No body area can be as frustrating for losing weight and regaining shape as the stomach region. When the body goes through different physical changes like weight fluctuations, childbirth and ageing, the excess skin and fat accumulate in the stomach area.
However, despite doing a lot of exercises and following a healthy lifestyle, the curvaceous waist isn’t achieved. Therefore, many people, especially women, opt for cosmetic options such as abdominoplasty or tummy tuck to get their youthful figure back.
This surgical technique not only removes excess fat layers underlying your skin but also repairs damaged and weak abdominal muscles. It can easily smoothen your stomach and give you your desired waistline.
However, like every other surgery, there are certain things that you should know about tummy tuck before undergoing it. Let’s take a look at some of them.
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Different Types of Tummy Tuck You Can Choose
Firstly, if you have decided to go for a tummy tuck, you need to determine the type of treatment first. These are the three types of tummy tuck surgeries:
Mini Tummy Tuck
In this type of tummy tuck, excess skin and fat layers that are hanging around the navel region are removed. This surgery is performed to reduce the lower abdomen bulge. However, a mini tummy tuck doesn’t involve any muscle repairing.
Traditional Tummy Tuck
A traditional tummy tuck includes everything that one thinks of when the word tummy tuck comes into mind. It removes excess fat and skin and reconstructs abdominal muscles that were damaged during pregnancy or weight fluctuations. You can even pair up a traditional tummy tuck with liposuction for better results.
Extended Tummy Tuck
An extended tummy tuck not only caters to your abdominal region but hips, back and thighs as well. This procedure is perfect for anyone who has lost a tremendous amount of weight. An extended tummy tuck results are quite dramatic as this surgery reconstructs and tones a major part of your body. During this surgery, along with the abdomen, the muscles in the back and even flanks are also repaired and toned.
It Requires Significant Downtime
Tummy tuck is a major surgical procedure. So, it needs a lot of recovery time. As the patient has to get major incisions, it can take weeks to heal from it.
Generally, you’ll be needing at least two to three weeks to recover after undergoing it. Right after the surgery, you’ll feel fatigued, sore and swollen and even experiencing moderate pain is considered normal. The patients not only have to take off from work, but they should also avoid doing household work. Moreover, you cannot do exercises for at least four to six weeks.
You Need to Have a Stable Weight for Tummy Tuck
Although abdominoplasty is an excellent way to shape your body and regain your lost figure, you need to have a stable weight before surgery. You must be close to your desired weight goal from the last six to twelve months to get this procedure. Most surgeons allow a window of 10 to 15 pounds from the patient’s ideal weight. Following this protocol is crucial because weight fluctuations can greatly alter the body shape contouring you’ve achieved after the surgery.
It will Leave a Permanent Scar
Undoubtedly, a tummy tuck is one of the most sought-after cosmetic surgeries. But one thing that the patients opting for it should keep in mind is that this surgery will leave a scar. Even though the scar will fade away a little bit over time, it will be there. Therefore, before you getting this surgery, you should talk it out with your surgeon about how they plan to hide your scar. Experienced surgeons usually place the incision at such a place where your clothing can hide it.
You’ll Have Surgical Drains Attached
After the surgery, surgical drains remain attached for a week or two to eliminate any blood or fluid build-up in the body. Despite the fact that these drains are temporary, they still need proper care and attention till they are safely removed.
Complete Healing Can Take a Year
Another thing that must be clear about is the results of abdominoplasty aren’t immediately noticeable. The complete results of a tummy tuck will be visible after full healing, i.e., a year. Therefore, anyone going for abdominoplasty has to be patient and wait until they fully recover before expecting the results.In short, whether you’re thinking about undergoing a mini, traditional or extended tummy tuck, take your time. Consider all the factors associated with a procedure and then opt for it once you’re ready. And make sure to get it from a reputable clinic. You can find numerous top-rated clinics for plastic surgery in Dubai. So, if you live there or are planning a trip to this emirate, get this procedure done from a reputable and experienced surgeon.
