Are You an Ideal Candidate For a Tummy Tuck?
There were 116,000 tummy tuck operations performed in 2009, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. That places it within the top five cosmetic procedures performed in America. Tummy tucks, or abdominoplasties, have gained and maintained popularity because the procedure allows patients of all ages and genders to lose the extra flab of skin and fat that give the false illusion of being out of shape. For many patients, that extra flab of skin hanging down over their belt line is not due to being overweight or out of shape. Most abdominoplasties are done for patients who have trouble tightening the stomach muscles back up after a pregnancy, weight loss/gain fluctuations, age or just hereditary conditions. During the procedure, the surgeon removes the extra fat and skin and tightens up the abdominal wall muscles to restore the ability of the abdominal area to look flat and firm again.
If you are considering having a tummy tuck and are wondering if you are a good candidate or not, here are a few guidelines to help you. First and most importantly, you should be in overall good health. Patients who undergo this cosmetic procedure in good health recover faster than patients who are not in optimal health. Towards this end, you should also stop smoking now if you are considering this or any other cosmetic procedure.
If you are considering getting pregnant, you should wait to have a tummy tuck until after you are done having your family. And if you are still undergoing a significant weight loss or plan to continue losing weight, you should wait to have it performed until your weight has stabilized for at least a year.
A tummy tuck can't remove stretch marks from a weight gain or pregnancy, although the surgery may remove some of the skin with marks on it. The procedure is not a substitute for a diet or exercise regime. If you are not working to maintain your weight through diet and exercise, surgery is not going to do the work for you. Patients who enter into surgery of this type with unrealistic expectations that this procedure is permanent regardless of their diet or exercise plans will be unhappy when the weight and flab return. This is one of the reasons many surgeons require a stabilized weight before they perform the procedure.
As with any surgery, there are risks that are involved. The most common risk factors include a reaction to the anesthesia, bleeding, unfavorable scarring, or infection. Other considerations to be aware of include blood clots, persistent pain or nerve damage. Your surgeon will go over your health history and all of your risk factors with you so you can fully understand the risk and benefits of surgery.
The recovery time for a tummy tuck varies by patient, but the expected downtime from your work is generally around one to two weeks and your total recovery time is about a month.
If you are considering having a tummy tuck and are wondering if you are a good candidate or not, here are a few guidelines to help you. First and most importantly, you should be in overall good health. Patients who undergo this cosmetic procedure in good health recover faster than patients who are not in optimal health. Towards this end, you should also stop smoking now if you are considering this or any other cosmetic procedure.
If you are considering getting pregnant, you should wait to have a tummy tuck until after you are done having your family. And if you are still undergoing a significant weight loss or plan to continue losing weight, you should wait to have it performed until your weight has stabilized for at least a year.
A tummy tuck can't remove stretch marks from a weight gain or pregnancy, although the surgery may remove some of the skin with marks on it. The procedure is not a substitute for a diet or exercise regime. If you are not working to maintain your weight through diet and exercise, surgery is not going to do the work for you. Patients who enter into surgery of this type with unrealistic expectations that this procedure is permanent regardless of their diet or exercise plans will be unhappy when the weight and flab return. This is one of the reasons many surgeons require a stabilized weight before they perform the procedure.
As with any surgery, there are risks that are involved. The most common risk factors include a reaction to the anesthesia, bleeding, unfavorable scarring, or infection. Other considerations to be aware of include blood clots, persistent pain or nerve damage. Your surgeon will go over your health history and all of your risk factors with you so you can fully understand the risk and benefits of surgery.
The recovery time for a tummy tuck varies by patient, but the expected downtime from your work is generally around one to two weeks and your total recovery time is about a month.
