Abdominoplasty FAQs: What Are the Reasons You Might Want a Tummy Tuck?

• 7 October 2019
• MCC Marketing

Last updated on July 10, 2024

Many people find success using diet and exercise to achieve their goal weight and become healthier. But, this combination doesn’t always work for the skin around the midsection. The tummy area is notorious for holding on to stubborn pockets of fat that just can’t be eliminated with lifestyle changes alone. My Cosmetic Clinic in Sydney, AU specializes in abdominoplasty, also called a tummy tuck, to help you get the body you desire and deserve.

An abdominoplasty can enhance the results garnered from hours of dedication and hard work to live a healthier lifestyle. Providing a little extra help with midsection tightening, this easy procedure gives you the flat stomach for which you’ve worked so hard. It allows you to show off a streamlined figure with confidence.

Learn more about this procedure through frequently asked questions and to help determine some reasons you may want a tummy tuck.

How Do I Choose a Provider?

Choosing a provider for any procedure can be daunting, especially if you are not sure of their expertise. However, we specialize in this procedure and have helped countless individuals to get a tighter midsection. We embark on this journey together to get you the results you’ve always wanted and a body in which you can be confident.

Focus on Safety and Comfort

The safety and comfort of every patient is our top priority. During the initial consultation, we will discuss the entire procedure, including potential results, to ensure that our approach is the safest and most effective for you. We will ask for your full health history and discuss your expectations and any recommendations we might offer.

Prioritize Your Personal Preferences

There’s more to abdominoplasty than just the result. Every step of the process should be tailored to your personal preferences, and we ensure that this is the case. From the procedure type you choose to anesthesia to recovery, we walk you through every decision to assure that you are happy with your enhanced body.

Take Part in Patient Education

The best results happen when patients are properly educated on the nuances of the procedure and prepared for the process. We focus heavily on patient education, so we manage your expectations and help you maintain your results. We also encourage you to ask plenty of questions during the consultation and at any point leading up to the procedure.

Am I a Candidate for Abdominoplasty?

The ideal candidate for abdominoplasty is someone within at least 10 pounds of their goal weight. If you are approaching this number and are considering abdominoplasty, it’s best to start planning for it in advance. While there is an optimal set of criteria, they are not hard and fast rules. To determine if you are a viable candidate for this procedure, it’s best to schedule a consultation and we can discuss your goals.

Sometimes, people are who are not candidates for this procedure might benefit from other approaches. We will go over your current health status during the consultation and get a full health history to determine what service is best for your body and still matches your goals.

However, if you are a candidate for abdominoplasty, there are a few reasons to opt for this procedure.

Get Within 10 Pounds of Your Goal Weight

If you’ve accomplished your weight loss goals, or are nearly there, an abdominoplasty can take you the rest of the way. Sometimes, loose, hanging skin around the midsection can account for some of the extra weight your body is still carrying. Even if you still have a few pounds to shed, it’s best to schedule a consultation when you’re close to discuss options and scheduling.

Address Loose Skin From Weight Loss

Perhaps you’ve met your weight loss goal but have way too much loose skin as a result. This is one of the most common drawbacks of weight loss, despite the myriad health benefits. The presence of loose skin can mitigate the physical appearance of weight loss along the contours of your body. You don’t have to live with loose skin.

A tummy tuck can eliminate this issue entirely and leave you with the tight and taut midsection you’ve worked hard to achieve.

Stop Exercising Without Midsection Results

Perhaps you are already at your goal weight and work out frequently but can’t seem to firm up that midsection. This is a common issue and one that frustrates even the most dedicated of fitness aficionados. An abdominoplasty can target those problem areas that exercise just can’t seem to fix.

Get Back to a Pre-Pregnancy Body

One of the less-than-ideal aspects of pregnancy is the fact that once skin stretches, it doesn’t always snap back into place post-partum. Many new mothers don’t have time to work out to tighten up, and exercise doesn’t always work, anyway. Sometimes, the skin was stretched for so long that there is now a loss of elasticity that cannot be regained through lifestyle changes alone.

