I am 35 and have had 2 C-sections. I do have a acummulated fat in the lower part of the abdomen and on the flanks. I had a recent consultation with a Plastic Surgeon who mentioned that I may be happy with Lipo alone, but could benefit from lipo+ mini tummy tuck (he says only a smalll % of people can actually qualify for it). I don't want the added risks involved with another procedure, and not the cost if would not make a drastic difference. He did say my skin is not in bad condition ...I do have some extra skin, but nothing sagging. You can notice it if I bend, for example, or move etc....It seems to be a lot of hype about samrtlipo and the benefits of skin Tightening. Would that be enough to have a flat tummy? Also, I don't like the idea of general anesthesia. Can a mini tummy tuck be performed under local+sedation, maybe?
November 22, 2015
Answer: #LipoVsMiniTT Liposuction is less invasive and quicker to recover from than a Tummy Tuck (abdominoplasty). This is because liposuction only involves removing fat from beneath your skin. Your body will cause the overlying skin to contract only to the degree it is capable, often leaving redundant skin which can be unsightly. In other words, you need good elasticity to get a good result. A Tummy Tuck involves removing redundant skin and tightening the underlying muscles. Sometimes liposuction is combined as needed with a Tummy Tuck for the best possible result. The question is whether the shape of your abdomen is affected by an excess of fat, skin, muscle separation or laxity, or some combination thereof. This can only be determined by examination, so go ahead and consult with a board certified plastic surgeon. Some of my patients elect to have liposuction first, and then opt for a Tummy Tuck if the results are not satisfying.
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November 22, 2015
Answer: #LipoVsMiniTT Liposuction is less invasive and quicker to recover from than a Tummy Tuck (abdominoplasty). This is because liposuction only involves removing fat from beneath your skin. Your body will cause the overlying skin to contract only to the degree it is capable, often leaving redundant skin which can be unsightly. In other words, you need good elasticity to get a good result. A Tummy Tuck involves removing redundant skin and tightening the underlying muscles. Sometimes liposuction is combined as needed with a Tummy Tuck for the best possible result. The question is whether the shape of your abdomen is affected by an excess of fat, skin, muscle separation or laxity, or some combination thereof. This can only be determined by examination, so go ahead and consult with a board certified plastic surgeon. Some of my patients elect to have liposuction first, and then opt for a Tummy Tuck if the results are not satisfying.
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April 27, 2015
Answer: Liposuction Vs Mini Tummy Tuck? Great question and one we deal with every day in the office. Skin quality can range from normal to very lax and redundant. It can retain much of it's elasticity or it can be stretched and have lost the ability to retract. We see this loss of elasticity after considerable weight gain then loss or often after pregancy. The telltale signs of lax skin are stretch marks (stria). Simply put, these stria are tears in the deeper layer of the skin called the dermis. Also, your surgeon can assess the skin elasticity on physical examination. If there are a lot of stretch marks and the skin is loose, then there are few options other than to remove the excess skin. If we remove the fat beneath, the skin will not retract and will simply hang loose. Skin excision is required when the skin is loose and has lost it's elasticity. If this loose skin is mostly below the belly button then a mini tummy tuck is a great option. For those with loose and lax skin that extends above the belly button, a full tummy tuck would be a better option. Many patients in your situation are "on the fence" and it is not entirely clear whether liposuction alone or liposuction with mini tummy is appropriate, even for the surgeon. There are three ways to approach this. First you can choose to do the liposuction and mini tummy tuck together. This will almost certainly give you an excellent result in the right hands. In my opinion, the only real downside is the scar, but this should not be much greater than the c-section scar you already have. The risk of adding a mini tummy tuck incision is quite low. Another option is to do only the liposuction based on the surgeons determination that the skin elasticity is good. The risk of this approach is the possibility of a poor result that then would require the mini tuck later. Ultimately, this is much more costly than the first option. Finally, you can agree to leave the decision to your surgeon to make intraoperatively (during the procedure). Of course this requires a great deal of trust that you hopefully already have with your chosen surgeon. Both liposuction, mini tummy tuck and the combination can be very safely performed under sedation with local anesthesia. I hope this helps.BRK
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April 27, 2015
Answer: Liposuction Vs Mini Tummy Tuck? Great question and one we deal with every day in the office. Skin quality can range from normal to very lax and redundant. It can retain much of it's elasticity or it can be stretched and have lost the ability to retract. We see this loss of elasticity after considerable weight gain then loss or often after pregancy. The telltale signs of lax skin are stretch marks (stria). Simply put, these stria are tears in the deeper layer of the skin called the dermis. Also, your surgeon can assess the skin elasticity on physical examination. If there are a lot of stretch marks and the skin is loose, then there are few options other than to remove the excess skin. If we remove the fat beneath, the skin will not retract and will simply hang loose. Skin excision is required when the skin is loose and has lost it's elasticity. If this loose skin is mostly below the belly button then a mini tummy tuck is a great option. For those with loose and lax skin that extends above the belly button, a full tummy tuck would be a better option. Many patients in your situation are "on the fence" and it is not entirely clear whether liposuction alone or liposuction with mini tummy is appropriate, even for the surgeon. There are three ways to approach this. First you can choose to do the liposuction and mini tummy tuck together. This will almost certainly give you an excellent result in the right hands. In my opinion, the only real downside is the scar, but this should not be much greater than the c-section scar you already have. The risk of adding a mini tummy tuck incision is quite low. Another option is to do only the liposuction based on the surgeons determination that the skin elasticity is good. The risk of this approach is the possibility of a poor result that then would require the mini tuck later. Ultimately, this is much more costly than the first option. Finally, you can agree to leave the decision to your surgeon to make intraoperatively (during the procedure). Of course this requires a great deal of trust that you hopefully already have with your chosen surgeon. Both liposuction, mini tummy tuck and the combination can be very safely performed under sedation with local anesthesia. I hope this helps.BRK
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January 9, 2015
Answer: Smartlipo may help but depends on how much excess skin If you don't have too much saggy skin, then you may benefit from liposuction alone. There is a bit of skin tightening that occurs with Smartlipo. However I would have to see you in person to make sure you would be a suitable candidate. Local may be admininstered if you don't have too much fat to be removed.
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January 9, 2015
Answer: Smartlipo may help but depends on how much excess skin If you don't have too much saggy skin, then you may benefit from liposuction alone. There is a bit of skin tightening that occurs with Smartlipo. However I would have to see you in person to make sure you would be a suitable candidate. Local may be admininstered if you don't have too much fat to be removed.
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