Everyone gets a little stomach pooch at some point. If you’ve been pregnant and had a couple children, it’s almost a certainty. If you’ve gained and then lost a good deal of weight, same thing. General aging will also eventually deliver a small pooch as the muscles and skin in the area weaken. The issue is the skin; once it’s been stretched for a long period, it can’t tighten back down to its former degree of tautness.
That’s where a tummy tuck with Dr. Lavey comes in.
What’s a tummy tuck?
The main job of a tummy tuck is to remove excess skin that has become loose and saggy. This is in contrast to liposuction, whose goal is to remove pockets of fat, but not any skin.
To remove the skin, Dr. Lavey obviously needs to make an incision. Depending on how much of the abdomen area he seeks to address, the incision length can vary. For patients with more minimal sagging, a shorter incision along the bikini line will suffice. For those with universal sagging skin, the incision may circle the entire lower abdomen. This length of incision gives Dr. Lavey access to the abdomen, flanks, lower back, and buttocks.
What about fat?
Some tummy tucks include the removal of excess fat. Dr. Lavey prefers to remove the excess fat in the center of the abdomen surgically and the excess fat of the sides with liposuction. He believes this delivers the smoothest, most accurate, and effective contouring of the area while still reducing the fat.
What about muscle?
Dr. Lavey also tightens the abdominal muscles when performing tummy tucks. He brings the muscles in the center of the abdomen closer together. They’ve usually been separated by surgery or due to the outward pushing of a developing baby during pregnancy.
Healing
Patients wear a custom girdle for 2-3 weeks after surgery. Bruising in the center of the abdomen will last 1-2 weeks. Areas that have received liposuction will stay bruised for up to 3 weeks. Pain in the abdomen from both the surgery and liposuction can last from 7-10 days. Most patients return to work in two weeks or so. Heavy lifting and strenuous exercise, however, must wait for 4-6 months.
Want to get rid of the pooch? Call Dr. Lavey at 925-820-3633 and schedule a tummy tuck consultation.
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