Celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Anna Nicole Smith, Britney spears, Tara Reid and Kate Gosselin have gotten bikini ready after shedding tonnes of excess skin and fat through this procedure (not all will admit it though).
But, even celebs have had a fairly tough time due to botched procedures or complications and have felt the need to undergo a revision or maybe even additional procedures. Imagine waking up without a belly button! That by the way has happened too. Cutting to the chase, undoubtedly people have their light bulb moments after coming across flawless celebrity outcomes or bumping into someone flaunting their bodies in their social circle.
But wouldn’t it be senseless to consider such sights convincing enough to expect to end up with the exact same look? How well a procedure turns out in your favor depends on how well you fulfill its criteria. In simple words, one of the best predictors of a successful procedure is how well you are suited for it. And guess who is going to assess that? Precisely! A board-certified plastic surgeon (experienced enough obviously). This probably also highlights the importance of your consultation process during which you will figure out if you’re really suited for the procedure or not and the surgeon takes into consideration the factors that together have a huge impact on the surgery’s outcome and eventually the quality of life.
Is tummy tuck for me?
Over the years abdominoplasty aka Tummy Tuck has gained immense popularity. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s 2008 cosmetic surgery national data bank, there has been an increase of 333% in abdominoplasty procedures since 1977 [1]. Also, the procedure was on the list of the top 5 most performed surgeries in the year 2013. Now that is some crazy popularity.
The idea of abdominoplasty often kicks in when people fail to gain the desired body shape through diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes. A tip for such people: please don’t stop exercising or making dietary modifications even if you’ve decided to go for the procedure. Getting down to your ideal weight before going under the knife is highly recommended. You’ll be getting the best result ever (terms and conditions apply). The very first consultation with your doctor will give you a clear picture of what an ideal candidate for a tummy tuck looks like. You’ll find your surgeon discussing many issues, examining you thoroughly and ordering lab investigations to assess if you’re fit to undergo the procedure. At the end of the session, your surgeon will have a fair idea of the following:
- A past medical history highlighting;
- Previous pregnancies
- Previous surgical procedures (including laparoscopic procedures)
- History of weight gain as well as weight loss
- Future pregnancy plans
- Existing co-morbid conditions include:
- Diabetes mellitus
- Severe heart disease
- History of thromboembolic conditions.
- Wound problems arising from infections or any other connective tissue disorder
- Smoking status
- Routine of exercise;
- Frequency
- Type of exercise
- Aesthetic goals
- Understanding with respect to scars as a result of the procedure
- Understanding of the time that would be required for your complete look to be revealed
Pregnancy and weight-related discussions are extremely important because if you’re planning either of them you’d be asked to postpone the procedure. Yet another critical aspect of tummy tuck is addressing the patient’s expectations since most of us land in a doctor’s office under the influence of the media, which means we have a celebrity as our ideal/target/goal. An experienced board-certified surgeon who has been doing the job for quite some time will zero in on the fact that removal of excess skin and fat merely won’t result in a flat abdomen if the actual cause is a large omentum (visceral peritoneal fold), which can only be treated with diet and exercise.
A heads up for all the Beer-Bellies (people with intraperitoneal fat): If your surgeon says that your fat is concentrated inside the musculature and can be treated with tummy tuck then you might need to begin the surgeon hunt again. Abdominoplasty only takes care of the fat outside the musculature. It’s of utmost importance for you to understand that this might end up being a hip-to-hip surgery as well.
Multiparous women with striae on their tummy can be relieved because skin tightening results in the disappearance of striae, but please, you shouldn’t be expecting a transformation into the woman you saw in the magazine.
Mentioning pregnancy, again and again, doesn’t in any way rule out the possibility of men undergoing a tummy tuck. Coming back to the physical examination, it should involve:
- Documentation of the location of all scars
- Assessment of the presence of abdominal hernias
- Assessment of diastasis of the rectus muscle
- Assessment of condition and strength of the abdominal wall
- BMI
- Height and weight (within normal limits)
- Evaluation of skin of abdominal wall including;
- Amount of skin
- Quality of skin
- Elasticity of skin
Whether you need an abdominoplasty, mini abdominoplasty, or belt lipectomy is a decision taken by your surgeon after getting done with the history and examinations. Some surgeons may ask you to lie down, observing if the abdominal wall flattens or not. If it does, the bulk is external to the musculature and body contouring is the answer. But this will also be followed by skin elasticity evaluation. However, if it doesn’t, then it’s inside the abdomen and body contouring is not the answer.
While undoubtedly the decision to undergo a cosmetic procedure is personal, there are a number of reasons why people opt for a tummy tuck.
You make an ideal candidate especially if you’re a non-smoker who’s in good health and has realistic expectations with respect to the outcome and moreover has a little idea of the post-operative recovery issues as well and also can relate with one or more of the following points:
- Abdominal wall laxity (especially from the belly button down to the suprapubic region)
- Excess skin or fat in the middle and lower half of the abdomen that doesn’t respond to dietary changes as well as exercise, despite bringing you close to your ideal body weight.
- Excess skin that sags
- Excess fat concentrated in the abdomen
- A disproportionate or protruding abdomen or a belly that sticks out.
- Diastasis (separation) of rectus muscle or weakened muscles
- An ability to tolerate the effects of anesthesia