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A FLATTER STOMACH
How to determine if liposuction or a tummy tuck is what you need.
If you are like most Americans you would like a flatter stomach. Diet and exercise are important to reach this goal but sometimes are not enough. If you have had children or are approaching 40 you may need some surgical help.
There are three basic types of procedures that address unwanted tissue in the abdomen.
Liposuction
 The first is liposuction alone. Liposuction can be used if the abdominal muscles are tight, or can be made tight enough with exercise, and there isn’t excess skin that needs to be removed. Often liposuction of the abdomen is done in conjunction with liposuction of the flanks (love handles, upper hips) to give a balanced result. The key is determining if your skin will retract after the procedure and if your muscles are capable of tightening effectively. The procedure is done under general anesthesia using tumescent fluid (a mixture of saline (dilute salt water), lidocaine (an anesthetic to numb the tissue) and epinephrine (adrenaline, to constrict the small vessels). The tumescent fluid is injected into the fat using a small blunt needle passed through very small incisions. A liposuction cannula is then used to evenly suction the fat from the area. A compression garment is placed around the area and worn for one to three weeks while you recover. The procedure is not very painful and most people describe the feeling as if they had a strenuous workout and ended up with sore muscles.
Mini-Tummy Tuck
 A mini-tummy-tuck is used when the muscles are lax, especially the abdominal muscles below the belly button and there is a small amount of abdominal skin that you would like to have removed. This is often seen in thin women who have had a C-section or abdominal surgery with a low “bikini cut” incision. In this situation there isn’t enough excess abdominal skin to warrant a large removal and the belly button is fine in its current position. The procedure is done by first removing sub-cutaneous fat using liposuction. A low, short, transverse incision is made removing any old scar that is present and the muscles of the lower abdomen tightened with hidden stitches. The excess skin and fat is removed and the incision is closed without visible stitches (skin weaving). This has the advantage of a short scar and a fairly quick recovery due to the small amount of undermining that is needed.
Full Tummy Tuck
A full tummy tuck is needed when there is excess skin and fat in addition to loose abdominal muscles that are not improved with exercise. Many times the muscles have been stretched beyond their ability to recover and no amount of exercise will help. In this case an incision is made in the fold of skin that overlaps the pubic area. Liposuction is then employed to thin the upper abdomen and flanks. The muscles are then tightened using internal stitches and the excess skin and fat removed with the patient in the semi sitting (lawn chair) position. The resulting scar is long but usually very thin. The belly button is brought up in it’s normal position. Recovery time is longer for this procedure (2 to 3 weeks) but the results can be dramatic.
All three of these procedures are usually performed in an outpatient setting.
Safety is our number one concern and should be yours also. We insist in doing all of our surgeries in a hospital owned facility www.suburbanhospital.org/services/outpatient_center.html with state of the art equipment, specialized nurses and staff, and board certified anesthesiologists. You deserve nothing less.
Cosmetic Surgery Associates.
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