Tummy Tuck - Who Can Opt It?

Stuck with extra flab that does not seem to go away, or simply trying to hide the sagging skin after losing tons of weight? Whatever the reason, a tummy tuck is a cosmetic means of fixing that unsightly area of your abdomen that many people have trouble with. While exercise and diet may all be good in theory, there are many circumstances that may require this kind of surgical intervention, which is also known as abdominoplasty in medical terms. Read on to know more about it.

Ideal Candidates: Who is the best candidate for this kind of procedure? To begin with, women have a hard time achieving a taut tummy, especially after a few pregnancies. They can easily make use of this kind of procedure in order to have the excess flab removed surgically. Also, men and women who were once obese and still have rings of excess fat deposits around this region, as well as loose skin due to sudden weight loss, can use this procedure. The people who want to go in for this kind of surgery will also need to be in good health condition in order to qualify for the same.

Not so Ideal Candidates: If you have been pregnant before and are planning another pregnancy, then you may want to wait before having this surgery as the vertical muscles that are tightened during the surgery can be separated due to pregnancy and childbirth again, which will reverse the effects of the surgery. Also, it should be the last resort after you have tried myriad weight loss measures. Further, people who are suffering from conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases should have a talk with the doctor about the safety of such a procedure first.

Types of Abdominoplasty: There are two kinds of abdominoplasty. The first kind of called complete abdominoplasty. In this procedure, the surgeon will cut open the abdomen from one hip to another, and then carry out contouring of the skin, tissue and muscle as per the requirement of the patient. In this procedure, the belly button of the patient will also be moved and drainage tubes may be inserted for a few days. The other kind is partial abdominoplasty which is basically done for people who have fat deposits under their navel. The procedure is short and does not require belly button movement.

Preparation: One should be careful not to smoke or drink before the procedure and to keep a stack of loose clothing and ice packs ready for later.

Talk to your doctor in detail regarding complications and the aftermath so that you are better able to take care of yourself after the surgery.