The desire for a flat, appealing stomach is near-universal. Dr. Mark A. Foglietti and Dr. Alanna F. Fostyk meet with all sorts of patients — young and old, men and women — who are contemplating plastic surgery to achieve nicer contours around the abdomen. If you too are interested in cosmetically enhancing your belly, but are not sure whether tummy tuck or liposuction is the way to go, we have some important factors you may want to consider.
How Much Belly Fat Do You Have?
From the start, it is important to note that neither tummy tuck nor liposuction is a weight-loss surgery. Rather, they are both procedures that work best when you have dieted and exercised your way close to your goal weight, yet still have some problem areas that cosmetic surgery can improve.
With that said, if your primary concern is to get rid of stubborn fat deposits along your midsection, liposuction is probably the way to go. It is highly effective at removing fat cells from the body, and the results are permanent, so long as you maintain a healthy weight moving forward.
How Loose Is Your Stomach Skin?
While tummy tuck takes care of multiple problems at once, including abdominal muscles that need repair, its crowning achievement is cleaning up excess skin that forms around your stomach. If you lost significant weight, your stomach stretched out during pregnancy or the aging process has made your skin laxer, chances are good that extra skin is detracting from what could otherwise be a flat, toned tummy. In these cases, tummy tuck is the best solution for removing unwanted, loose skin.
What Cost and Amount of Recovery Time Can You Afford?
On average, liposuction costs less than tummy tuck, though obviously that can depend on the amount of fat being removed from the body. Liposuction also usually requires a few days of downtime, while the recovery for tummy tuck is closer to four to six weeks.
While the cost and recovery time should not lead you to choose a surgery that would be less beneficial to you than the other, all things being equal, these are factors you should keep in mind.
Could You Benefit from Both?
The verdict you reach may consist not of one procedure or the other but a combination of the two. If you would like to remove fat and skin from your stomach, these procedures can be performed in conjunction for optimal results. For example, if you already have loose skin but decide to only get liposuction, your loose skin may not retract or tighten once additional fat is removed. Discuss these considerations with your surgeon to determine what makes sense for you.
Ask the Surgeons
If you are still not sure which procedure is best for you, Drs. Foglietti and Fostyk will gladly offer you their expert opinion on the matter after examining your stomach. No matter which route you take, these outstanding surgeons have a proven record of achieving amazing results for their patients. To schedule a consultation, please call (216) 292-6800 today.
