Full Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)

Full abdominoplasty reshapes the abdominal wall by removing excess skin from the lower abdomen, tightening the underlying muscle layer, and repositioning the navel — creating a flat, toned abdominal profile that diet and exercise cannot achieve when significant skin excess or muscle separation is present. Art Ethic's surgeon — Head of Plastic Surgery at Faculty Hospital Bulovka — performs the procedure under general anaesthesia with an option to address muscle diastasis or hernia concurrently. Hospital stay is one to two nights. It is most sought after by post-pregnancy patients and those who have lost significant weight.

Full abdominoplasty is the definitive surgical solution for abdominal contour problems that cannot be resolved conservatively. The three main indications are: significant skin excess and stretch marks in the lower abdomen (typically from pregnancy or weight loss), separated rectus abdominis muscles (diastasis recti, which creates a central bulge or loss of definition), and a lower abdominal pannus (apron of skin that causes hygiene issues and skin irritation beneath). At Art Ethic Beauty Clinic, the procedure is led by doc. MUDr. Martin Molitor, Ph.D., MBA under general anaesthesia in one to three hours, with a one- to two-night hospital stay. The operation begins with a low horizontal incision from hip to hip, placed deliberately low so it falls beneath the bikini line. The abdominal skin flap is then elevated upward to the rib cage, fully exposing the underlying muscle layer. Where diastasis recti is present, the two halves of the rectus muscle are sutured back together in the midline — this component of the surgery also reduces waist circumference and addresses the central protrusion caused by muscle separation. If a hernia is present, it can be repaired concurrently, avoiding a separate surgical episode. The excess lower-pole skin is then excised, the remaining skin flap is pulled downward and sutured under tension, and the navel is repositioned through a new opening in the skin. The result is a smooth, flat lower abdominal contour with scars confined to the low hip-to-hip line and a small circle around the repositioned navel. Recovery involves two to three weeks at home with restricted trunk movement; a return to sedentary work is typically possible at three weeks; light activity resumes at six to eight weeks; full unrestricted activity (including core-heavy exercise) from two to three months, or longer if significant muscle repair was performed. Abdominal binders or compression garments are worn during the recovery period. Full abdominoplasty may relieve chronic lower back pain in patients with significant muscle separation, as restoring midline muscle tension re-establishes core support. This functional benefit is worth discussing at consultation, and may influence insurance documentation.