What is a tummy tuck, anyway? Sounds a little scary.
For the jargon inclined, the term ‘abdominoplasty’ will do just fine. A tummy tuck involves removing fat and skin from the lower part of the belly in order to improve the overall shape and contour.
Smartlipo liposuction of the belly and love handles is often a great choice if you want to slim down the problem areas that resist your best efforts in the diet and exercise department. If you have a lot of loose lower skin, with stretch marks, maybe a scar or two, and a pouchy overhang, you may want to consider a tummy tuck.
While Smartlipo liposuction works great for reducing fat, it has little effect on stretch marks, scars, and excessive overhanging skin. Sometimes, there is no substitution for taking those areas out.
What’s the best way to do that? There are a number of ways to do a tummy tuck, and there is no one size fits all answer. In general, the procedure involves removing skin and fat from the lower part of the belly and pulling the upper skin down to join the lower edge. The belly button stays put, but is usually brought out through a small hole in the upper skin. Occasionally, the stomach muscles may need to be tightened a bit.
In the end, you have a flatter belly (picture a bedsheet pulled nice and tight), a sharper waist, and a horizontal incision low down on your stomach. This heals like any other incision and becomes less noticeable over time.
What’s the downtime? Most of our patients are back to work in less than a week. You do need to wear a special garment and avoid heavy lifting or stretching, but we’re always pleasantly surprised at how quickly our tummy tuck patients bounce back.
At GLOW, we love providing the shape and contour you’re looking for. Feel free to contact us to learn more about the tummy tuck procedure, and whether it’s right for you.
