It’s time for a tummy tuck. Also called abdominoplasty, a tummy tuck is a surgical procedure that addresses the abdominal area’s loose skin, fat, and muscle laxity. If you’ve lost significant weight or have experienced pregnancy, a tummy tuck can help you repair abdominal changes and restore a tighter, flatter tummy.
Choosing a tummy tuck isn’t the right choice for every patient, but this procedure is transformative when the timing is right. As you learn more about abdominoplasty and prepare for your consultation, consider the following factors to ensure you’re ready for this procedure.
Are You Finished Bearing Children?
Pregnancy is a time of dramatic change for the body. As your baby grows, the abdomen rapidly expands. This expansion stretches skin, muscle, and abdominal tissues. An abdominoplasty repairs damage from past pregnancies, but it cannot prevent future damage from occurring. Getting pregnant after a tummy tuck can cause skin laxity and muscle separation to reoccur.
For long-lasting results from your tummy tuck, we recommend waiting for abdominoplasty until you are no longer planning to become pregnant.
Have You Achieved Your Goal Weight?
When you’re at your goal weight before surgery, your surgeon can contour and shape your abdomen. After surgery, gaining or losing weight will change the contours your surgeon expertly creates. For the best results from your tummy tuck, lose any weight you’re hoping to lose before surgery, and maintain a stable and consistent weight after your procedure.
Do You Want to Pair Your Tummy Tuck with Other Procedures?
What procedures can you pair with a tummy tuck? Many of our surgical treatments can be performed at the same time as an abdominoplasty, including:
Bring your plastic surgery wish list to your consultation, and ask your surgeon which procedures can be paired together. Many of our female patients with young children choose to turn their tummy tuck into a mommy makeover and address post-pregnancy changes with breast surgery, tummy tuck, and liposuction combination.
Are You a Good Candidate for a Tummy Tuck?
When thinking about plastic surgery, it is important to consider your health and lifestyle to ensure that a tummy tuck is a good fit.
- You do not smoke, vape, or use nicotine products
- You are willing to take 1-2 weeks off from work for recovery
- You are in good overall health, and all chronic health conditions are well managed and under control
- You have loose skin or muscle separation in the abdominal area
- You want to create a flatter, tighter-looking tummy.
We’ll talk about your candidacy for tummy tuck surgery during your consultation to ensure this procedure is suitable for you.
Learn More About an Ann Arbor Tummy Tuck
When you’re ready for your tummy tuck, Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery is here for you. Our board-certified plastic surgeons, Dr. Malhotra and Dr. Ballard, have performed countless tummy tuck procedures on men and women throughout Michigan.
To get started with your tummy transformation, contact Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery to schedule a consultation. Call our office at (734) 436-2186 or contact us online. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
