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Types of Tummy Tucks Explained

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Bloomfield Hills, MI – For people who are concerned about loose skin around their middle, a tummy tuck is a wonderful plastic surgery option. It is also a great solution for women who have weakened abdominal muscles after pregnancy. It can provide a beautifully contoured figure, but there is more than one type of tummy tuck.

“An abdominoplasty removes loose skin, tightens muscles and removes stubborn pockets of fat,” says Bloomfield Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Ali. “Each patient has different needs and different post-surgery goals, so we tailor our approach to meet those needs. At your initial consultation, your plastic surgeon can explain the main approaches and help you choose the one that is best for you.”

The Mini
The mini tummy tuck removes a smaller portion of skin and requires a smaller incision. They are ideal for patients who are healthy and at or near their ideal weight, but have a stubborn pouch of fat around their mid-section.

The surgeon makes an incision in the lower abdominal wall to the belly button. Then, excess skin will be removed, muscles will be tightened, and the skin will be pulled tight to close the incision. Recovery times vary, but most patients can return to normal daily activities in about a week.

The Traditional
The traditional tummy tuck is ideal for patients who are healthy, but who have a more substantial amount of loose skin to be removed. It is typically used on patients who have lost a significant amount of weight, or women who have excess fat or weak abdominal muscles following a pregnancy.

The incision will be slightly larger than with a mini tummy tuck, and is typically a straight line running from hip bone to hip bone. The surgeon may use liposuction to remove excess fat. Excess skin will be removed and abdominal muscles will be tightened before closing the incision.

Because a larger portion of extra skin is removed, the belly button will most likely be repositioned. The average recovery time is about four weeks.

The Extended
An extended tummy tuck is for patients who have a significant amount of loose, sagging skin in their midsection, as well as their hips and lower back. Excess fat in these areas will also be removed during the procedure.

A long incision is made that reaches around the hips to the lower back. Liposuction will remove excess fat and drain an excess fluid in the area. The muscles will be tightened in both the abdomen and around the hips, and loose skin will be removed before closing the incision. The belly button will also be repositioned.

Recovery typically involves a short stay in the hospital, followed by about a month of at-home recovery. Before beginning activities that require physical exertion, patients must be cleared by their surgeon.

At your initial consultation with Dr. Ali, he will discuss what procedure will be best for you. He’ll take into account the amount of skin that needs to be removed, as well as the integrity of the abdominal muscles.

If you are interested in removing excess fat and sculpting your mid-section, schedule a consultation with Dr. Ali.

© 2016 Millionairium and Dr. Ali. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Millionairium and Dr. Ali are credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this document is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

Mother Breastfeeding Baby In Nursery

When Can I Have a Tummy Tuck After Having a Baby?

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Bloomfield Hills, MI – After the first few weeks of enjoying a new baby are over and routine starts to set in, many mothers wonder when they can visit a Michigan plastic surgeon to help get their bodies in pre-baby shape. But just how long should you wait after giving birth to have a tummy tuck?

“You should never have a tummy tuck right after giving birth,” says Dr. Ali. “Some women may think it makes sense to have the procedure while they’re still in the hospital, or even right after a c-section, but that isn’t the case. Your body needs time to bounce back before having an abdominoplasty procedure.”

There are several reasons for this.

  1. Hormones can affect the elasticity of skin, and the post-partum body will be full of higher levels of hormones.
  2. There is an increased risk of bleeding, including from the uterus, in a post-partum woman.
  3. To have the most success, a woman should be at or around her ideal weight, and right after a baby is born, that most likely won’t be the case.
  4. Tummy tucks require a recovery period where it will be difficult to lift anything, especially a newborn.
  5. Women who are breastfeeding still have high levels of hormones in their bodies, and anesthesia and other medication can be transferred through a mother’s milk to her newborn.

So when is the best time to have a tummy tuck?

“I always advise my patients to wait at least six months after their baby is born, longer if they are breastfeeding,” says Dr. Ali. “By this time, the influx of hormones will have started to recede, the weight will be closer to normal and the stretching of the abdomen will have recovered.”

These are important for several reasons. Waiting at least six months following the birth will allow for the stitches to hold better in the tissue because the tissue will no longer be softened to accommodate the baby.

For lasting results from a tummy tuck, it’s important to be at or near your ideal weight before having the procedure. A tummy tuck isn’t a weight loss procedure – while some fat and tissue will be removed, it’s primary goal is to tighten loose skin and give the abdomen a smoother, flatter appearance. It should never be used as a substitute for proper diet and exercise.

Following pregnancy, it’s important to remember that your body may not go back to looking exactly as it did prior to the pregnancy. But it’s also important to remember that just because your body looks a certain way in the days and weeks immediately following birth doesn’t mean it will always look that way.

