Abdominal Rejuvenation

Most people that would like to have a tummy tuck actually need a liposuction since for most of them their problem is a fat deposit without an excess of skin. Liposuction done for the abdomen consists more of debulking than sculpting though both are combined for a better contour. After the liposuction you need to wait a good three months for the swelling to come down completely and for the skin to retract. The skin after the liposuction will always retract. The question is how much? In a large measure the amount of skin shrinkage has to do with the type of skin. If the skin has not lost its elasticity, a lot of retraction will take place and there will not be any excess of skin left, i.e., no need for a tummy tuck. The muscle, as opposed to the skin, if distended prior to liposuction, will remain distended. It is up to the patient to decide about a tightening of the muscle three to six months status-post liposuction.

Likewise if, three to six months status-post liposuction, there is redundant skin, a procedure can be done. (fig. 7)

fig. 7. Three views ofa patient that had liposuction anda tummy tuck in two stages.
First stage was liposuction. We can see the excess of skin resulted from liposuction.
A tummy tuck was performed six months later in a second stage.

A second surgery for an excess of skin or a distended muscle is decided on a case to case basis. It must be emphasized that often, after liposuction of the abdomen, due to skin shrinkage, there is no need for a skin procedure. It is difficult for patients to imagine that liposuction might take care of the skin without tummy tuck but we see it. However, it is not possible to say with certainty pre-operatively. That is the reason why we need to wait three to six months after the liposuction to know if anything else is required. Again, the result of the liposuction has less to do with the amount and the type of fat than the type of skin and the condition of the muscle. If the patient has good elastic skin and a non-distended muscle, a tummy tuck may not be needed. The liposuction will suffice.

In cases of full tummy tuck, after liposuction, the scars are more extensive than for a regular tummy tuck due to the amount of skin to be removed. It is the same problem we encounter in post-gastric bypass patients.

The more the skin the more the scars. Sometimes the tummy tuck needs to be repeated to get rid of all the redundant skin. Likewise, a scar revision may be required to correct a bad scar due to bad skin.

A flat and smooth abdomen can be obtained only if skin and muscle have not lost their tone.

fig. 6. Patient had liposuction and breast augmentation in a first stage.
Followed by breast lift and tummy tuck in a second stage six months later.

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2 Stage Tummy Tuck - Before & After Photos

Breast Lift and Augmentation thru a Doughnut Pattern No Visable Scar - Meaning no donut pattern, nor lollipop or anchor pattern as we usually see for a breast lift. The small areola scar may be visable for 6 months to 1 year before fading away.

Patient 1

Before	After Stage 1 Liposuction	After Stage 2 Tummy Tuck

2 Stage Tummy Tuck & Liposuction

Patient 46462

Before	After