Loose, sagging skin and stubborn deposits of fat on your stomach are likely to make you look heavier and less athletic. Further, the extra fat and skin around your stomach can make it difficult to find flattering, attractive outfits. If you would like to achieve a slimmer, more attractive physique, you should consider receiving a tummy tuck from Dr. Gutowski in Glenview, Illinois.
How Many Sizes Do You Lose With a Tummy Tuck?
During a tummy tuck, we will eliminate unnecessary skin and fat that appears in your abdominal area. Scientists call this procedure an abdominoplasty. These changes will contour your body and flatten your stomach. As a result, your clothing will fit better after you recover from this cosmetic procedure.
Since we will use customized techniques to change your stomach, the number of clothing sizes that you lose will vary. However, it’s common to lose about two or three clothing sizes after you are fully recovered.
Further, once you have shed your unwanted stomach fat and tightened your loose skin, you will probably gain confidence and feel more attractive. Your growing self-esteem will help you eat balanced meals and adopt a regular exercise routine. As you take better care of yourself, your body will continue to improve.
What Techniques Will Be Used During My Procedure?
We often use a special technique called a no-drain tummy tuck to transform your silhouette. This technique helps your skin and tissues heal in a quick, efficient manner. As a result, you won’t have to spend a long time recovering from this procedure.
Preparing for Your Aesthetic Procedure
You’ll receive anesthesia before we begin to improve your stomach. During your first meeting with us, we will discuss different medications and techniques that can be used to keep you sedated throughout this process. We will recommend an anesthesia option that will fit your personal goals and needs.
Improving Your Stomach
After the anesthesia has relaxed you, we will use liposuction to remove unwanted fat from your abdominal area. Liposuction is a specialized technique that suctions away some of the extra fat cells in your body.
In addition to removing some of your abdominal fat, we will make a horizontal incision into the skin that appears below your belly button. We will use this incision to strengthen the muscles in your abdomen. We will also reposition some of the skin on your abdomen. After we have moved these tissues, we will eliminate some of the extra skin on your stomach.
Closing Your Incisions
Once we have finished improving your stomach, we will carefully close the incision that is located below your belly button. We will monitor your reaction to this procedure as the anesthesia wears off and you begin to wake up.
What Is the Best Way to Get Ready for My Procedure?
Since your abdominal procedure will be designed to correct the unique stomach issues that are bothering you, you’ll receive personalized preparation instructions before you get your procedure. That said, there are some general guidelines that you should consider when you are getting ready to transform your abdomen.
Adjust Your Blood-Thinning Medications
When you schedule your procedure, you should tell us about all of the medications and supplements that you are currently taking. Depending on the type of medications that you are using, we may instruct you to change your medical routine before you get this procedure.
For instance, aspirin, ibuprofen, vitamin E, and other blood-thinning supplements and medications can interfere with your recovery process. Accordingly, you might need to avoid these substances for two weeks before and after your procedure.
Avoid Cigarettes
The nicotine contained in cigarettes will change the behavior of your blood vessels and increase your blood pressure. These changes will reduce the nutrients and oxygen that your stomach tissues receive.
To ensure that your body is in peak condition during your recovery period, you should quit smoking for six weeks before your appointment. You’ll also need to avoid smoking for six weeks after your procedure.
What Rules Should I Follow During My Recovery Period?
Create a Support System
You will feel very groggy and tired once you wake up. At this point, you will not be able to drive a car. Further, you will not be allowed to lift items that weigh more than ten pounds for the next several weeks.
Obtaining help from your family members and friends during your recovery time will allow you to rest as your body heals. Your friends can drive you home from your procedure and stay with you for the initial twenty-four hours of your recovery period. Further, while your stomach is healing, your friends and relatives can help you with household chores, meal preparation, childcare, and other tasks.
Care for Your Incision
You’ll receive a horizontal incision on your stomach during this procedure. Since this incision will be located below your belly button, you will be able to cover this area of your stomach with clothing.
That said, you should use specialized techniques to support your body as your incision heals. For instance, we might tell you to avoid exposing your stomach to sunlight during the next several weeks. Further, we may instruct you to administer special skincare products on your abdomen. After three weeks, we may advise you to begin massaging this area several times a day.
