Severely overweight patients sometimes turn to weight loss surgery to help them reach a healthier target weight. But rapid weight loss, whether from surgery or through diet and exercise, can lead to other problems like excessive skin. A tummy tuck can, however, help reduce the appearance of loose skin and deliver a more youthful look.
What is a Tummy Tuck?
A tummy tuck, also called abdominoplasty, is a cosmetic procedure that reduces the appearance of loose skin, tightens the abdomen, and delivers a more youthful appearance. Patients who have recently lost large amounts of weight often opt for a tummy tuck procedure because rapid weight loss can leave behind significant amounts of loose skin.
Who gets Tummy Tucks?
Anyone who desires a tighter, firmer abdominal region might consider getting a tummy tuck, but it’s especially common among
- Women who have been pregnant.
- Older individuals whose skin has lost elasticity.
- Individuals who have lost large amounts of weight.
Patients who have undergone weight loss surgery will have lost fat at a faster rate than that at which the skin retracts. In some cases, the skin might recover with enough time, but this doesn’t always happen.
What are my Tummy Tuck Options?
Each tummy tuck procedure is different, but we do offer both full abdominoplasty, which is the most traditional kind of treatment, and partial abdominoplasty, which is less invasive and features a shorter recovery period. We’ll evaluate your tummy tuck candidacy and personal goals to recommend the procedure that’s right for you.
Will I Lose More Weight?
Though you might lose a small amount of weight because of the simple fact that tissue is removed, abdominoplasty is not a weight loss procedure. It is strictly intended as a body sculpting treatment that may be used to create a more aesthetically pleasing appearance after weight loss.
Weight loss is always hard, but you shouldn’t have to suffer from loose skin after you’ve achieved your new weight. To learn how a tummy tuck can help, and to schedule an appointment with Washington, DC, plastic surgeon Dr. Eric Desman, please contact the Virginia Center for Plastic Surgery today.