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Before & After Gallery

Tummy Tuck

Top New York plastic surgeon Dr. Barry Weintraub is board-certified and Ivy League educated at the Weill-Cornell Medical Center. He is a national spokesperson for the American Board of Plastic Surgery. With more than two decades of experience, Dr. Weintraub is in his surgical prime with the quiet calm of success – mature in his aesthetic judgment, and possessing a keen eye toward natural beauty.

Home/Body Contouring/Tummy Tuck

What is a Tummy Tuck?

Pregnancy can wreak havoc on a woman’s body. With each month, the abdominal skin and its support structure are challenged, sometimes to their limits, producing permanent stretch marks, and leaving women with sagging skin after the baby is born. Many women complain that after childbirth, the abdomen and breasts they now must live with have permanently changed for the worse. Similarly, significant fluctuations in weight and heredity can produce a sagging and protruding stomach. A Tummy Tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure that can produce a flat and toned stomach, correcting sagging skin and subcutaneous fat that no measure of diet or exercise can resolve.

A Tummy Tuck is one of Dr. Weintraub’s favorite procedures because – unlike on the face – a tummy can never be pulled too tight! The procedure itself involves a very low incision in the pubic region, low enough to be hidden under a bathing suit or underwear. His technique can produce an internal corset that is strong and long-lasting, and will return the abdomen to its desired tightness. The waist will be reduced by approximately two to three inches or more, since suction-assisted liposuction of the flanks is often performed simultaneously with a Tummy Tuck.*

Considering a Tummy Tuck

There is no specific chronological age that determines when you should have a rejuvenative procedure; however, with a Tummy Tuck, your childbearing years should be behind you before you undergo the surgery. If you meet this requirement and are bothered by excess skin and/or fat, it is time to pick up the phone and call for a consultation. Likewise, there is only one person to have plastic surgery for: you and you alone. It should never be undertaken due to pressure from others.

Goals of a Tummy Tuck

No matter how vigorously some people diet and exercise, there are certain areas that they can not effectively reshape. The goal of abdominoplasty is to recreate the aesthetically pleasing and toned tummy of one’s youth. Properly performed abominoplasty is one of the most satisfying operations in plastic surgery because immediately, you will look better dressed or undressed. The procedure is often performed along with other cosmetic surgeries during the comprehensive mommy makeover, helping women restore their pre-baby body. After your tummy tuck, you can wear the bikini that’s been hiding in your closet all these years!

Patient Results

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Your Consultation

You’ve certainly looked in the mirror many times. However, when you look in the mirror and begin to see things that upset you, that’s when you should schedule a consultation. A consultation will help give you a better understanding of your own issues.

When choosing a surgeon, you should:

  • Check for board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (there are many other boards, some legitimate, some not, but there is only one American Board of Plastic Surgery, established in 1931).
  • Ensure that the physician attends a major hospital in your community, and is in good standing with that hospital.
  • Confirm that he or she has a fine reputation amongst other medical professionals in your community.
  • Speak to the surgeon’s patients who have undergone similar procedures.

Remember, this is your surgery, and you are interviewing the doctor as much as he’s interviewing you. Do not hesitate to bring a list of questions with you on your consultation. And remember: a good surgeon is someone who not only has the skill to perform the surgery, but is someone who understands what your specific needs and desires are. A good surgeon should listen, listen, and listen!

Have no fear during your consultation. This is a time to speak, to be heard, to learn, and to develop a trusting relationship. Questions can be answered, and fears allayed. And while Dr. Weintraub is at the cutting edge of his field in terms of technique and medical developments, you will find his office environment to be comforting, personable, and inviting. He and his staff truly care about each and every patient, and take great pride in making themselves available to help with every step of the process.

How a Tummy Tuck is Performed

Safety comes first. Plastic surgery is surgery, and should therefore be taken seriously.

Dr. Weintraub prefers his patients to be in a comfortable state of twilight sleep, where the patient is unarousable and is awakened only after the procedure is over. Due to advancements in anesthesia and new medications possessing a shorter half-life, no longer do patients have to contend with nausea, vomiting or grogginess; rather, the emergence from anesthesia is crisp and clear.

Dr. Weintraub insists on the most sterile conditions in the operating room, with board-certified anesthesiologists and state-of-the-art monitoring equipment commensurate with the highest hospital standards. The only person performing the surgery is Dr. Weintraub himself. Every intraoperative maneuver is executed with precision and care, and all wounds are sewn in multiple layers by his own hand.

Cosmetic plastic surgery should never be rushed, and Dr. Weintraub always strives for the best, as he understands that patients will live with the result for the rest of their lives. His aesthetic is sophisticated and reflective of understated elegance. In his own words, “Cosmetic surgery is nothing less than artwork on the human form.”

Where is the Tummy Tuck Performed

Though once limited to a hospital setting, the more modern approach to cosmetic plastic surgery is to perform such procedures in a safe, secure and completely private operating room. Although Dr. Weintraub has privileges at Lenox Hill Hospital, Manhattan Eye Ear and Throat Hospital, and The Center for Specialty Care (outpatient limb of Weill-Cornell Hospital), he prefers the privacy of his hospital-grade, state-of-the-art surgical center attached to his office at 800A Fifth Avenue. This facility is attended by Dr. Weintraub’s team of board-certified anesthesiologists, certified registered nurses, and fully licensed operating-room staff. With its private entrance, its standards are of the highest quality, and offer Dr. Weintraub’s patients the utmost in medical and plastic-surgical care.

