If you’re carrying some extra weight in your midsection, you might be considering a few plastic surgery options, such as liposuction or a tummy tuck. Both procedures can remove fat in the waist and abdominal region. However, you should know the differences between the treatments before making a decision.
Soler Cosmetic Plastic Surgery offers liposuction and tummy tucks to interested, qualified patients. We can help you determine which procedure will provide you with the desired results.
What Is Liposuction?
Liposuction is a well-known and popular body contouring treatment that removes excess fat in targeted areas. You can choose liposuction in a single spot or multiple locations. While liposuction is a surgical procedure, it’s not as invasive as a tummy tuck.
You can have liposuction performed on nearly any area that holds excess pockets of fat:
- Upper arms
- Chin and neck area
- Inner thighs
- Abdominal region
- Hips and buttocks
- Knees or ankles
- Bra area
- Chest and back
During a lipo treatment, we provide you with local anesthesia. Once you are numb, we will perform an incision near the site we intend to treat. We’ll insert a saline and epinephrine solution to swell and harden the local fat cells, making them much easier to remove.
When the solution is fully transferred into the area, we’ll insert a cannula. The cannula is an ultra-thin tube used to vacuum out excess fat. Once we remove the necessary amount of fat, we’ll close your incision and place you in our recovery room until the anesthesia wears off.
Since liposuction is an outpatient procedure, you’ll return home for the remainder of your recovery.
Who Should Consider Liposuction?
Liposuction surgery is an excellent treatment for individuals seeking to contour specific body areas. It can remove small areas of fat, such as in the upper arms or abdominal region.
However, patients must understand that liposuction is not an obesity treatment, nor will it result in significant weight loss. In fact, most people only notice a difference of a pound or two following a liposuction treatment.
Lipo offers no skin tightening or muscle repair benefits. If you’ve recently lost weight or are experiencing muscle laxity, we can recommend other procedures that can tighten your skin or muscles.
Individuals within a few pounds of their targeted weight who can’t seem to lose excess bulges through diet and exercise are prime candidates for liposuction treatment. You can expect liposuction to remove the extra inches and provide you with body contouring benefits.
What Is a Tummy Tuck?
Tummy tucks are a type of cosmetic plastic surgery that targets the abdominal region. Patients who undergo the procedure can expect a reconstruction of their abdominal area that will include tightening the underlying muscles and removing excess skin and fat.
We begin the tummy tuck by administering general anesthesia. Once you are numb, we’ll make a horizontal cut just below the bikini line. The cut allows access to the muscles and fat in your abdominal region. Once we separate the skin from the muscles, we’ll tighten them using sutures.
Tightening your abdominal muscles can correct pregnancy-related issues like diastasis recti. You’ll notice improved core strength and better posture once you’ve healed from the surgery.
After we’ve tightened your abdominal muscles, we’ll pull the abdominal skin down and remove any loose skin. We’ll also trim excess fat in the area. The surgery ends once we suture the cut.
Typically, abdominoplasty takes between two and five hours to complete. It does require some downtime. Patients can typically return to work after two weeks but may not be able to resume any strenuous activities or exercise for six weeks.
Who Should Consider a Tummy Tuck?
Tummy tucks are a fantastic choice for individuals who have recently lost a lot of weight or gone through childbirth. Following weight gain and loss from pregnancy, abdominal muscles typically loosen. When they do so, it’s impossible to correct the issue just through exercise. Instead, tummy tuck surgery is necessary.
Excess weight gain and loss also result in loose skin. While skin bounces back and tightens, sometimes there is some leftover sag, especially if the weight loss is quick or the patient is older.
Tummy tucks provide patients with a tight abdominal region they won’t be able to obtain through simple diet and exercise. Most patients express delight with their results, which can be very dramatic.
Patients will also find a tummy tuck helps their clothes fit better. Shopping for shirts and pants will be much easier since you won’t have extra skin or fat along the waistline. You’re not as likely to need your clothes to be tailored.
Many patients make long-term adjustments to their diet and exercise programs after a tummy tuck. Their results give them the incentive to maintain their new figures through healthy habits.
Can You Combine Liposuction and a Tummy Tuck?
Yes, it is possible to combine liposuction surgery and a tummy tuck. If you have excess fat in your abdominal region that a tummy tuck alone can’t combat, adding liposuction can get you the results you seek.
It’s also possible to combine a tummy tuck procedure with liposuction in other areas of the body, such as the hips, thighs, or upper arms.
Liposuction vs. Tummy Tuck: Final Verdict
Soler Cosmetic Plastic Surgery in Tampa, FL, can help you determine which procedure is correct for you. Schedule an evaluation with us today to learn more about tummy tucks, liposuction, and other surgical and non-surgical procedures. We’ll consider your goals during your appointment and recommend an appropriate treatment.