“After giving birth, the skin will be stretched, the uterus will still be swollen, and you’ll be carrying extra weight that you didn’t have before,” says Dr. Ali. “And in the months following birth, these will all begin to go away. It’s hard to make aesthetic judgments based on what we think the body would look like, so I advise patients to wait.”

The body needs time to recover from all of the changes pregnancy brought. It’s also important that women be not anticipate further pregnancies prior to a tummy tuck. Becoming pregnant after a tummy tuck can alter the results, and most women will want to have the procedure redone after giving birth.

If you have questions about when is the best time to seek out a tummy tuck, or are interested in regaining your pre-pregnancy body, call Dr. Ali today to learn more about how abdominoplasty can help you.

© 2015 Millionairium and Dr. Ali. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Millionairium and Dr. Ali are credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this document is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

Who Qualifies for a Tummy Tuck?

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A “Tummy Tuck”, or Abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure undertaken to remove excess loose skin or fatty deposits in the abdominal area. This procedure is not a substitute for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a stable and reasonable weight. It is usually undergone by individuals who have lost a significant amount of weight, who have had bariatric surgery, or who have had pregnancies that have stretched the muscles of the abdomen.

Under general anesthesia, a highly trained, skilled plastic surgeon removes loose or sagging skin and excess fat deposits from the abdominal area using incisions and strategic liposuction. Extensive experience is needed to re-sculpt the area. Loose muscles are also tightened during the surgery, all of which contributes to a firmer, more sleek profile.

Individual expectations are evaluated beforehand, as well as the patient’s medical history and current health status. Any cosmetic procedure is a highly individualized decision, and the expectations for the outcome must be realistic. Patients must insure that they are pursuing the procedure for their own personal reasons, and are not attempting to live up to some perceived ideal body image or to someone else’s expectations. Additionally, it is imperative that the patient maintain the same body weight into the future, as weight gain or additional pregnancies may reverse or diminish the results of the procedure.

Dr. Ali is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which is recognized by the American Board of Plastic Surgery – the highest governing board in plastic surgery. He is committed to individualized consultation and treatment for each patient, to assure the best outcome from every procedure he performs. Contact Dr. Ali today for your personalized consultation to determine if a Tummy Tuck is right for you.

What a Tummy Tuck Will Not Do

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One of the most common misconceptions about plastic surgery is that it is a quick fix. The reality is that most cosmetic procedures are not a quick fix — they are carefully calculated choices to enhance or repair areas of the body that may not be responding to other means of improvement. We sometimes see the “quick fix” misconception with individuals who pursue a tummy tuck, also known as an abdominoplasty. It is important to us at Dr. Ali’s office that our patients and the general public are educated about surgery, and what it does and does not do for you.

So what does a tummy tuck NOT do?

  • It is NOT a way to lose weight. Will you drop some pounds? Of course — you are removing fat and skin.
  • It is NOT a long term solution for body image issues. Will it make you more confident about your appearance? Most likely — will it fix body image issues you may have? Possibly not. Seeking help for conditions around body dysmorphia require a multi-faceted approach.
  • It is NOT a replacement for living a healthy, active lifestyle that is. Will it immediately tighten your tummy? Yes. Will it help slow the aging process, improve your overall quality of life and keep you healthy? No – only a healthy, active lifestyle can do that!

This is not to say that a tummy tuck isn’t a fantastic procedure. It truly is — tummy tucks can help individuals who have lost significant weight feel comfortable in their skin by removing the excess around the abdomen. It is ideal for mothers who have lost abdominal strength due to their pregnancies as it helps tighten muscles that were compromised.

Considering a tummy tuck? Let us help you evaluate the options to see if it’s the right fit. Contact Dr. Ali today for a consultation!

Dr. Ali Releases Tummy Tuck Whitepaper

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Michigan plastic surgeon Dr. M. Azhar Ali has released another whitepaper as part of his patient education initiative. The topic of this whitepaper is tummy tucks, also known as abdominoplasty. Dr. Ali’s whitepapers have been well-received by patients who are looking to gather information about a procedure they may be considering.

Dr. Ali’s tummy tuck whitepaper contains information about the various types of tummy tuck procedures available, as well as information about the procedure itself, like recovery time, what to expect, etc.

Dr. Ali is a top board-certified Michigan plastic surgeon with years of experience with tummy tucks and other cosmetic and reconstructive procedures including breast augmentation, breast reconstruction, face lifts, liposuction and more. To learn more about any of these procedures, download one of Dr. Ali’s whitepapers or visit the following site:

www.breastaugmentationinmichigan.org

 

To download the whitepaper, visit Dr. Ali’s website.