Do you miss having a flat, toned tummy? This is a common cosmetic concern, which is why tummy tuck is such a popular form of plastic surgery. Dr. Marco Ellis is a board-certified plastic surgeon with a portfolio that demonstrates his strong tummy tuck technique. In this blog, he shares some important facts that his patients should know about abdominoplasty.
Your Main Cosmetic Concern Should Be Loose Skin
Many people are under the false impression that abdominoplasty’s focus is on removing fat, but the main objective is to remove loose skin from around the stomach. The best candidates for tummy tuck have a “muffin top” that has formed due to weight loss or skin that stretched during pregnancy. Unfortunately, no amount of diet and exercise can get rid of excess skin, so surgery is your best option.
While tummy tuck can remove a small amount of fat along with skin, if the primary problem you have is stubborn fat, you may be a better candidate for liposuction. Dr. Ellis often combines tummy tuck and liposuction to achieve the best contours for his patients.
Expect at Least Two Weeks of Recovery
Tummy tuck may be an elective procedure, but it is still a significant surgery. Following your surgery, you will need to take a couple weeks off from work to focus on rest and relaxation before reintroducing physical activity into your routine. Strenuous exercise should be postponed for a couple months, although walking is a good way to get your blood circulating. As long as you are willing to take a break from your normal responsibilities while you recover, you will probably agree with other patients that the downtime is worth the transformative results. Still, it is worth being aware of.
Scarring Is Unavoidable
To remove excess skin, Dr. Ellis must make a long incision just above the pubic region. While Dr. Ellis uses a delicate technique for easy healing and scarring that fades significantly over time, some scarring will be permanent. Because of the placement of the incision, your scar should be low enough that you can hide it under most types of underwear and swimsuits. Therefore, most patients find the scar a worthwhile tradeoff for having a flat stomach.
Your Results Are Indefinite
Although some forms of plastic surgery are eventually undone by the aging process, many tummy tuck patients can enjoy their flatter stomachs for the rest of their lives. The trick for long-lasting results is to keep a steady weight after your surgery. Gaining a significant amount of weight can change your contours by re-stretching your skin and causing more sagging.
Schedule a Consultation
Now that you have an enhanced understanding of what abdominoplasty is and what patients can expect from the procedure, you should have a better idea of whether tummy tuck is right for you. If you would like to learn more about tummy tuck and discuss specifics with a top-rated plastic surgeon in Chicago, please call (312) 695-6022.