Panniculectomy (apron removal)

I was unsure about what the difference between a panniculectomy and a tummy tuck was so I looked it up. Here is what I have found:

In a penniculectomy only the skin and fat tissue is removed. It is considered a true health issue and is therefore covered by insurance or here medicare if it is causing problems.  It is not considered cosmetic surgery since they only remove the hanging tissue and sew the skin back together. They will not touch the area around or near the umbilicus (belly button) so everything is done below the navel. They will not touch the 4 sets of abdominal muscles either. It is strictly skin and fat removal.

In a tummy tuck it is much more involved and complicatede. You also get much better flattened results with a true tummy tuck. There they remove the skin and fat but the difference is they will also cut the 4 sets of muscle tissue and tighten it up. They will also remove all of excess skin and sometimes even make a new belly button hole. The tummy tuck is much more painful and recovery time is longer due to them cutting muscle tissue. 

The down side to having a panni and not a tummy tuck I guess is you will still have the old sagging stomach. Just the apron is removed. In my case though that will help considerably. I was enlightened to know about this because I was thinking "a tummy tuck" too but I guess not. Oh well, I guess I will get one of these when I win that bloody lottery. LOL 

Right now my pants have to be size xlarge just to accomade the apron hanging in front of me. They bag off of my legs and my bum is nonexistant in my pants and still they are tight around my belly. LOL