Do I have to lose weight before my tummy tuck?
It depends on your BMI. Being overweight is a risk factor for this type of operation. I don’t do tummy tuck on patients with a BMI higher than 27. At this BMI, there is a lot of fat around your organs (visceral fat) increasing the risk. Being in the best possible health before undergoing surgery is important for your safe recovery and wellbeing. A Tummy Tuck is not a fat reducing operation. It is a functional operation to tighten and repair the split rectus muscles.
Will my split muscles be repaired with mesh?
No mesh is used in my Tummy Tuck technique. Muscle repair is achieved by bringing them together in the midline, and continuous stitching in two layers. This reconstructs the abdominal muscles, improving posture and core strength. While this is a functional operation, repairing the muscle split will improve the pot-belly appearance of your stomach and cinch and narrow your waist. Looking good is just the icing on the cake!
Do I need to have liposuction with my Tummy Tuck?
A: You can, but should you? Liposuction is not a substitute for weight loss. Liposuction is a very useful technique for targeted areas of fat that effective weight loss cannot shift. Liposuction, in big volumes, is a short term solution to a long term problem. In my experience, most patients who undergo Liposuction end up putting on more weight in the following years. Subsequent weight gain ends up going to other unwanted areas, specifically around the internal organs. It’s much better to develop healthy and long-lasting lifestyle habits. After all, isn’t that why we’re doing this operation!
How can I tell if my tummy muscles are split?
Tummy muscles split with each and every pregnancy. Sometimes the split can be closed with exercise, but in many women a gap always remains. This split in the abdominal muscles and a weaker core make doing tummy exercises difficult. Other consequences of this muscles split are an arched lower back, backache, sluggish bowel habits and even constipation. One way to feel for a possible split is by lying on your back with your knees bent, with your fingers gently pressing above the belly button, and slowly lifting your shoulders off the bed. If you can feel your fingers sink into a ‘gutter’, and then be pushed out as you tense even more, then your muscles are split.
After my tummy tuck do I need to work out to keep the muscles together?
No, the muscle repair in your tummy tuck operation is a permanent repair. The only important thing is not to gain weight as the fat will go around your organs and stretch the muscles again just as a pregnancy would.
