What Any Prospective Patient Should Know About Getting a Tummy Tuck
Women these days are, as they always have been meticulous about their personal appearance. They go to the gym, try lots of fad diets, and still have trouble losing weight. The two main trouble spots (i.e. where fat tends to got) are the thighs and the stomach. When comparing the two, the stomach is fat more noticeable.
So, women start thinking of various ways to combat their tummy fat, and this is where the tummy tuck procedure comes in. The name itself makes it seem as if this is a simple procedure, but in actuality the tummy tuck (which, in medical jargon is called an "abdominoplasty") is a very intricate and major procedure for anyone who undergoes it.
Thus, for any woman who is thinking about having this procedure done (men can have it done too, but it is more common for a woman) it is important to understand what exactly a tummy tuck does. Yes, its name pretty much does sum up what the overall outcome should be – the procedure will not only tighten the abdominal muscles, but it will also eliminate the excess fat.
Obviously, such an outcome is very desirable to a lot of women. According to data compiled by the American Society of Plastic surgeons, in 2005, more than 130,000 abdominoplasties were performed in the Unites States. So, what is the procedure entail?
Usually, a general anesthetic is used for this procedure, since the patient would experience some discomfort otherwise. However, if the patient prefers, there is also sometimes the option of having a sedative paired with local anesthesia. When it comes to the length of the overall procedure, it will take up to five hours.
As for the actual incisions that are made, it is important to note that a tummy tuck is far from being a minimally invasive procedure. Two incisions are made, one from hip to hip, and the other vertically up to the rib cage. As a result, the patient will need a significant amount of time to properly recover from this procedure.
In general, the recovery time for most patients is, at the most, three weeks. It all depends on the individual person's ability to heal. Also, the patient should not expect immediate results, since the abdominal area will most likely be very swollen for the first few days.
Obviously, something that many people will want to know about this procedure is the amount of scarring that will take place. Well, scarring will be evident, and especially so within the first few months following the procedure. However, whatever scars that remain will be able to be hidden.
Another thing that a patient might want to consider is whether he or she in fact wants this procedure, or one that is less invasive. The ideal candidates for this procedure are significantly overweight, and have tried to maintain a healthy weight to no avail. However, while the results are permanent, it is very important to still keep eating healthy food and follow an exercise regimen.
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