At Dr. Kadz Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, CA, Tummy tuck specials in California we have a lot of individuals looking to remove excess abdominal skin, correct lower back pain, and boost the overall appearance of their waistline. They are aware that a tummy tuck could greatly improve their aesthetic and overall health. But they also have a few questions. Read further to learn everything about this procedure.
The Amount of Weight You Can Lose After a Tummy Tuck
One of the most common questions patients ask Dr. Bruce Kadz is how much weight they’re likely to lose after a tummy tuck. The truth is that you might lose weight after a tummy tuck, but not that much. The number of pounds you lose from this surgery, also known as abdominoplasty, depends on a range of factors. Some of these factors include how much tummy skin you have, how much weight you need to lose, and the type of abdominoplasty you undergo. Overall, you should expect to shed off anywhere from 4-15 pounds with an abdominoplasty.
Abdominoplasty is an excellent choice for those who want to tighten and flatten their abdominal areas. However, while the surgery can boost your efforts to lose weight, it shouldn’t be viewed as an all-inclusive weight loss treatment. What abdominoplasty can do, though, is complement your body-contouring goals.
How Much Extra Skin Do You Have?
Ever wondered how much of the extra skin around your belly weighs? Ideally, patients that have lost weight successfully often have a lot of unnecessary tummy skin. The amount of weight you’ll shed off after your surgery will vary depending on the amount of extra skin you have.
Naturally, post-bariatric patients lose more pounds as they have more tummy skin. Some lose 10-15 pounds from their surgery. Those choosing a tummy tuck to regain their body shape due to pregnancies or aging lose fewer pounds. Some don’t even notice any signs of weight loss, and others experience a nominal weight loss; usually five pounds or less. Often, this surgery stimulates future weight loss, making it simpler and more comfortable to stretch.
What Type of Tummy Tuck Should You Get?
Based on your aesthetic objective, Dr. Bruce will recommend one of the following abdominoplasties available:
1. Full or Classic Abdominoplasty
A full abdominoplasty is utilized when you want to address the section above and below your belly button, the entire abdominal line’s length. Patients who opt for a full abdominoplasty mostly want to address excess skin and general tummy roundness.
2. Mini Abdominoplasty
This type of abdominoplasty involves fewer incisions than a full abdominoplasty and is intended to improve only the lower section of the belly. This makes the surgery perfect for individuals who want to get rid of their “pooches,” stretch marks, or tiny bulges.
Dr. Bruce can tighten loose tummy muscles through an incision around the belly button (typically a low horizontal incision) and remove unwanted skin, resulting in a smoother, firmer lower tummy.
3. Extended Abdominoplasty
The extended abdominoplasty is ideal when the procedure’s goals are to address the abdomen while concurrently targeting the hips and flanks. To perform this procedure, we often extend the horizontal incision sideways and include a longer, vertical incision.
This makes it possible for Dr. Kadz to remove excess skin from the lower and upper abdominal area as well as the hips, all while tightening the abdominal muscles and walls.
Who Should Get a Tummy Tuck?
Abdominoplasty is meant to tighten the abdominal muscles and eliminate loose skin for a firmer and slimmer waistline. This surgery is highly customizable, depending on your preferred outcome. Some options, as mentioned above, include the mini tuck, full tuck, and extended abdominoplasty. Each comes with its unique advantages, all of which will be explained to you before the procedure.
Cosmetic surgery like abdominoplasty is a personal decision that must be taken seriously. During an abdominoplasty consultation, Dr. Bruce will perform an assessment and determine which technique is ideal for you. It is also vital to inform us about your entire medical history, including any medications you’re currently taking. This enables us to give you realistic timelines and expectations about your results.
The perfect candidates for an abdominoplasty:
- Are in overall good health
- Are in a stable weight
- Have realistic expectations about the procedure
- Have a protruding tummy
- Recently had a baby
- Have loose or hanging skin around their tummy
How Abdominoplasty Surgery Is Performed
On the day of the procedure, we will start by administering general anesthesia. We will then make an incision just above the pubic region. Typically, Dr. Kadz places incisions in areas that are easily hidden in swimsuits or undergarments.
If you have stretched out or separated abdominal muscles, these will be reconstructed during the procedure. Liposuction might be performed for minimal amounts of stubborn fat. Any excess skin is then removed before the incisions are stitched back meticulously. Abdominoplasties are outpatient procedures and only take a couple of hours to finish.
