According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ annual statistics, liposuction typically finds itself ranked as the most common procedure performed. Patients often present to our office with concerns about the appearance of their waist despite diet and exercise, particularly after weight fluctuations or having children. A common question we are often asked is which procedure is right for me, liposuction or a tummy tuck.
When Dr. Hill evaluates patients, he will first determine the cause of the patient’s dissatisfaction: excess fat, excess skin and skin laxity, or muscle laxity (diastasis recti). After determining the answer to this question, he can formulate a treatment plan to get each patient their ideal result.
What Is a Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)?
A tummy tuck addresses skin excess/laxity above and below the bellybutton, fat excess, and muscle laxity (diastasis recti). To see how a tummy tuck reshapes the midsection, you can browse some of our tummy tuck patients’ before and after pictures.
During a tummy tuck procedure, Dr. Hill will cut a circle around your bellybutton and dunk it down. He then will make a super low incision—below the bikini line—and lift the abdominal tissue up like the hood of a car. He then performs muscle repair, suturing the middle edges of the six-pack muscles together. After this, he resects the excess skin and tummy tissue. He makes a new home for the bellybutton through the remaining abdominal tissue and brings it through, making it small and hiding the scar on the bellybutton itself. The lower incision is repaired in layers to get the best scar possible.
Most patients return to work after 10 to 14 days.
What Is Liposuction?
Liposuction is used to address fat excess and has no direct effect on excess or lax skin. The ideal candidate is a patient who is near their goal weight with a small to moderate amount of excess fat and excellent skin elasticity.
During liposuction, Dr. Hill makes small access incisions and infiltrates a mixture of saline and epinephrine, which is designed to reduce bleeding and bruising. He then uses a long rod called a cannula to extract the excess subcutaneous fat. Liposuction can be used nearly anywhere, from head to toe. Take a look at our liposuction patients’ before and after photos to get an idea of the type of results that are possible.
Recovery from liposuction is less involved than a tummy tuck. Most patients can return to work after just a few days.
Why Combine Tummy Tuck and Liposuction?
A tummy tuck and liposuction can be performed alone, but they are often combined to truly slim the waistline. When they’re combined with each other and breast enhancement surgery, such as breast augmentation or a breast lift, the combination is often called a mommy makeover because it addresses many of the issues resulting from pregnancy and breastfeeding.
If you are looking to improve that midsection and snatch your waist, be sure and seek out a board-certified plastic surgeon. You can request a consultation with our board-certified plastic surgeon in Frisco, TX, to discuss your goals and determine the optimal treatment plan for achieving a more defined waistline.
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