Learn More About Abdominoplasty
Dr. Loffredo or Dr. Jones will need to examine you in order to determine which procedure is correct for you. However, there are some determining factors that can help predict which surgery you will need. The following are some useful questions and answers that will help you predict what surgery you will need.
Important Questions To Consider
Women who have had children are more likely to need an abdominoplasty than liposuction of the abdomen. In addition, the greater the number of children a woman has had or the larger she was during her pregnancy, the greater the chance she will need an abdominoplasty, not liposuction of the abdomen.
This is bulging of the true abdominal wall and is a common result of pregnancy. Since the baby is carried inside the true abdominal wall, often it does not go back to its original flat shape. All the diet and exercise in the world will not change this. Neither will liposuction of the abdomen. These women need an abdominoplasty that includes plication (tightening) of the true abdominal wall. Even the thinnest of mothers can be left with this problem, and it is not unusual for our surgeons at Cape and Islands Plastic Surgery to perform abdominoplasty surgery on thin, young mothers who had flat abdomens before being pregnant, but were left with a bulge after childbirth.
If there is any sag in the abdominal area, you will need an abdominoplasty. If Dr. Jones or Dr. Loffredo were to perform liposuction to an already sagging abdomen, the effect would be to cause even greater skin to sag.
The more overweight a woman is, the greater the chances are that she will need an abdominoplasty. Liposuction alone is limited in the amount of tissue that can be removed, while a significant amount of tissue and fat is removed during an abdominoplasty. Although the ideal patient for either an abdominoplasty or liposuction is one at her ideal weight, an abdominoplasty is much more effective on an overweight patient.
Gaining and losing large amounts of weight has a detrimental effect on the elasticity of the skin. The greater the weight gain, the longer the woman has been overweight and the greater the weight loss, the greater her chances are that she will need an abdominoplasty.
The older you are, the more likely it is that you will need an abdominoplasty. Skin loses its elasticity as we get older. Although Dr. Loffredo and Dr. Jones see an occasional woman in her 40′s or 50′s who is a candidate for liposuction of the abdomen, most candidates for liposuction of the abdomen are in their 20′s and 30′s. This does not mean that all young women can qualify for liposuction of the abdomen.
Should You Get An Abdominoplasty?
This is considered the gold standard of all the cosmetic surgery procedures of the abdomen. It is by far the surgery that accomplishes the most; however, it is also a longer and more involved surgery. Patients stay overnight in the hospital for one night. This way Dr. Jones and Dr. Loffredo can provide their abdominoplasty patients with appropriate pain control and the nursing care they need. Our surgeons usually recommend two weeks off from work.
An abdominoplasty removes sagging abdominal skin and fat. In addition, Dr. Loffredo and Dr. Jones plicate or tighten the true abdominal wall (muscle). This muscle often gets stretched out during pregnancy and does not go back to its original shape.
Another consideration that all women need to be aware of is that an abdominoplasty leaves a scar on the abdomen. In order to remove the excess skin, there needs to be a long incision. All incisions will leave a scar, though it will fade with time. Our surgeons will place the scar as low as possible.*
*Individual results may vary from person to person.
