In abdominal stretching operations, excessive fat is removed from the abdomen and waist, excess skin under the umbilicus is removed and the relaxed abdominal muscles are repaired. Depending on the condition of the patient's abdomen, full tummy tuck, mini tummy tuck and endoscopic tummy tuck can be performed. A full tummy tuck is often applied to people who have given birth or have lost too much weight. If there is excess skin above the belly button that can be held by hand, it means he/she is a suitable candidate for full tummy tuck. If the excess of skin and fat is rolled up only under the belly, a mini tummy is applied. In the full abdominal stretching, liposuction is applied to the entire abdomen and waist. Fat is also injected into the hips if necessary. Then, a long incision is done on the underside of the abdomen so that it stays in pants. The abdominal skin is removed from the abdominal wall to the ribs. Belly hole is separated from the skin. The abdominal muscles are squeezed and the abdominal wall is tightened. Subsequently, all the skin under the navel is removed. The upper skin is pulled down and a new opening is opened for the belly button. After tummy tuck, the top and bottom of the belly button are stretched, the waist is thinner, the abdominal wall is stretched and the belly button has a vertical and young appearance. In cases where the excess surplus is just below the umbilicus, there is no or very little accumulation on the umbilicus, a mini tummy tuck operation is applied. Before the surgery, a common liposuction is performed.

A shorter incision is made on the underside of the abdomen so that it will stay under the pants(clothes). The skin under the umbilicus is removed and the excess is removed. If there is some excess on the top of the belly, the belly button is slid down 1 or 2 cm. If necessary, abdominal wall muscles can be repaired. Excess weight is a risk for all operations. After the operation, the patients stand up harder, the wounds heal late and the lung problems are seen more common. Therefore, it is recommended obese patients to reduce their preoperative weight. However, if the patients cannot move sufficiently due to the weight of their belly and cannot lose weight, the abdomen can be planned to reduce the burden. Abdominal stretching operations are performed in the operating room and under general anesthesia.  The duration of the operation is determined by the processes to be done. If the liposuction is not applied to a very large area, the full tummy tuck operation lasts from two to three hours, and the mini tummy tuck takes between one and two hours. Abdominal stretching operations are not very painful procedures as they are thought. During the operation, we perform all the cuts as well as local anesthesia that affect the abdominal wall for approximately 10 hours. Thus, patients do not feel pain in the early postoperative period. Although some pain occurs the next day, the main complaint of patients is due to the tension caused by the tummy rather than the pain and the inability to stand upright. Mini tummy tuck is much less painful. During surgery, patients are put on embolism preventive socks, urinary catheters are inserted and drainage tube is placed. After surgery, the abdomen corset is worn. The patient is fed three to four hours after surgery and can stand up.

For the first days, they must walk by leaning forward to avoid burden on the stitches. They can stand upright after four or five days. These times are even shorter for endoscopic and mini-tummy patients. The next morning, the catheter is removed and the patient is discharged. If necessary, drainage tubes are left in place for a few more days. They can lie sideward the night after the operation. Patients can bath 24 hours after the drainage tubes are removed. All sutures are left under the skin so there is no need to remove the stitches. Patients can return to their daily life one week after the operation. After three weeks, patients can do sports except the sports including abdominal movements. All sports activities are free after six weeks. The most feared complication during surgery is pulmonary embolism. This risk is higher in elderly, obese and diabetic patients and in many smokers. It is recommended that patients with overweight should lose weight before surgery. Another problem is the loss of skin and deal in wound healing. Pre-operative planning mistakes, excessive skin removal, poor control of bleeding, and smoking increase such problems. A few weeks after the surgery, there may be problems such as the accumulation of serum under the skin. In such a case, it may be necessary to empty the serum with the help of the injectors. There may be problems such as scars/marks due to the excessive stretching of the tummy or some skin types. If this condition is related to tension, a revision procedure can be performed under local anesthesia in order to make the scar thinner after one year. Abdominal stretching can provide a fundamental solution to the problems in the abdomen and its consequences are permanent. In the case of excessive weight gain and pregnancy after the operation, the results may suffer some loss, but never return to the previous state.