A loose abdomen can stem from many causes, including age, pregnancy, and lifestyle. Frequently, those who find themselves in this position hope to improve their physique through diet and exercise. While these can both contribute to a leaner, healthier you, they cannot accomplish what a tummy tuck can. If you’d like to know more about how this procedure can change your life, call Soler Cosmetic Plastic Surgery in Tampa, FL.
What Is a Tummy Tuck?
Also known as abdominoplasty, it’s a surgical procedure intended to tighten and reshape your abdomen in accordance with your aesthetic goals. The procedure will result in a firmer, leaner abdomen, significantly improving your figure and your self-confidence.
The surgery includes the removal of sagging skin and a tightening of the abdominal wall muscles. After the procedure is complete, you’ll notice your midsection will be a great deal flatter and more toned – a far more drastic change than you’ll ever get through diet and exercise alone. It’s popular among both women and men looking to achieve a firmer, flatter, more youthful-looking abdomen.
How Long Does a Tummy Tuck Take?
The amount of time it takes to perform your surgery depends on the type of surgery you’re interested in. For the most part, surgeons perform one of three procedures: a mini tummy tuck, a full abdominoplasty, or extended abdominoplasty.
Mini Tuck
This is the fastest and least-invasive option available to you. It focuses primarily on the lower abdomen, addressing a small belly, light to moderate skin sagging, and stretch marks below the navel.
The procedure is performed by creating a single incision just above your pubic mound. Through this incision, your provider will tighten your loose abdominal muscles and remove some excess skin, bringing your midsection more in line with what you’re looking to achieve cosmetically.
Traditional Abdominoplasty
This option goes further than its mini counterpart in that it seeks to address issues in both your lower and upper abdomen, providing a far more comprehensive change. A belly with significant excess skin folds both above and below the navel can be addressed with a full abdominoplasty.
In this procedure, a U-shaped incision is created above your pubic mound, just like in the mini tuck. Through this U-shaped incision, a greater amount of loose skin can be removed, and in some situations, a second incision is created around your belly button to further address skin issues above your navel.
Extended Abdominoplasty
In this comprehensive procedure, issues with your upper and lower abdomen, as well as your flanks (love handles) are addressed. An Extended abdominoplasty procedure is often selected by men or women who have lost a lot of weight and are now have significant amounts of loose skin in and around the abdomen and hips. Women who have gone through more than one pregnancy often find that only an extended abdominoplasty will allow them to achieve their cosmetic goals.
Much like the other two options, this procedure begins with an incision, though it will be a little larger, so your provider can address loose skin around your hips as well as your abdomen. The results the surgery can produce include a thinner, tighter midsection, a reduction or elimination of stretch marks, and a healthier, more pleasing physique. The time it takes to perform the procedure is different with each procedure, with the mini tuck being the quickest and the extended abdominoplasty taking the longest.
Why Choose Abdominoplasty?
This is an elective procedure, meaning that it isn’t usually required to improve a person’s physical health. Instead, it is designed to improve the patient’s physical appearance. Men and women who desire a tighter, firmer midsection, the removal of loose skin and stretch marks choose the procedure for purely cosmetic reasons. However, there are a few health benefits that can be achieved as well.
It Can Improve Your Posture
A weak abdominal wall (the ab muscles in your abdomen) frequently results in an abdomen distension to some extent. No matter how hard you exercise or how much you try to strengthen your abs in the gym, you’re probably not going to be able to satisfactorily tighten your abdominal wall muscles. A weak abdominal wall can also lead to other health issues.
One of the issues you may experience is lower back pain. If you suffer from lower back pain due to muscle imbalances, you’ll be hard-pressed to relieve it with exercise alone. Lower back pain can stem from many sources, with a weak abdominal wall being one of the more common causes. Once this weakness is addressed, your body will be able to hold itself up straighter and stronger, often leading to a reduction or elimination of lower back pain.
Ventral Hernias Can Be Addressed
A hernia is a condition where a portion of your intestine pokes through your abdominal wall. They can result from injury, fast weight loss, C-sections, and appendectomies. The result is a painful sack of intestinal tissue on your abdominal wall.
It isn’t necessary to undergo abdominoplasty to repair a ventral hernia as it has its own procedure. However, ventral hernias can also be addressed by cosmetic surgery since your provider will be working with your abdominal muscles. Sometimes patients who are unsatisfied with their midsection opt for abdominoplasty instead of a procedure that only addresses their hernia.
