3 Post Procedure Facts to Consider Before Your Tummy Tuck
No matter what age you might be, man, woman, or in your teens, one of the most frustrating areas of the body to deal with is the midsection or stomach area. As we go through physical changes throughout our lives, from our adolescent years, events like weight fluctuations, the aging process, childbirth, puberty and more can us to accumulate excess fat around the midsection. And as many may know, the older we get, the more difficult that belly fat is to lose – however, with a healthy lifestyle of diet and exercise, losing fat and overall weight is possible! However, as you might know, while the tough part might be the weight loss, this can leave you with pounds of lose, hanging skin tissue to deal with – making the slim, trim, well-contoured body you want seem that much more difficult to attain. That’s where the tummy tuck and mini tummy tuck come in and have prevailed as being two of the most popular body contouring treatments around. Also known as the regular or mini abdominoplasty, the mini tummy tuck and its more invasive counterpart, the full tummy tuck are extremely successful surgical procedures, designed to sculpt the waistline and smooth the stomach. The surgical technique can also repair damaged and weakened abdominal muscles, further tightening the stomach and ensuring long-term results. Despite its level of effectiveness and popularity many still are relatively uneducated about the full and mini tummy tuck. As one of the top plastic surgery practices in the country, Goals Plastic Surgery performs countless abdominoplasty procedures each year, and to better educate consumers about this procedure, here are a few important things to know about it.
· There is Some Downtime
When it comes to the full tummy tuck, individuals must understand that it is a highly involved, major surgical procedure, and therefore requires a decent amount of recovery time or downtime. Patients should expect to be out for weeks to over a month for their recovery. This is a major reason those who may not need as drastic of a level of correction and struggle with issues more so in the lower abs, may opt for the mini tummy tuck as it makes for a much shorter recovery time.
· Surgical Drains
One of the leading factors that patients must watch out for following any type of surgical procedure is the buildup of fluid and blood in the area. in order to eliminate this possible buildup, patients will likely have to have surgical drains put in for the first few weeks after. They can also help to keep the swelling down and ensuring proper healing. In many cases, surgical drains are placed following a full or mini tummy tuck. Although temporary, these will require attention and care. Prior to surgery, your surgeon will discuss the need for drains and how to care for them, including any limitations on bathing. In most cases these will be removed one to two weeks following the tummy tuck procedure.
· A Permanent Scar is Likely
The most important consideration to some patients is that a permanent scar is highly likely following a full tummy tuck, however, the scar will be far less prominent with a mini tummy tuck – a major reason why many people choose the mini version over the full version. There are some scar reduction techniques that can definitely help your scar be less prominent; however, it is likely not going to go away 100%.
For more information on the full or mini tummy tuck, be sure to contact Goals Plastic Surgery today.