However, what will work is an abdominoplasty to address skin that has stretched over months of pregnancy. The procedure will give you back the stomach you had pre-baby. In fact, sometimes this procedure can help you achieve the contour you want even if you didn’t have it pre-pregnancy.

We recommend that you wait until you are finished having children before undergoing an abdominoplasty. A subsequent pregnancy can stretch the muscles and skin once again, completely mitigating the results of the procedure.

What Does a Tummy Tuck Entail?

While abdominoplasty is a surgical procedure, it is not as daunting as it may seem. We tighten the abdominal muscles and stretch the skin around the tummy area to create a taut stomach. We also combine this procedure with liposuction to eliminate any additional pockets of fat. Full abdominoplasty procedures may also involve the relocation of the belly button to accommodate the results of the procedure.

Ask About Combined Procedures

Our patients rely on our knowledge and experience with this procedure to ensure the best outcome. We’ve perfected the combination of a tummy tuck and liposuction in tandem to get you optimal results.

This combined approach not only tightens the midsection but also removes excess fat deposits that can later mitigate results. It is important to choose a provider well-versed in this procedure both for your safety and to ensure the best possible outcome.

Consider a Mini Tummy Tuck

There are more options for an abdominoplasty, depending on the patient. For instance, those with already tightened abdominal muscles may need a simpler version of this procedure to remove the fat from the midsection area to help give the appearance of a smooth stomach. A mini tummy tuck is even less invasive and is ideal for those that have a smaller amount of skin to be removed.

Since we offer more than one procedure, we will analyze the targeted area during the consultation and discuss the form of abdominoplasty that works best for you.

How Long Is Recovery?

Abdominoplasty is a surgical procedure, so there is some recovery time involved. However, recovering from abdominoplasty is not nearly as stringent as it is with other similar procedures. Specific recovery times depend on the patient; however, most resume normal activity within days and a week to 10 days at most. However, you should avoid heavy physical labor and exercise for longer to give your body time to finish healing.

We will discuss recovery times during the consultation so you can plan accordingly well in advance of the procedure.

Plan for a Same Day Procedure

Most abdominoplasty patients can go home the same day. This allows you to enjoy any recovery time from the comfort of your own bed. If this changes for any reason, we can discuss alternatives prior to the procedure.

Discuss Recovery Times

Most people return to a regular schedule, except for exercise or other taxing physical activity, within a week to 10 days following the procedure. Many other abdominal procedures take much longer in terms of recovery, so comparatively, healing from this procedure is not as extensive as it could be. This is something we will discuss before and after your procedure, so you know exactly what to expect and can plan accordingly.

When Will I See Results?

You will have some bandaging on the area, since the procedure is surgical, and it is important to protect the incision site as you heal. However, bandaging is generally removed within two weeks of the procedure. Once the bandages have been removed, you will see the results of the abdominoplasty – a newly flattened stomach.

Depending on how extensively your stomach may have bulged prior to the procedure, you may even notice a difference in size through the bandages. Prior to the procedure, we will discuss the full recovery timeframe and give you an idea of how soon you can expect to see the results of the procedure.

Enjoy Lasting Tummy Tuck Results

The benefits of a tummy tuck are lasting as long as you maintain a healthy weight and active lifestyle. While the procedure can and will give you the body you desire, it is up to you to maintain it. The skin and muscle in the area may once again stretch over time, but the effects of that process are generally subtle. While you have to wait four to six weeks to exercise, once you have the green light, dedication to physical fitness will help extend your results.

Plan Ahead for Nutritional Accountability

Since the lasting results of a tummy tuck are directly correlated with your diet and exercise habits, this procedure helps with nutritional accountability. After all, you likely aren’t willing to undergo a procedure only to ruin the beautiful results with poor habits. Your nutritional accountability is pertinent to maintaining your desired results.

See a New You

An abdominoplasty is a gift you can give yourself for remaining steadfast about living a healthy life. Eradicating loose skin around the midsection gives you the look you’ve ultimately worked hard to achieve and maintain. An abdominoplasty gets you an outcome you may not have been able to get through diet and exercise alone.

Book a consultation with the experienced professionals at My Cosmetic Clinic in Sydney, AU and start your journey to achieving the body you want and deserve.