Tummy Tuck or Liposuction: Which Is Right for Me?

Sometimes it feels as if you’ve spent the better part of your life trying to get to your ideal shape and weight. You’ve sweated it out at the gym and given up on all sweets, and you still have bulging pockets of fat or loose and sagging skin that prevent you from having the flat stomach of your dreams.

And there’s no area that’s more difficult to tackle than your abdomen, which is why our team at Precision Plastic Surgery, led by Dr. Joseph Ku, offers two different ways to address this stubborn area: tummy tuck and liposuction.

In order to figure out which procedure is best for your situation, we’ve outlined the goals of each technique so you can determine whether they align with your own goals.

Tummy tuck

A tummy tuck procedure, also known as an abdominoplasty, aims to shape and tone your belly. If you’ve lost a considerable amount of weight only to be left with sagging, newly empty skin, we remove the excess tissue to tighten and firm the surface. If you’ve recently had a child and your abdominal skin was stretched beyond its limits, a tummy tuck may provide just the answer.

A tummy tuck goes beyond tackling loose skin. Often, when you gain weight quickly, your abdominal muscles can separate, making them ineffective at maintaining any tone. During a tummy tuck, Dr. Ku brings your muscles back together and stitches them in place.

If you’re worried about scarring and belly button location, have no fear. During your tummy tuck procedure, Dr. Ku makes the incision below your bikini line, keeping it out of sight, and also makes a new hole for your belly button when he pulls your skin taut and stitches it in place.

An added benefit of a tummy tuck is that any stretch marks that developed on your abdomen because of a fluctuation in your weight are often removed as part of the excess tissue.

Liposuction

Liposuction is a fat reduction technique in which Dr. Ku removes stubborn pockets of fat cells in order to give your body better contours. Abdominal fat is tricky, especially if you’re a woman — your body holds onto fat around your abdomen in order to better protect your reproductive organs. If diet and exercise are having no effect at reducing your belly fat, liposuction can provide the final boost in your body-shaping efforts.

During this procedure, Dr. Ku makes tiny incisions in the areas you want treated and inserts small tubes to loosen and suck out the fat. Because the incisions are so small, there’s minimal scarring, and Dr. Ku does his best to make the incisions in inconspicuous areas.

The end result is a marked decrease in bulging fat, giving you a more even, toned shape.

What the procedures are and are not

If you’re looking for dramatic weight loss, neither of these procedures are appropriate. Both a tummy tuck and liposuction are designed to give you better shape and tone; they don’t result in any appreciable loss of pounds.

What they do provide are excellent final touches on your weight loss efforts or as a solution for loose skin and fat displacement. Once Dr. Ku’s work is done, it’s up to you to maintain the significant results. Neither procedure prevents you from gaining weight in the future, so you still must monitor your diet and exercise. And that’s something we believe you’ll happily do the next time you proudly walk along the beach.

To find out which procedure is best for your goals, please call us at Precision Plastic Surgery in Riverside, California, or use the online booking tool to schedule a consultation.