What Makes a Tummy Tuck So Effective?

Do you feel unsatisfied with the appearance of your abdominal area? You aren’t alone–most people cite their belly as a major source of insecurity because of common cosmetic concerns such as excess skin or separated abdominal muscles. Even if you’ve worked hard to lose weight and achieve your ideal figure, your abdominal area can hold you back. A tummy tuck procedure could be the solution you’ve been waiting for; this surgery is proudly offered by Mark P. Solomon, MD, in Beverly Hills, CA and can instantly transform your body.

What Is a Tummy Tuck?

A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a surgical cosmetic procedure designed to smooth and tighten your abdomen, resulting in a smoother, slimmer silhouette. It’s most often used to remove excess skin left over from significant weight loss. There are two main options available: the mini tuck and the full tuck.

The mini tuck is a smaller-scale procedure ideal for addressing a minimal amount of loose skin with fewer incisions and a shorter recovery time, while a full tuck can remove more skin in addition to tightening the abdominal muscles and repositioning the navel to achieve a natural look.

Recovery from this surgery typically takes between 2-6 weeks, depending on the procedure performed. You’ll see your newly flattened tummy immediately after surgery, and incisions typically heal completely within 12 weeks and fade to their final appearance within a year. Once your body is fully healed, you can discuss any follow-up procedures to reduce the appearance of incision sites.

Process

As with any surgery, the success of this procedure depends on how well you prepare and how closely you follow your doctor’s instructions before and after surgery. You should plan to take time off from work and refrain from normal activities like driving, doing laundry, and picking up children for a period of time after surgery.

Everyone heals differently; as long as you are patient with your body and do everything in your power to promote complete healing, you should see excellent results.

Consultation

The first step is sitting down with your doctor to discuss the procedure, recovery time, and your ideal results. Your doctor will ask about your medical and surgical history, any preexisting conditions, and any medications you take regularly. They will also examine your abdominal area to assess the amount of excess skin to be removed and the degree of separation in your abdominal muscles. This helps your doctor recommend the best tummy tuck procedure for your unique situation.

During your consultation, your doctor will likely share that it’s common to combine this procedure with other cosmetic procedures such as breast augmentation or liposuction. If these are options you’ve considered, it’s possible that pursuing combination surgery could help you address multiple problem areas at once.

Your doctor can help you decide which treatments or procedures could be most effective when combined with a tummy tuck and what your new surgery and recovery time would look like should you choose to pursue more than one procedure.

Preparation

Once your consultation is over, you can begin preparing for your procedure. This typically happens over several months.

Meds

Your doctor will instruct you to stop taking any medications or herbal remedies which should not be combined with this procedure. Stop drinking alcohol 3-4 weeks before the procedure; you should also stop smoking to reduce your risks of blood clots and for your general health and wellness.
Avoid blood-thinning pain relievers like aspirin during the week before surgery; these medicines can slow the recovery process.

Exercise and Diet

You can increase your chances of a quick recovery time by focusing on core workouts and keeping your body healthy with exercise, a nutritious diet, and good hydration in the weeks before surgery.

Personal Arrangements

You should make arrangements for someone to accompany you to the procedure, drive you home, and stay with you for at least 24 hours; you should also take care of preparations for time off from work, childcare, and other responsibilities in the weeks before surgery. Make sure that everything you need for recovery (easily digested foods, stool softener, comfortable clothing, entertainment, etc.) is ready.

Procedure

On the day of your procedure, you should wear loose, comfortable clothing and arrive with your designated companion. Your doctor will go over any additional information before the surgery begins and draw the incision outlines on your abdomen; you should feel free to ask any final questions about the surgery during this time.

How Long Does It Take?

Once you’re ready, you will be given general anesthesia, which will cause you to remain asleep for the duration of the surgery. The length of the surgery varies depending on the procedure being performed, but most last between 1-3 hours.

What Happens?

Your doctor will make incisions across your abdomen below your navel and also around your belly button if you’re having a full tuck. They will lift your skin to access your abdominal muscles, which will be pulled back together and secured in place. Your doctor will then pull your skin down, reposition the navel to a natural location, and remove the excess skin, resulting in a smooth belly. Then the incisions are closed and your abdomen is bandaged. Once you wake up, you’ll put on a compression garment to promote healing over the course of your recovery.

