May 9th, 2009 Kenneth M. Rose MD
You have discovered that ending your relationship with your post partum bulge or your love handles is harder than getting help to fix your cable service. Your efforts at diet and exercise have not gotten rid of stubborn fatty bulges, and the loose skin from multiple pregnancies or weight loss simply hangs and hangs. For a smoother and shapelier torso your remaining option is the tummy tuck, also known as abdominoplasty.
With a tummy tuck, excess skin and fat are removed surgically from the abdominal region and the underlying muscles are tightened to create a slimmer and smoother contour. The procedure also better defines the waist. This plastic surgery procedure is a major surgery and does require some recovery. Like any plastic surgery, not everyone is a candidate, but if you are considering a tummy tuck, consider these facts about this common cosmetic procedure.
- Your physical condition determines whether you are a suitable candidate for a tummy tuck. Ideally, men or women who are in reasonably good physical condition make the best candidates for the removal of excess fat bulges and loose skin, especially if they have already tried to get rid of it with diet and exercise.
- Because a tummy tuck is a surgery that requires a long incision, you will be left with a scar. To reduce this negative consequence, we place the scar in the lower abdomen that will typically be covered by underwear and bathing suits. And, with proper healing, the scar often becomes very faint. In my experience, most people don’t even care about the scar as they are so happy that their bulge is finally gone.
- Smoking interferes with recovering from surgery and increases the risks of complications following a tummy tuck. If you are a smoker, you will have to face quitting smoking two weeks before your surgery and during your recovery. Permanently quitting would certainly be best for many reasons.
- You should be aware that liposuction may be used in conjunction with your tummy tuck. Indeed, liposuction might be all that is needed to achieve the desired result on your abdomen. Be open to the possibility that you may only need the less invasive procedure of liposuction. When you meet your plastic surgeon, he or she will examine you and help determine the best option.
- When you visit your plastic surgeon for a consultation about a tummy tuck, be candid about your body-shaping goals. Your surgeon will be evaluating the skin and fat deposits of your body along with your expectations about results. Then, your surgeon will discuss with you what can be realistically achieved with a tummy tuck.
- The results of a tummy tuck can be very long lasting if you eat sensibly and stay active. If you overeat and gain weight excessively, then your skin and tissues will be forced to stretch out into new bulges.
A final thought for you to consider about tummy tucks is that nothing is standard with plastic surgery. Each body is unique with its own shape and underlying physical attributes. A plastic surgeon must assess each person individually and perform a tummy tuck that is suited to each body. If you get a tummy tuck, it will be the tummy tuck for your body and it will not necessarily look like the tummy of another person who also had the procedure.
Posted in Tummy Tuck | 1 Comment »
December 7th, 2008 Kenneth M. Rose MD
This is a good article from The New York Times about Gerald Pittman a plastic surgeon here in Manhattan. It makes a strong case of how to avoid plastic surgery. I think it’s a little exaggerated, like surgery is the absolute last resort (after all he makes his living by operating), but there is a lot of truth to it.
Believe it or not most good plastic surgeons turn down a large percentage of their prospective patients. Some are just not candidates for surgery. That could be because they are not psychologically realistic about the results, they are poor candidates for the particular surgery they want (i.e. an obese person wants a tummy tuck or a heavy smoker wants a facelift) or the surgeon’s personality and the patient’s just don’t mesh.
The best thing you can do as a patient is be realistic about the results (liposuction and tummy tucks are not dieting substitutes) and try to be in the best physical shape before the procedure. This combination of positive attitutde, good surgical judgement on the part of your surgeon and prime physical condition, is the best way to insure a a great result.
Posted in Facelift, Plastic Surgery, Tummy Tuck | 3 Comments »
September 8th, 2008 Kenneth M. Rose MD
Many times patients will come into the office and resolutely declare they need liposuction. In reality though they need a tummy tuck. So what’s the difference?
Liposuction is a refining tool. It is designed to remove pockets of fat from unwanted areas like the hips, belly and love handles. A tummy tuck,on the other hand, is a procedure that is used to remove large amounts of excess fat (mostly below the belly button) and tighten the abdominal muscles. Frequently women who have had babies are more in need of a tummy tuck because their pregnancies have stretched out their abdominal walls. Liposuction on these patients would be a complete failure as would it be on an obese person. Also, women who are planning to have more babies in the near future should probably refrain from either procedure until after their pregnancies. This is because the weight gain and the soft tissue stretching associated with child bearing will probably destroy the results of the surgery.
These two blogs on tummy tucks and liposuction by Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery are very good in explaining the difference. To know for sure which procedure is best for you, talk to your surgeon.
Posted in Liposuction, Tummy Tuck | 5 Comments »
September 4th, 2008 Kenneth M. Rose MD
There was a great article in the New York Times today. It explains the concerns Plastic Surgeons have when choosing patients to operate on. In brief, if you’ve been in practice long enough, you’ve met all of these types. Read it to see life from our side of the exam table.
However, I wish discuss how patients should choose a surgeon. My best advise is to choose someone you feel comfortable with. We all hope your surgery goes well and usually it does. But remember, nothing is ever guaranteed. If something goes wrong your procedure you want someone who you think will help you through your tummy tuck complication with kindness and compassion. Of course there are other normal considerations: board certification, recommendations from friends or other patients, and the overall feeling you get from the office and staff. It is frequently a tough choice and I empathize, but try to understand, the doctor-patient relationship is a two way street. You need to trust us and we need to trust you.
Posted in Choosing a Plastic Surgeon, Tummy Tuck | 2 Comments »
August 26th, 2008 Kenneth M. Rose MD
This article concerning facelift and smokers that was recently in the New York Times is extremely important for those considering a facelift. I know many surgeons who will turn down a potential facelift patient if he finds out that he or she is even an occasional smoker.The same can be said other cosmetic procedures such as tummy tucks . Smokers normally function using less oxygen in the blood than non-smokers. Smoking deprives the skin of oxygen which is a crucial part of the healing process therefore terrible scarring can result. This video From CNN, Smoking and Plastic Surgery, show what happened to a liposucrion, breast augmentation patient. patient. Something many patients fail to consider is that cessation of smoking is just as important after the surgery is over. Although surgery can be stressful for many people, reaching for a cigarette to calm your nerves (even weeks after the procedure) will ruin your esults. So once you quit, you must quit for good.
As a patient, being less than truthful about your smoking history, sneaking a cigarette either before or after the surgery (even one) can have disastrous results. The best thing about having a facelift and being a smoker is that it can potentially prolong your life. In order to have the procedure you will need to quit for a least a year (no cheating!). Hopefully that will be the end of your smoking habit. A younger look and a longer life will be yours!
Posted in Facelift, Liposuction, Smoking and Plastic Surgery, Tummy Tuck, breast augmentation | 1 Comment »
With a tummy tuck, excess skin and fat are removed surgically from the abdominal region and the underlying muscles are tightened to create a slimmer and smoother contour. The procedure also better defines the waist. This plastic surgery procedure is a major surgery and does require some recovery. Like any plastic surgery, not everyone is a candidate, but if you are considering a tummy tuck, consider these facts about this common cosmetic procedure.