Weight Loss Before and During Abdominoplasty
Whether you’re considering a full or mini abdominoplasty, we recommend that you lose weight prior to your surgery. This makes it easy for you to achieve the most dramatic tummy tightening and body transformation. Moreover, because obesity leads to increased health risks before and after the procedure, sustaining a healthy body mass index will help you ensure safe and quick healing.
Patients who opt for a full abdominoplasty are more likely to have a larger mass of skin removed, and bigger people have a larger surface area. During the surgery, supplementary liposuction is usually performed along with the tummy tuck to sculpt the waistline further. You may expect to shed some weight this way, though the notable difference in the way your pants fit afterward will make you feel revived even if you don’t see a huge difference on the scale.
Maintaining Your Abdominoplasty Results
To ensure that you maintain your abdominoplasty results, it is imperative to follow all aftercare instructions provided by Dr. Kadz. Taking good care not to increase the intake of calories while you are recuperating will help you prevent new fat cells from showing.
A healthy, well-balanced diet coupled with a regular workout is an essential key to making sure that you feel as great as you look and maintain the benefits of your surgery for a long time. It is also recommended that women wait until they are through with having kids before undergoing a tummy tuck. Future pregnancies are safe and healthy, but they can alter the results of your abdominoplasty.
Everything Else You Need to Know
Whether your pooch was caused by significant weight loss, a pregnancy, or genetics, tightening lax muscles and removing excess skin can provide both mental and physical benefits. If you’ve been thinking about getting an abdominoplasty but are still not sure, knowing a few more things about the procedure may help you to make a decision.
You’ll Need Help Back Home for the First Few Days
Most abdominoplasties are outpatient procedures, which means you’ll go home right after the surgery. For this reason, you’ll need to have someone there to help you with chores for the first few days, if not a whole week. We recommend that you don’t lift anything over 10 pounds for the first six weeks or so, which is an important consideration for women with young children.
There Are Different Types of Incision Scars
As mentioned earlier, your scar size and location will vary, depending on the form of abdominoplasty you need. For a traditional tuck, the scar will be from one hip to the other, and we will do our best to ensure it is covered under the bikini line. In addition, you will have a scar near your belly button.
For those who need just a tiny amount of muscle tightens and skin removed, a mini-abdominoplasty can be an option. A mini-abdominoplasty is one in which there’s a very tiny amount of skin excess, typically below your belly button. The procedure leaves a scar a bit longer than a C-section scar.
Patients seeking an abdominoplasty after weight loss surgery or considerable weight loss can expect a big, T-shaped upside-down scar across the abdomen. This is because there’s vertical and horizontal skin excess, which extends to the abdomen midline.
Choosing the Right Surgeon Is Important
Finding a certified plastic surgeon can be more daunting than you’d think. While the terms are often used interchangeably, a cosmetic surgeon and a plastic surgeon are not the same things. Likewise, a practitioner might claim to be “board-certified” by an organization that isn’t recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).
This reputable body recognizes only one plastic surgery board in America–the America Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). Fortunately for all patients looking for abdominoplasty services in Beverly Hills, Dr. Bruce Kadz is certified by the ABPS and always ready to help you attain the waistline of your dreams.
Surgical Drains Will Be Intact for the First Week or Two
After the procedure, we will put in place surgical drains to eliminate any buildup of fluid or blood. This helps to keep swelling at a minimum while ensuring full healing. Although temporary, the drains require proper attention and care. Before surgery, Dr. Kadz will discuss the importance of drains and how to care for them, including any limitations when taking a shower. In most instances, the drains are painlessly removed in just under two weeks.
Expect Benefits Beyond the Physical Transformation
Of course, you’ll feel a lot more confident in your clothes after an abdominoplasty, like most of our patients do. However, surgery can also offer several medical benefits. Abdominoplasty might help with urinary incontinence, and the procedure can also help improve the strength and support of your body’s core. For patients suffering from diastasis, repairing loose abdominal skin can help boost stability and reduce bloating and back pain.
The Cost of an Abdominoplasty Varies
As pointed out earlier, there are different types of abdominoplasties, which only means that no two procedures cost the same. The cost of this procedure in Beverly Hills is usually determined by the complexity of each patient’s surgery and physical traits.
Find Out More or Get Started Today
The power of an abdominoplasty is that it can help you attain your aesthetic goals and improve self-confidence, which can immensely boost your life quality. Prospective abdominoplasty patients who take to heart all the information written above can be sure to meet their health expectations, improve their results, and better their overall weight loss experience.
If you’re interested in a tummy tuck near me with a certified and experienced plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, contact Dr. Bruce Kadz today. We will gladly answer any questions that you might have about this procedure.