Many women feel very sub-conscious about their looks and about their saggy and loose tummy skin, if they gone through one or more pregnancies, achieved an amazing weight loss goal or went under bariatric surgery. They tend to avoid the swimming pools or beaches and have low self-esteem. But there is a cosmetic surgery procedure that might help them, called the tummy tuck. Today we will be focusing on the most common questions about tummy tuck that most people ask and want to know the answers to.
Questions about tummy tuck – How to get rid of the belly pouch?
Patients, both women and men, if they have a belly pouch on their lower belly, could be eligible for a tummy tuck procedure. This surgery is focused on removing the stubborn fat pockets that you couldn’t get rid of, no matter how hard you exercise or diet. With a tummy tuck procedure, you can:
- Easily lose the pocket belly
- Get rid of loose skin after pregnancy or significant weight loss
- Tighten up the abdominal muscles
What can you expect from a tummy tuck – how many sizes will you drop?
Every tummy tuck patient is different. Some might loose one dress/pant size some might lose more. But in general, you can expect to lose between 1 and 3 dress or pant sizes. Furthermore, this procedure is a great way to get rid of the loose skin and we you count that in, you can even lose up to 4 dress sizes after the procedure.
Now, many patients substitute this procedure with weight loss, but that’s not the case. A tummy tuck procedure doesn’t address the weight problem. It is only focused on remedying the results after the weight loos i.e., loose skin or stubborn belly fat.
Will you get six pack after the procedure?
This is also one of the common questions about tummy tuck. Technically speaking, you will get a six pack after the procedure but it won’t give you abs. The procedure only focuses on removing fat and lose skin. If you’re also looking for having well-defined abs, you will have to do some exercise as well.
Exercise is something you should attempt only after six weeks (or later) depending on if the cosmetic surgeon clears you or not.
You can also start exercising long before the surgery because it’s proven that a healthy body heals much faster.
Questions about Tummy Tuck – will you get an attractive and flat stomach?
Thanks to the procedure, you will receive a more attractive and flatter stomach since the excess skin and stubborn belly fat will be gone. Furthermore, the cosmetic surgeon will also work on tightening your abdominal muscles, which should further enhance the flatness of your belly.
Are you a good candidate?
Before even considering the work and recovery period that is involved with tummy tuck, one of the most important questions about tummy tuck is who is an ideal candidate. In order to qualify for this procedure, the patient has to:
- Go through one or more pregnancies that has left visible traces on the body such as split abdominal wall muscles, loose tummy skin, stretch marks and wider waistline.
- Have a beer belly (if you’re a man) or a big belly that he wasn’t able to shake off no matter how hard he exercises or diets
- Feel insecure or self-conscious about his/her appearance
- Have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or less. If higher, we first recommend trying some weight loss procedures before committing to a tummy tuck
- Be in good physical health – Age doesn’t play a role whether you’re eligible or not
- Be in the range of hi/her ideal weight i.e., within 10-15 lbs of your ideal weight. The weight also has to be relatively stable so that there aren’t any major fluctuations
Losing weight – Before or after tummy tuck?
As we mentioned before, a tummy tuck isn’t a substitute for any kind of weight loss procedure. It only remedies the effect of a significant weight loss e.g., loose skin or stubborn belly fat.
If you do have excess weight, we highly recommend that you try and lose it before the procedure, rather than after. If you lose weight after the procedure, that will most likely compromise the tummy tuck results and create more lose skin that will have to be revisited again.