Recovery

Your doctor will release you after surgery; you can return home, driven by your companion, and plan to rest for the next couple days. Your doctor can prescribe pain medication for your comfort. You can eat small amounts of food if you feel hungry and drink water regularly to remain hydrated.

What to Avoid

Avoid lifting, twisting, bending, or stretching your abdomen for the first week. You can take short, slow walks around the house or outside to promote circulation, but you should wait a few days to return to driving or normal daily activities which cause any discomfort.

Going Back to Work

Most patients are able to return to work about 2 weeks after the procedure. You can plan to resume your regular workouts about 4 weeks after surgery, although you should consult your doctor before focusing on core workouts or strenuous workouts. You should continue to wear your compression garment for at least 4 weeks to promote an ideal abdominal contour. By the 6-week mark, you should be able to do most activities and feel back to normal. Your incision sites will fully heal by 12 weeks and fade to their final appearance within the first year.

Results

Thanks to the surgical nature of the tummy tuck, results are visible at the end of the procedure. Your abdomen will be flat, giving you a slim silhouette. You’ll grow used to your new look over the course of your recovery and, by the time you’re fully healed, you’ll be ready to enjoy your new body.

Physical

With a healthy diet and regular exercise, the results of this procedure can be long-lasting and even permanent with a serious commitment. Your doctor can help you create a plan to maintain your results and promote your general health.

Emotional

Beyond physical results, the best side effect of this procedure is the confidence boost you’ll receive thanks to your new and improved appearance. Most patients report an increase in self-esteem as they try new outfits and see their slimmed-down figure. They also feel more comfortable in every situation, whether it’s a beach or a dinner party. This newfound confidence, along with a dedication to maintaining results by following a healthy lifestyle plan, can lead to an overall better quality of life as you enjoy your body.

Why Is It Effective?

When compared to other cosmetic treatments and procedures, the tummy tuck involves a good amount of preparation and has a significant recovery time. However, it’s also the most effective way to see visible, long-lasting results, which can be permanent with intentional lifestyle changes.

Outside of surgery, there is no good way to eliminate excess skin and achieve a flat abdomen. In addition, tightening the abdominal muscles can help improve the appearance of your core, assist in slimming your figure, and ensure long-lasting results. While every surgery involves necessary recovery time to allow your body to heal, the results of the tummy tuck are excellent.

Most patients report extreme satisfaction with their final results. You’re able to recover from home under the careful supervision of your doctor during check-up appointments. In addition, the procedure offered by Mark P. Solomon, MD, eliminates the need for temporary drains, which increases your mobility during recovery. All in all, the benefits of this procedure make it the best option for addressing excess abdominal skin and loose muscles for most patients.

Who Is an Ideal Candidate?

This procedure is typically recommended for adult men and women who are unsatisfied with the appearance of their abdominal region due to sagging skin. It can be the perfect ending to a weight-loss journey by removing excess skin; it can also help reconstruct the abdominal muscles separated during pregnancy or rapid weight gain in the past.

It’s the fastest, most effective approach to flattening the abdomen and offers good options for those with small or large amounts of skin with the mini tuck or the full tuck.

Who Should Wait?

Those who are regular smokers may not be ideal candidates for this procedure until after they can successfully give up smoking. In addition, those who plan to become pregnant in the future may not be ideal candidates as pregnancy can undo the results of the surgery.

Those who are planning to lose weight after surgery may also be advised to wait until they are at their ideal weight before pursuing this procedure, which should not be viewed as an alternative to weight loss. This procedure is best suited to those with realistic expectations and a dedication to overall health.

Conclusion

Experiencing insecurity about your abdominal area is completely normal. Loose skin and separated abdominal muscles can occur as a side effect of pregnancy. Excess skin can remain long after you’ve worked hard to lose large amounts of weight, leaving you with a sagging midsection that can’t be reduced through diet or exercise.

This can be discouraging as you try to find a solution and see no change, but a tummy tuck can instantly eliminate skin and tighten abdominal muscles in a single surgery and delivers results that can be confidence-boosting and permanent.

If you’re ready to say goodbye to loose skin for good, contact the professionals at Mark P. Solomon in Beverly Hills, CA today to schedule your initial consultation. We look forward to serving you and helping you achieve the smooth, slim midsection you’ve always wanted!