ACPS Banter: Tummy Tuck Vs. Liposuction, Which Is Right For You?
Rejuvenation of the abdomen can require different surgical techniques, depending on your skin quality, amount of fat and the amount of diastasis or abdominal wall laxity.
Women or men with adequate skin tone and elasticity and with minimal abdominal wall laxity will benefit from liposuction alone. Usually patients are within 10-20 pounds of their ideal body weight.
Patients with excess skin or with diastasis may benefit from a mini tummy tuck, full tummy tuck or extended tummy tuck. A mini-abdominoplasty is performed in patients with minimal skin above the umbilicus. The procedure involves removing the skin and tightening the muscles below the belly button with liposuction performed on the upper abdomen. The scars are relatively short with no scar around the belly button.
A full or extended tummy tuck involves removing the excess skin and fat and tightening the abdominal muscles. The length of the scar depends on the patient*s anatomy, thus the difference between a full tummy tuck or extended.
Liposuction, mini tummy tucks or full tummy tuck are all performed under general anesthesia, requiring between one and two weeks recovery time, with no heavy activity for four to six weeks. The results will be obvious after surgery, but will continue to improve over the next six months as the swelling decreases and the skin tightens. Most women and men will lose inches and decrease their clothes size by one to two sizes.
It is important with any of the above procedures to follow a healthy eating and exercising program to maintain your results.