Liposuction or Tummy Tuck
Abdominoplasty or liposculpture. Dr John Barrett of Palm Clinic discusses the process on deciding whether it is better to have a tummy tuck or liposuction. The main indication for liposuction is to remove unwanted fat to produce a more youthful contour whereas the main indication for a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) is to remove excess skin and this is often combined with liposuction to remove unwanted fat at the same time.
The risk profile for the two procedures is significantly different. A tummy tuck is a relatively major procedure with significant downtime and produces a very large scar running across the lower abdomen from hip to hip, plus around the belly button (umbilicus) which is generally repositioned. Liposuction or liposculpture by comparison is a relatively minor procedure and most clients can return to work within three days and there is seldom any visible scarring from liposuction after a few months. There are risks for both procedures which would be discussed in depth at an initial consultation.
For those patients with a large overhang (pannus) or very poor skin tone a tummy tuck would clearly give a better result. For those with a small overhang and/or moderate to good skin tone liposuction will generally give a good enough result to warrant avoiding the tummy tuck procedure.
It is important to assess patient expectations before deciding on which procedure would be appropriate and I typically use the Palm Clinic before and after gallery to explain likely outcomes for the individual being consulted.
You can see in the accompanying abdomen before and after photos that this lady has a very large overhang and the best result for her would have been obtained by a tummy tuck but she did not want the added risk, cost or downtime so elected to have liposuction alone and was extremely pleased with the outcome.
If you press Continue Reading you will see the other before and after abdomen liposculpture shows a women with very good skin tone and an excellent result was achieved by liposuction alone. For further results please view Palm Clinics liposuction photo gallery.
