How do I know if it’s right for Me?
A Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) is a procedure that removes excess fat and skin, and in most cases restores weakened or separated muscles, creating an abdominal profile that is smoother and firmer. The most common causes of this are pregnancy, aging, fluctuations in weight, heredity and prior abdominal surgery.
A flat, and toned abdomen is something that many people strive for through diet and exercise, but sometimes even with these methods people can’t achieve their goals. Even individuals who are height and weight proportionate can develop an abdomen that is loose, sagging or protruding.
Whether it’s pregnancy, weight loss, medical conditions or genetics, there are many reasons why your abdomen has become stretched and loose, but regardless of the reasons why there is one thing you need to know.
There is nothing you can do at home or the gym that will tighten the stretched or loose skin on the abdomen!
Once the skin is stretched, it has lost its elasticity similar to a rubber band that has been stretched out and it will remain that way. A Tummy Tuck can eliminate the stretched, loose and extra skin to create a flatter, tighter abdomen, give definition, and remove some stretchmarks.
Typically, any stretchmarks above the belly button remain, and are moved down and the ones below the belly button are removed with the skin.
The trade off for a tighter, flatter abdomen is a scar that is low in the bikini area and averages hip to hip on most people. If you heal normally you can expect the scar to fade to a thin while line 12-18 months after surgery.
Are you a woman who is still planning to have children? Then you may want to postpone a tummy tuck until you are done. Future pregnancies undo the results of the procedure and can separate the muscles that are typically tightened.
Are you still planning to lose a lot of weight? Then you don’t want to consider a tummy tuck until you are at a stable weight. An important fact to remember is that a that a tummy tuck will leave you with a permanent scar. If this is something you don’t want, you may want to reconsider.
As with any elective surgery it is important to be in good general health, with realistic expectations (cosmetic surgery can’t make you perfect or fix everything), have a good support system and be financially prepared.