My medical philosophy is to do the least invasive procedure first, whenever possible. It is pretty well established that tumescent liposuction of the abdomen (using only local anesthetic) has far fewer risks for the patient that a tummy tuck procedure (larger surgical procedure done under general anesthesia).
When considering liposuction vs. tummy tuck, many patients mistakenly think that they have to choose either one or the other. I give them a third option - do a simple liposuction first, and move on to an invasive tummy tuck later, only if truly necessary.
I let my patients know that the two procedures are complimentary, and are commonly performed together - for example, during a tummy tuck surgery a surgeon may first perform liposuction to remove excess fat and then move on to removing excess skin and tighten muscle, if necessary.
My advice: split the liposuction-tummy tuck surgery into two:
- Part 1: tumescent liposuction.
- Part 2 (only when necessary): tummy tuck.
I encourage my patients to start with the less invasive, less risky, safer procedure first. I tell them to choose tumescent liposuction, which is the safest way to perform liposuction.
Having taught liposuction for years at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, I know that tumescent liposuction is effective and has a remarkable safety record, especially when compared to the alternatives. Tumescent liposuction is done with the person awake, using local anesthetic, and avoids the risks associated with general anesthesia.
Liposuction can remove a substantial amount of fat and can dramatically improve a person's shape and silhouette, especially in the stomach area. More often than not, this is enough to solve the main concerns of many of my patients. Their shape improves and they look better in and out of clothes.
For those few patients who are not fully satisfied and truly need abdominal muscle tightening and skin resection - they can move on to Part 2 -the more invasive part involving general anesthesia, a lengthy scar, and a much longer recovery time.
Should Part 2 really be necessary, the patient will not have lost any ground by having the liposuction done first. With the fat already removed, the skin removal and muscle tightening may actually be done faster.
In short, the two part approach gives patients the option of starting with a safer, less invasive procedure, and moving on to a major surgery only if necessary.