Your Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem Will Greatly Improve
It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman – being unsatisfied with your physique and feeling like there’s little you can do to change it can cause anyone’s self-esteem and self-confidence to plummet. Being bombarded by advertisements and movies, TV shows, and posters of attractive people with perfect bodies can make the hit to your self-esteem even worse.
It’s important to understand that many of these celebrities have undergone cosmetic surgery (more than once in many cases) to achieve the body they currently have. If you want the tight, toned, stretch mark-free midsection so many celebrities possess, you can have them via the same procedures.
Tummy Tuck FAQs
Can Abdominoplasty Help You Lose Weight?
The excess skin and fat removed during the procedure will result in weight loss. However, cosmetic surgery is not a vehicle for significant weight loss. Generally, people who make the best candidates for surgery are those who have either met their weight loss goal or are within about 20lbs of doing so.
Of course, if you’re dead-set on undergoing abdominoplasty as soon as possible, regardless of your current body weight, you may be able to do so. You should know, though, that carrying around a significant amount of excess fat will negatively affect the results you’ll experience. Additionally, if you happen to lose a lot of weight, you may find that you end up right back where you started, with loose skin, excess fat, and a distended abdomen.
Can Other Procedures Be Paired with a Tummy Tuck?
Many patients come to us with a desire to reshape, revitalize, and rejuvenate other parts of their bodies in addition to their abdomen. A breast reduction, breast lift, and/or breast augmentation is often combined with an abdominoplasty procedure to create more dramatic results throughout your torso.
Liposuction is also commonly combined with other cosmetic surgeries to enhance the results. Some common areas for liposuction include the upper arms, thighs, neck, buttocks, and abdomen. Liposuction is also used in some breast augmentation surgeries by removing fat in one location, sterilizing it, and redistributing it into the breasts to create a fuller, rounder bust.
Can Men Undergo Abdominoplasty?
Men can absolutely choose to undergo an abdominoplasty procedure to address the same issues women experience. The procedure includes the removal of excess skin and fat – just as with female patients – though your midsection will be sculpted to better adhere to the V-shaped torso, which results in a fitter, more masculine physique.
Am I a Good Candidate for Surgery?
The best candidates for abdominoplasty surgery are those who are in good general health, non-smokers (or are willing to quit for several weeks), and have realistic expectations about what the procedure can and cannot do. For example, a tummy tuck can result in a flatter, sculpted abdomen but won’t address the upper portion of your torso. To do so, you will need to pair it with another procedure.
When Can I See the Results?
You may notice some of the results shortly after your procedure, though you’ll probably be wearing some compression garments for a few weeks afterward to keep the area secure and in the shape you need to meet your goals. As time goes on and your body heals, your results will become much more apparent
How Can I Maximize and Extend My Results?
The permanence of your surgery will depend on lifestyle factors, genetics, and the aging process. The collagen in your skin serves as a “scaffold” that keeps your skin in place, and when stretched, causes it to bounce back. As you age, the collagen your skin creates is of lower and lower quality, leading to the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and loose, saggy skin.
While you cannot fight genetics, there are a few steps you can take to maximize your results and keep your midsection looking fit and sexy for years to come. Your best options include living a healthy lifestyle by including regular exercise and a healthy diet. Not only will doing so extend the results of your procedure, but you’ll wind up healthier overall.
What Is the Best Age for Abdominoplasty?
There really isn’t an age limit. Many patients choose to undergo the procedure in their mid to late 30s, after having one or more children. That being said, many younger patients in their mid to late 20s will choose the procedure to get rid of excess skin and fat after losing a large amount of weight and/or going through pregnancy.
As long as you’re healthy enough to undergo the procedure, your age will not really factor into it.
When Can I Go Back to Work?
The period of time it will take before you can go back to work will depend on the type of procedure you and your provider decided on, as well as how strenuous your job is. Some patients are able to return to work after a week, while for others it may take two weeks. Nobody heals at exactly the same rate, and if you’re someone who heals faster, you’ll be able to return to work sooner.
Achieve the Contours You Crave With a Tummy Tuck
Abdominoplasty is a surgical procedure intended to address loose skin, stretch marks, and a distended abdomen. It does so by removing excess skin and fat while tightening up your abdominal wall, resulting in a smoother, fitter, sexier you.
If you’re dissatisfied with the state of your belly and think that a tummy tuck may be right for you, call and schedule a consultation at Soler Cosmetic Plastic Surgery in Tampa, FL at 813-703-6216.