What You Need to Know About Liposuction and Tummy Tucks

If you’re like most people, diet and exercise may not be enough to achieve your ideal weight & body goals. Stubborn areas of fat won’t move, loose skin won’t tighten, and an overall plateau is hit. That’s when you may consider plastic surgery to get you to the place where you are not just content but enthused about your body.

If you’re getting a tummy tuck, you might be wondering about liposuction too. Every individual has unique circumstances and goals. Because of this, a double procedure won’t be right for everyone. By educating yourself about the procedures, you can make an informed decision about the right approach for you.

How Does Liposuction or a Tummy Tuck Work?

There’s a common misconception that these two procedures are the same. It’s true that they both slim your waistline and help with contouring, but there are important differences.

Liposuction

When a person undergoes liposuction, their doctor uses a suction method to isolate and remove certain fat pockets that aren’t diminishing after diet and exercise. Used by itself, liposuction can smooth love handles, belly fat, and back rolls. However, if you’ve just lost a lot of weight or been pregnant, liposuction won’t help with the muscle laxity or extra skin.

Tummy Tuck

Rather than removing fat alone, a tummy tuck removes the excess skin to make your waist look smooth and flat. During pregnancy, most women experience a loosening or total separation of their abdominal muscles. If you have lost a massive amount of weight, you may also experience loose skin in this area. A tummy tuck removes excess skin and tightens muscles back up so that your stomach looks toned. Since this contouring procedure doesn’t specifically address fat, it probably won’t give you full satisfaction if you’re bothered by stubborn fat deposits.

When a Combined Liposuction and Tummy Tuck Can Help You Achieve Your Dream Body

Both of these procedures help to contour and tone the body. But they each address different issues. Liposuction addresses fat deposits that can’t be diminished through exercise, while a tummy tuck repairs muscles and removes excess skin.

If you only have issues with stubborn fat pockets, liposuction alone is effective. Similarly, if your only concerns are your musculature and toned skin, a tummy tuck can help. But if you want to address all of these areas, combining the procedures is an easy way to achieve results you can’t get with just one or the other.

Combining the procedures can actually be easier than undergoing just one in some circumstances. By using layered suturing, your surgeon can avoid needing to implement post-surgical drains. That makes the recovery process cleaner, safer, and shorter.

How to Choose the Right Surgeon

When picking a plastic surgeon for your procedure, you should make sure they’re board-certified and have a good deal of experience performing these procedures. If you are looking for a board-certified plastic surgeon in the Newport Beach, CA area, contact Dr. Cruise for your consultation.