is usual after the skin has been lifted. Sensation recovers gradually over several months, sometimes incompletely.

How much time off work should be planned?

Allow two to three weeks in general for office work, and longer where the job involves lifting or prolonged standing. The duration depends on the extent of the procedure and on whether the muscles have been repaired; it is specified in consultation, before the operation, so that work arrangements can be made in advance.

Should weight be stable before the operation?

Yes. The result is assessed on a weight that has been stable for several months: subsequent weight loss slackens the skin again, while weight gain puts it under tension. A high body mass index also increases the risk of complications, thromboembolic ones in particular. This is assessed at the first consultation and may lead to postponing the operation.

Last updated: August 2026 · Medical content reviewed by Dr Benjamin Pulvermacker, board-qualified plastic surgeon in Paris 16.

Pour qui cette intervention convient — et pour qui elle ne convient pas

Elle convient lorsque l'excès de peau est constitué — tablier abdominal, peau vergeturée et distendue après grossesses ou amaigrissement majeur, souvent associé à un relâchement musculaire (diastasis) que l'intervention répare dans le même temps. Elle ne convient pas comme traitement d'un surpoids : opérer avant la stabilisation pondérale compromet le résultat et majore les risques ; ni lorsqu'une grossesse est encore envisagée, qui distendrait de nouveau la paroi ; ni chez le fumeur qui ne peut pas interrompre le tabac, premier facteur de nécrose cutanée sur cette intervention.

Limites et risques spécifiques

La cicatrice, d'une hanche à l'autre, est le prix de cette chirurgie ; elle est dessinée pour rester sous les sous-vêtements. Risques propres : sérome (le plus fréquent), hématome, retard de cicatrisation, nécrose cutanée sus-pubienne favorisée par le tabac, troubles durables de la sensibilité sous-ombilicale, et surtout risque thromboembolique, prévenu par anticoagulation, bas de contention et lever précoce. C'est l'intervention de la silhouette qui demande la convalescence la plus sérieuse : deux à trois semaines d'arrêt.