Do I Need Liposuction or a Tummy Tuck?

With bikini season on the horizon, many women may be thinking more and more about ways to flatten and tone their midsection. Dieting and exercise can make a big difference for many women, but unfortunately for some, even all of this hard work doesn’t quite get them the body they want. For these women, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Traci Temmen is happy to offer a variety of plastic surgery options to improve the appearance of the abdomen, helping women finally achieve the body of their dreams! This post will discuss two of these options in detail to help prospective patients learn more about if liposuction or tummy tuck is the best option for them.

Liposuction is the most popular plastic surgery in the country, helping countless patients flatten and tone their tummy to get the body they want. While there are many different types of liposuction advertised on the internet, most of them operate by the same basic concept of first infusing a solution that helps break up the fat, and then suctioning out the unwanted fat along with the solution. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Traci Temmen utilizes a technique called tumescent liposuction in her practice. This methodology is the top choice of many plastic surgeons as it is a safe, reliable, and consistently produces a natural looking and attractive result. In this method, a large volume of salt solution that includes local anesthetic (lidocaine) and a drug that constricts blood vessels (epinephrine) is first injected into the areas where fat will be removed. The lidocaine helps to reduce pain when the patient wakes up, the epinephrine decreases bleeding, and the salt solution helps separate the fat from the underlying tissues to facilitate removal. Liposuction is then performed to gently suction out the solution and the broken up fat. After liposuction is complete, Dr. Temmen ensures equal redistribution of the thin layer of natural fat that remains in order to ensure a smooth, flawless result.

In contrast to liposuction which works by suctioning out fat, a tummy tuck also surgically removes excess unwanted tissue and skin. In this procedure, Dr. Temmen starts with liposuction as described above to begin flattening the belly and sculpting the abdomen into an attractive hourglass. Once liposuction is complete, she then performs the “tummy tuck” part of the procedure by making a low horizontal incision on the abdomen under the bikini line. This allows excess sagging tissue and skin to be removed and the remaining tissue to be pulled neatly together to tighten and tone the abdomen. For women who have separation of the abdominal muscles secondary to pregnancy, weight gain, or aging, Dr. Temmen can also surgically pull these muscles back together to further cinch in the waistline. Women are typically very happy with their flattened, toned stomach created through tummy tuck, and are amazed that their resulting scar is shorter than that for a C-section, and easily concealed beneath most underwear or bathing suit bottoms.

Now that we have laid out the basics of these two procedures, let’s discuss the reasons why one might be a better fit over another for a given patient. Liposuction is a great option for women who wish to remove some stubborn fat deposits from their abdomen, but overall are happy with their overall abdominal tone. This means good candidates for liposuction generally don’t have a lot of loose hanging skin on their abdomen that they wish to remove, as that can only be accomplished through a tummy tuck. Women better suited to a tummy tuck may have extra sagging skin and tissue that has been stretched out by past weight gain or pregnancy that can be removed during this procedure. An additional factor some patients may want to consider is scar placement and size. Liposuction is accomplished through tiny laparoscopic incisions that are each only a few millimeters big. Tummy tuck also utilizes these small incisions for the liposuction portion of the procedure, but additionally requires the longer low transverse incision described above. Therefore, liposuction may be a more appealing option for those who really want their scars to be as tiny as possible. That being said, most women are very pleased with their tummy tuck scar since it is so easily hidden beneath standard underwear, and blends very well with the natural skin creases of the lower abdomen.

Liposuction and tummy tuck are both great options for patients to consider for flattening and smoothing their midsection. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Traci Temmen specializes in these procedures and prides herself in creating beautiful results her patients are happy with. To view real life examples of patient transformations, explore the Gallery tab of this website and see the amazing results for yourself! To learn more about if you may be a candidate for one of these life-changing procedures, call 813-771-6393 to book your one-on-one consultation with Traci Temmen, MD today.