subject: Which Works Better: Stomach Liposuction Or A Tummy Tuck? [print this page] Lots of people are looking to cosmetic surgery for solutions. Even with the economy in the middle of a downturn, many cosmetic surgery procedures are still on the rise. More and more people want a surgical solution that will fix the appearance of their body's problem areas.
As might be expected, one of the most common areas of complaint is the stomach. Men are genetically predisposed to carry more weight around their bellies than society tends to find ideal.
Although many women do not naturally display this same predisposition, many women find that they put on excess belly fat during pregnancy. These pregnancy fat deposits can be notoriously difficult to get rid of, even with regular, rigorous exercise and a healthy diet.
When one adds into the mix that many Americans are neither meticulous in their diet nor in their activity, it is entirely understandable that the belly is a common target site for cosmetic surgery.
There are a couple of competing surgical solutions to an bulging, unsightly belly. One is liposuction and another is an abdominoplasty, commonly referred to as a tummy tuck. This article will explore both of these procedures, noting pros and cons to each surgery and comparing them.
Liposuction is typically performed under local anesthesia. After numbing the abdomen, the surgeon makes a number of small incisions which frequently measure only millimeters long. Into these tiny incisions, he or she inserts a hollow needle called a cannula which suctions out fat from the abdomen. Liposuction tends not to leave much by the way of scarring because the incisions are so small.
By contrast, a tummy tuck is a much more major surgical procedure, and it is always performed under general anesthesia. During the operation, the surgeon cuts a large incision across the abdomen. Through this incision the surgeon removes excess tissue and firms the muscles of the abdomen. The doctor typically removes both fat and drooping skin before stitching the patient's abdomen back together.
Because of the large incision, there is typically a fairly large and visible scar which runs horizontally across the patient's abdomen. Because so much skin is loosed and then reattached, the stomach and belly button can sometimes take on a somewhat unusual appearance.
Tummy tucks are much more taxing on the body than liposuctions; tummy tuck patients experience much more pain and have a markedly longer recovery time. However, tummy tucks are better at certain things. Because liposuction only targets fat, it cannot remove the rolls of excess skin that some people develop on their abdomens.
Similarly, if pregnancies or other events have left a person's abdominal muscles weak and loose, a liposuction cannot tighten these muscles. Because tummy tucks remove skin, they can also remove stretch marks. The removal of excess skin and stretch marks and the tightening of the abdominal muscles make tummy tucks popular in "mommy makeovers."
However, liposuction also has a number of advantages. For many patients, the large scar and unnatural appearance that a tummy tuck can cause makes it less appealing than a liposuction.
Similarly, liposuction has far fewer serious complications. The additional trauma of tummy tucks and their use of general anesthesia make them more dangerous than liposuction. Additionally, liposuction tends to cost approximately half of the cost of a tummy tuck and it can get patients back to normal activities up to four times as fast as tummy tuck patients.
Liposuction patients often find that their results are satisfactory, even without the removal of skin and the tightening of muscles.
