I'm not sure if I need liposuction or a tummy tuck?

Many patients come in knowing they want to improve their abdominal contour but they aren't sure what procedure is going to fix their specific concerns. This weeks blog will go over some of the differences of each procedure and what they are meant for. This post is not intended to provide medical advice nor procedure  recommendations as each patients needs are different.

Liposuction is a surgical procedure done to reduce fat in a body area that has been resistant to diet and exercise. It is meant to improve the contour of a body area that has good skin tone (meaning no loose skin). Liposuction can be done to one small area to remove a pocket of stubborn fat or done over a whole body area to improve the general contour.

Tummy tucks are the surgical removal of loose abdominal skin, repair of any weakness in the abdominal muscle wall and pulling the remaining abdominal skin down to close. This leaves the patient with a tighter flatter tummy. These procedures are ideal for any women who have had children, post weight loss patients or anyone looking to get rid of loose abdominal skin from aging.

A consultation is the best way to find out if you are a good candidate for either or both of these procedures. Patients looking for any body contouring procedures should talk to their primary care physician to make sure they are in good health for an elective surgical procedure first and always make sure you do your research and choose an experienced board certified plastic surgeon.