Avoid Harsh Products
We will probably tell you not to use creams or lotions that contain vitamin E on your stomach during your recovery period. This ingredient can irritate the tissues in this area and delay the healing process.
Wear a Wrap
We may also instruct you to wear a special wrap at all times during the next four to seven days. After this point, we may advise you to wear this wrap for about twelve to twenty hours a day for the next three months.
When Will I Feel Ready to Go Back to Work?
The amount of time that you take off from your job will depend on the type of tasks that you perform at work, the speed of your body’s healing process, and your personal preferences.
If you work at a sedentary job that doesn’t involve lifting heavy objects or performing other physically demanding tasks, you might be able to return to your job after about one or two weeks. If your job is physically challenging, you should be prepared to take more time off.
When Will I See the Final Results of My Abdominal Procedure?
If we removed a large amount of unwanted fat and skin from your stomach, you will notice immediate improvements in your abdomen. However, you will not see the final changes in your abdomen right away.
It’s common for the tissues in your stomach to take a while to completely recover from your tuck. As your body heals over the next several weeks, your stomach will gradually become slimmer and firmer. After several months, you are likely to see the final changes in your stomach.
Am I Eligible for This Abdominal Procedure?
If you don’t like the way that your stomach looks, you might benefit from getting this aesthetic procedure. To obtain the best results from your tuck, you should be in good physical health.
In addition, you should be confident in your ability to keep your weight stable and healthy. Avoiding large fluctuations in your weight in the years after you receive this procedure will enable you to maintain your tight, firm abdomen for a longer period of time.
Will My Health Insurance Cover the Cost of This Procedure?
If this procedure is used to address medical conditions that affect your stomach, your health insurance may cover the cost of your tuck. For example, this procedure can be used to improve a hernia between your stomach muscles. We can also use abdominoplasty to improve dermatitis or other skin issues that are caused by the loose skin and fat on your lower abdomen.
If your insurance will not pay for your procedure, you shouldn’t feel worried. We can help you find financing options that will allow you to cover the cost of your abdominoplasty.
Can I Get Pregnant After I Receive This Procedure?
Getting this abdominal procedure will not prevent you from having successful pregnancies in the future. However, when you are pregnant, your growing child will put extra pressure on the muscles in your stomach. Further, the skin on your abdomen will stretch as your body changes during the next nine months. These changes may weaken the muscles in your stomach and cause you to develop loose skin.
Accordingly, you might achieve better, more lasting results if you get this cosmetic procedure after you have already had children. Waiting until this stage in your life will help you reverse the changes that you’ve experienced during your pregnancies and look more youthful and slim.
Can I Get Other Cosmetic Procedures When I Receive My Tuck?
We can usually combine your tuck with other aesthetic procedures. For example, during a mommy makeover, we can use a variety of techniques to correct the changes that you’ve experienced during pregnancy and give you a fitter, more youthful-looking body. This makeover will frequently include a tummy tuck in addition to other procedures that enhance your chest, buttocks, and other areas of your body.
Lift Your Breasts
Going through a pregnancy can cause your breasts to sag. Further, you can develop sagging breasts as your skin’s elasticity decreases over time. We can use this procedure to raise your breasts and eliminate excess skin from your chest. In addition, we can use breast augmentation to enhance your cup size.
Reduce Your Fat
We will use liposuction to remove unwanted fat from your stomach during your tuck. In addition to contouring your abdomen, we can use this fat reduction method to sculpt other areas of your body. For example, if you don’t like the size of your thighs, we can remove fat from this location with liposuction.
Enhance Your Buttocks
We can use some of the fat that we suctioned out with liposuction to add volume to your buttocks. This procedure, which is known as a Brazilian butt lift, will give you attractive, fuller buttocks.
Contour Your Stomach
If you don’t like the way that your stomach looks after you’ve lost a significant amount of weight, given birth, or experienced other life changes, you should consider getting a tummy tuck. Strengthening your stomach muscles, shedding your extra fat, and tightening your skin will transform your body and boost your self-esteem. To learn how we can use this technique to firm your stomach, contact us at Dr. Gutowski in Glenview, Illinois to schedule a consultation.