Top 9 Things That You Should Know about the Tummy Tuck Surgery

Usually considered as a body enhancing treatment for the rich and affluent people, today tummy tuck surgery has become incredibly popular among the commoners and the famous ones alike. In fact, there has been a startling 431% rise in the percentage of individuals opting for this surgery since 1997 when the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery or ASAPS started tracking statistics for plastic surgery.

But does it really work? Yes, you can experience that transformation in yourself with the tightening and toning of your sagging and lose abdominal fat.

What should you know about Abdominoplasty?

Tummy tuck surgery or Abdominoplasty helps you enjoy the flexes of a healthy lifestyle. However, it is still a surgical process. Before confirming anything, you should gather all related facts and then decide your goal. Knowing about the before and after of tummy tuck surgery is important because the person must be aware of what he or she is undergoing in this surgery. Here is all you should about this surgery before going under the knife:

1. The procedure comes with a major healing process

Like any other surgery, Abdominoplasty also takes considerable time for your body to heal completely. So, be aware that it will not be an instant healing after getting your sagging stomach tightened up. This is a major surgery and you need to give your body ample rest to deal with the sudden change. To be precise, it may take from around 2-3 weeks to 6 months from complete recovery.

For prompt and satisfying healing, it would be advisable to rest your body as much as possible. Feeling tired and sore is normal but you can consult your doctor if it is getting out of hand too. Nonetheless, the end results will definitely be worth the wait and you can continue living a healthy life if you follow the post surgery instructions of your surgeon properly.

2. Not a weight loss treatment

You are mistaken if you have decided to undergo tummy tuck surgery for the sole purpose of losing weight from your midsection. This is a common misconception. Instead, the ideal candidates would have their goal weight within the permissible range but want to get away with their sagging skin on their belly anyhow. It will indeed remove excess fat from your abdominal region and will reduce the fat from the stubborn areas of fat that have remained unperturbed despite doing regular exercises and abiding by prescribed diets.  

We encourage body positivity and will only recommend this procedure if you wish to conduct a healthy life. Pregnancy and other unavoidable physical conditions might be restricting your daily life functionalities. Most surgeons advise you to gain or lose a certain pound to help your body adjust to the contouring. So, the surgery will make your body slimmer and thinner, but it will not lead to your weight loss. Moreover, you should make sure to have a steady weight for around six months from the day of surgery.

3. Be prepared for a permanent scar

Although this is a highly prestigious surgery, the incision will leave a scar along your abdomen. While it will fade out like any other scar, it will still be promptly there. Even the most experienced surgeon cannot stop this because no matter what precautions you take, an incision mark is inevitable.

The size and scalability of the scar will differ from patient to patient. Over the years, it might barely be visible but you will always know that this step assisted you in living a content life. Do not stress over this because just like stitches, it is absolutely normal yet inevitable!

4. Drains will be a temporary part of life

Whether you opt for tummy tuck or any other surgery, ensuring your safety and refraining from any irreversible body damages is always important. Surgeons hence place drains in the body after performing tummy tuck to avoid the accumulation of blood or fluid in the operated area. Your surgeon will discuss this with you in detail and suggest you all necessary things to follow too.

Although they are temporary, it is better not to overstep them. This is because ignoring the drains may increase the possibility of seromas or flood collection and the associated complications. For a normal lifestyle without complications post surgery, handling the drains carefully and with due attention is necessary. Your caregiver would need to learn about them to assist you in a proper manner.

Patients requiring the drains after the surgery can get rid of them in around 1 to 3 weeks depending on the individual healing tendency. One myth associated with the drain tubes is that its removal is painful. In fact, it is a painless procedure and the surgeon will hardly take a few seconds per side to take them out.

5. Know about the proper Tummy Tuck Diet

Once you undergo this surgery, starvation is not acceptable at all! A balanced diet ought to be an integral part of your lifestyle. It is important for your body to have nutrients in order to boost the immune system and speed up the recovery process. Take proper diet and consult your surgeon about it.

Consulting a dietician and following his instruction would also be equally advisable. You cannot just munch on anything particularly after removal of fat from your body just to make sure that those flabby areas do not reoccur. Usually, even before the surgery, the doctor will recommend not to eat much in order to prevent vomiting and nausea.

6. A big NO to smoking

No doubt, smoking is injurious to health and if you were mulling to opt for abdominoplasty, it would be no less than a sin to smoke. The risk of complications increases as smoking has a vasoconstriction effect, which decreases the oxygen to get into the cell. You need to stop smoking around three weeks prior to the surgery.

Even after the successful fat removal, the surgeons mostly recommend the patients to refrain from smoking for at least three weeks to ensure proper recovery. So if you too are one of those smokers, consume gum or nicotine patches, it is better to quit these habits for at least 6 weeks (before and after the surgery) if not for life.

7. Choose the surgeon cautiously

It is your body and you are opting to undergo permanent change in it. And, you must not settle down for the second best option. So, it is always good to select a certified and experienced surgeon for this surgery. Good reputation of the selected surgeon is important.

Make sure that the surgeon is duly qualified and has a decent standard of follow-up protocol. Abiding by the additional pointers mentioned here would be wise to follow:

• A board certified plastic surgeon will be the best to perform the surgery
• Find out about the style and approach that your chosen surgeon follows
• You should have complete trust on your surgeon, just like a family doctor
• The surgeon ought to be honest and must clear all your doubts before the treatment
• Make sure the surgery facility is duly accredited and accommodating

8. You need to have someone with you post surgery

For a comfortable as well as non-traumatic surgery period, it is always advisable to have someone to rely on. Consider your body as that of a newborn because you will have to abide by certain rules and regulations until you recover completely.

After the cosmetic surgeon tightens your stomach and proceeds to remove the excess fat from your body, you will need someone to help with your drains and daily chores. Driving will also be a problem until your full recovery, which necessitates the need for someone to take you along.

Indeed, you have an extremely sensitive body and after going under the knife for abdominoplasty or any other surgery, it becomes even more dependable. Having someone to help you with even the tiniest things will hence be the best option.

9. Select a proper surgical center

Choosing an apt surgical center is not that easy but it is of high importance. In fact, it ought to be one of your priorities so that the surgery could end with great satisfaction for you. Here are few points to ponder when it comes to selecting the concerned clinic or hospital

• Make sure that it is properly registered as per the requisite standards
• It must be NABH accredited to assure normal medical practice.
• The hospital must ensure night safety and basic amenities.
• It must possess advanced and technologically sound tools for the tummy tuck surgery
• It should have proper arrangements and equipment to deal with medical emergency

Takeaway

No area of your body is more exasperating than your stomach. The way you go through normal changes in your body like childbirth, aging process, weight loss, or excess skin, you see that it accumulates in our middle (tummy). To get rid of it, opting for tummy tuck surgery would be a feasible decision. It has become a successful surgical procedure owing to fewer complications and better results.

Nevertheless, any surgery has the associated risk factors and a surgeon would never recommend you to expect miracles. Therefore, it is better to have realistic expectations with the tummy tuck surgery. Make sure to come to the operation theater mentally and physically prepared.

If the surgery could help to drag you out of the body shaming issues or get you rid of unwanted fat, you should go for it. A candid discussion with the cosmetic surgeon would be better before proceeding with your decision. To know more about this treatment or to undergo this surgery, you can always get in touch with us. We can guide you about the best surgery options available.