If you’re looking for ways to get a smoother, sleeker stomach, a tummy tuck or liposuction can offer proven results. But these cosmetic procedures couldn’t be more different. They also promise very distinct results.
When you’re trying to decide between a tummy tuck or liposuction, you need to consider your ultimate goal. It helps to ask:
Considering each of these questions can help determine which cosmetic procedure will get you the stomach you’re looking for.
As an experienced plastic surgeon at Precision Plastic Surgery, Dr. Joseph Ku offers a personalized approach to cosmetic surgery. If you’re trying to decide between a tummy tuck and liposuction, he can help guide you through the decision-making process.
More than 300,000 people get liposuction each year, making it the most common cosmetic procedure in the United States. This treatment helps you get a sleeker silhouette by sucking unwanted fat from specific areas to create a more sculpted body shape.
In addition to the abdomen, popular liposuction sites include:
When you have liposuction, it only eliminates unwanted fat. That means that if you have stretched skin or muscles from pregnancy or weight gain, they’ll still remain after your procedure. Because of this, it may be a less effective solution for older people with less elasticity in their skin.
Dr. Ku usually recommends liposuction for men and women with firm and elastic skin who want to get rid of pockets of diet-resistant fat. Liposuction procedures use small incisions and take 45 minutes to two hours. You usually fully recover within a few weeks.
For maximum results, Dr. Ku might recommend liposuction in combination with a tummy tuck procedure.
You can have loose, sagging skin and a protruding belly even when you’re slim and have a healthy body weight. This is because of muscular issues and excess skin, problems that diet and exercise can’t fix on their own.
The most common causes of abdominal changes include:
Dr. Ku addresses these issues with a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) which is a procedure that specifically focuses on skin and muscle changes in your abdomen.
During a tummy tuck, Dr. Ku removes your excess skin and fat while restoring weakened or separated abdominal muscles. This cosmetic technique leaves you with an abdomen that’s smoother, firmer, and sleeker in appearance. A tummy tuck offers numerous advantages, but it’s a more involved procedure that usually has a longer recovery time and more scarring than liposuction alone.
Dr. Ku usually recommends a tummy tuck for healthy men and women who don’t smoke. It’s also most effective if you’re at a stable weight, because significant weight fluctuations after surgery can impact your long-term results.
For individualized help choosing between a tummy tuck and liposuction, call our Precision Plastic Surgery office in Riverside, California, or schedule an appointment online today.