The Best Candidates for a Tummy Tuck

The best candidates for aesthetic plastic surgery are well balanced, in good general health, and possess realistic expectations. You are an excellent candidate if you’ve done your homework, have had your consultation, and the following three things are present:

  • You are highly motivated to make the change.
  • You have the ability to pause your daily responsibilities (work, family, school etc.) in order to undergo the procedure.
  • You have the financial wherewithal to make an elective cosmetic surgery come to fruition.

Preparing for a Tummy Tuck

Once you have decided to make this exciting new change, you will need to provide medical clearance from your family physician. You will be given instructions as to how to prepare for the specific surgery you have chosen, and will be given prescriptions to be filled in advance. Garments will be ordered for you by Dr. Weintraub’s office. For those patients who live beyond a 50-mile radius of New York City, Dr. Weintraub advises a two-night post-operative stay at The Mark or The Carlyle Hotel, where his patients are given a special reduced rate, and where he will visit you after your procedure. A private nurse can also be provided.

The Cost

Each patient is individual in his/her own makeup and anatomical configuration. Therefore, in order to give an accurate quote, it is best to schedule a consultation that will allow Dr. Weintraub to appropriately judge what is involved. For those patients who live overseas or outside the New York metropolitan area, photographs can be emailed or sent to the office, and a phone consultation can then take place.

After Surgery

There will always be a short period of minimal swelling and sometimes bruising. You must carefully follow all instructions provided by Dr. Weintraub in order to achieve the best results possible. Mild pain medication, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, and medication to reduce swelling are all begun immediately following surgery.

When you return home from your surgery, you will be wearing a specially ordered contoured garment. Of paramount importance is the fitting and application of appropriately sized compressive garments. Dr. Weintraub’s office will already have assessed the appropriate size for you, and has the custom garments handmade. The wearing of these garments is extremely important to ensure that there is even and smooth compression.

While recovering, it is extremely important to remain in the jackknife position, at approximately 90 degrees at the hips, which can easily be accomplished by placing two pillows under the back and two pillows under the knees. This allows the new, smooth abdominal skin to adhere healthily to its new position. Rest is important. Early ambulation against postoperative orders can almost ensure shearing between the back of the skin and the abdominal muscles, thereby producing unwanted seromas, or pools of lymphatic fluid that must later be drained. If you have small children, it is important that appropriate care is available for them. You can shower at approximately three days postoperative, which will keep the incisions thin and minimal. Dr. Weintraub will advise you as to when you can return to your normal lifestyle and exercise routine.

What Sets Dr. Weintraub Apart

Dr. Weintraub has always been blessed with a strong aesthetic sense. He possesses a unique blend of medical science and artwork, as it truly is artwork that he performs on the human form. His attention to detail ensures that he gets the best results possible, and he is meticulous about everything he does, from pre-op to post-op care and beyond.*

He studied medicine at Cornell during a time when core values were emphasized, and it is on these values that he bases his practice. He believes that physicians should be humble and respectful, and should never lose sight that the person they are operating on is exactly that: a person possessing real-life issues and concerns. The chairmen of the department of general surgery at Cornell at the time, Dr. Tom Shires, along with another luminary, Dr. Leon Morgenstern of Cedars-Sinai, taught Dr. Weintraub that “The operating room is a sacred place. It’s a very serious place. Never be cavalier about surgery.”

During his surgical residency training, Dr. Weintraub regularly visited Mexico to donate his time operating on deformed children and adults who couldn’t afford proper healthcare. In less-than-optimal conditions, he learned how to perform surgery with the basics, and received great satisfaction in making profound differences in people’s lives by restoring their faces and bodies. Similarly, when he was Chief Resident at the New York Hospital – Cornell Medical Center, and later when he was Chief Resident at the Reconstructive Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, he found that his compassion for patients, along with his skill and precision as a surgeon, could change lives and bring people joy they never thought possible

Dr. Weintraub believes that surgery is never a race. The patient is always number one. He keeps in his wallet a piece of paper that is his motto in the operating room: “Always demand what is right, and never accept second best.” He likes to consider himself a “thinking surgeon,” and does not enter the operating room with a mechanical series of steps to execute robotically, but likes to remain alert and ready for whatever intraoperative challenges might spontaneously arise. Although many notable surgeons openly listen to music while performing surgery, Dr. Weintraub does not, preferring the mood of the operating room to remain serious and focused.

Over 60% of Dr. Weintraub’s practice is comprised of complex redos of surgeries performed by other offices. Such procedures always involve difficult issues, since there exist not only the limitations of a patient’s own anatomy, but also the limitations of another surgeon’s aesthetic, and the scar tissue that has developed as a result. Patients seek Dr. Weintraub from all over the world to correct their aesthetic problems. He takes great pride in getting the best results, and always enjoys the challenges of such procedures.

Last, Dr. Weintraub will not hesitate to turn patients away if he feels they are not good candidates for surgery. If a surgery is not in someone’s best interest, he will be the first to say so. However, when a patient is a good candidate, the results produced by Dr. Weintraub can be magical, and he feels that it is an honor to give patients a gift they can enjoy for the rest of their lives.

How To Get Started

Dr. Weintraub and his staff will be happy to discuss a Tummy Tuck with you. Please call our office for a private consultation. We hope you look forward to our warm welcome and the opportunity for us to help you make an educated and confident decision.

Contact our office today to set up your consultation for a tummy tuck.