subject: Preparing Your Body For Abdominoplasty [print this page] Once you are ready to go under the knife for liposuction, have saved your money, and have taken the time off work, you may be wondering what you can do to prepare your body for the surgery. Abdominoplasty is not an extremely difficult or strenuous surgery, but there are still a few preparation steps to follow. By preparing our body first, you can lower your recovery times and improve your potential results post surgery.
One of the first things you can do is to stop smoking. Of course, if you smoke, you probably already know that you should stop. However, stopping before this particular surgery is very important. Not only does smoking make your recovery time longer, but there are some rare but very dangerous side effects that can crop up if you do not stop smoking prior to this particular surgery. You will look and feel better after surgery if you take the necessary steps to stop smoking, and you may be able to kick the nasty habit for good if you do so.
Before scheduling your abdominoplasty, talk to your surgeon about the medications you are on. Some medications, especially those that thin or clot the blood, can be dangerous prior to this procedure. If your medication will complicate your surgery or your recovery, talk to your doctor about finding a replacement medication that will not bring these complications. If possible, stop the dangerous medication prior to surgery, and long enough before surgery that the effects will be out of your body. However, never stop prescription medications without first talking to your doctor.
You are having liposuction to help your body look more trim and fit. You can move this along by jumping into a healthy exercise routine. This does two things for your body. First, a healthy body that is not hanging on to too much excess fat is going to recover from any surgery much more quickly. Second, it will also improve your aesthetic results. This particular surgery was designed to remove deposits of fat that do not respond to diet and exercise. If you take care of the other fat through diet and exercise, you are going to look even better after you are done.
Consider abdominoplasty like spot treating for fat. You are not going to lose ten or more pounds with this surgery. Rather, you are going to lose around four pounds, if that, from a highly targeted area. That is why it is best for those who are near their target weights, rather than those who are extremely overweight. That is also why starting and exercise program in the months prior to having the procedure is so valuable.
If you are considering an abdominoplasty, you should also know that the procedure will not necessarily remove your fat permanently. The cells that are suctioned out in the surgery are gone for good, but without a healthy lifestyle afterwards, you can grow new ones. To make sure your results are truly permanent, your best bet is to maintain your healthy diet after your surgery is complete.
