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One of the most difficult regions
of the body to tone is the abdomen. You can kill yourself
by doing crunches or keep to a strict diet, but your protruding
tummy can linger and become a source of amazing frustration.
Luckily, plastic surgeons
have come up with a solution for this.
 An
abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)
consists in the removal of excess fat and skin from the lower
and middle of the abdomen, tightening the muscles of the abdominal
wall and making your tummy flatty and firmer. A partial abdominoplasty
(mini tummy tuck) is a similar surgery which targets only
the lower abdomen and therefore less invasive.
This surgery is perfect for female
abdomens which have been stretches by pregnancy or weight
gain, since usually, the tummy fails to return to its original
shape after such circumstances; tissue which fails to react
to exercise or diet programs.
Versión Español: Cirugía
de Abdomen
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Whenever you come to the decision
of submitting yourself to any type of plastic
surgery, you always need to keep in mind that no procedure
will be able to provide a ‘perfect’ aspect to
your body. The objective of a cosmetic treatment is to achieve
an enhancement in your features, not to provide an ‘ideal’.
This can help your boost your self-confidence and assurance,
making you feel better with the way you look while at the
same time keeping realistic and down-to-earth expectations.
This is one of the core values we have here at BetterLooks;
we want our clients to be completely satisfied with the results
of their surgery and to heighten their self-esteem.
You must keep in mind however, that
this procedure does leave a permanent scar; its size depends
on the extent of the operation and it can extend from hip
to hip.
A candidate for a tummy tuck surgery
needs to be in relatively good shape but suffering from loose
abdominal skin and large fat deposits. Those who are planning
to lose some weight should wait before performing the surgery,
as well as women who plan future pregnancies, since the tightened
muscles during the procedure can separate during pregnancy.
Also, your weight must have been stable for the last 6 months
prior to the surgery.
 By
offering one of the best teams of doctors in the industry,
Better Looks is aware of the different types of needs our
diverse patients may have. Therefore, we will provide the
best service possible for you, not matter what you are looking
for, and we will aid you in every possible way in your pursuit
to enhance your appearance.
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 At
Better Looks, it is protocol for our clients to have an initial
consultation with their plastic surgeon before any procedure
is performed. This way, both the patient and the doctor have
an equal opportunity to contribute in the whole process and
by doing so, the satisfaction of the client increases tenfold.
During this initial discussion, you must not hesitate to talk
about your expectation with your surgeon openly, since he/she
will help you determine what is and what isn’t possible
to achieve. One point Better Looks always pinpoints on is
the need for patients to be aware of all the different aspects
of the surgery you are willing to undertake (the cost and
recovery process); everything must be made extremely clear
for you and we will always go out of our way to accomplish
this.
Also, you can feel free to ask your
doctor concerning any questions or doubts you may have concerning
the procedure. He/she will always inform you about all the
different details; for example, you should know if you should
stop taking certain medications or if you will need to refrain
from drinking or eating for a certain time period before your
surgery.
Make
sure you have good communication with your surgeon at all
times since this will help increase your level of satisfaction.
Therefore, please do not hesitate to contact BetterLooks since
we will be more than happy to help you with anything you need.
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This surgery is performed under
general anesthesia and its objective is to remove excess fat
and skin from the middle and lower abdomen as well as to tighten
the abdominal muscles. It can take a few hours to be performed,
depending on the extent of the procedure.
 To
start off, your surgeon makes an incision across the lower
part of your tummy (from hipbone to hipbone) while another
incision is made around your bellybutton. With a mini tummy
tuck, the incision is much smaller and the navel may not be
moved. Once this is done, the doctor proceeds to separate
the fat and the skin from the abdominal wall, lifting the
flap up to your ribs.
When the removal of the excess tissue
and fat is done, the abdominal muscles are shortened and sutured
together, making them tighter and giving you a narrower waistline.
A new incision creates a new opening for your belly button
and it is brought out through the opening sutured to the new
skin. During this phase, scars and stretch marks can be removed.
Finally,
the incisions are sutured and dressings will be placed around
your tummy. A temporal tube may be placed to drain excess
fluid from the affected area and can help to minimize swelling.
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Compared to other surgical procedures,
you can expect a considerable recovery period after a tummy
tuck. This healing period depends mostly on the level of fitness
of the patient. Most patients will need 1 to 3 weeks of rest
before they can go back to work and normal activities. You
may not need to stay overnight, but most patients stay at
the hospital for a couple of days, depending on the extent
of the operation.
You can expect your abdomen to be
bruised and swollen for the first days and if the pain is
too much for you, your doctor can prescribe some painkillers
to lessen your discomfort. Bleeding is also usual, as is numbness
around the central part of your tummy, below the navel.
After 3 days, you will be able to
resume light activity and the bandages may be replaced by
a new abdominal supporter.
Better Looks recommends for you to
exercise after the surgery, but only after a certain healing
period has passed. We suggest that you walk around every hour
or so, flexing your feet to prevent blood clots to form in
your calf veins. Also, remember to keep your hips flexed gently
during the first week, minimizing the tension on your stitches.
Vigorous exercise should be avoided until you can do it comfortably.
It is recommended for you to avoid
showering until the drains are taken off, therefore, stick
to sponge baths until the tubes are removed. During baths,
be careful of the surgical tape.
The
scars of the operation will appear to get worse from 3 to
6 months afterwards and it will be approximately 9 months
before they flatten out and become lighter in color. Keep
in mind that the scars are permanent but can be easily hidden
underneath your clothes.
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As with any type of cosmetic
surgery, complications are unusual, but they sometimes
do happen. However, they are usually minor and can be reduced
by precisely following your doctor’s directions before
and after the procedure.
 Patients
who have undertaken a tummy tuck have, on rare occasion, experienced
excessive bleeding, infection (treated with antibiotics),
blood clots, reactions to anesthesia and necrosis (skin tissue
death – especially in smokers and diabetics). After
the procedure, fluid may accumulate under the skin, but this
is removed through a painless process, even though it may
take a few visits to your doctor.
Make sure to ask your Better Looks
surgeon concerning any risks you might have to face when undertaking
this surgery. However, you must keep in mind that our certified
group of doctors works full-time to prevent such scenarios
from happening, since we value the health of our patients
above anything else.
In order to keep the risks at a
bare minimum, please make sure that you follow your surgeons
instructions at all times.
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The
information given in this website should be considered as
an introduction to an abdominoplasty
(tummy tuck) surgery. Before deciding on submitting yourself
to the procedure described above, we highly recommend you
contact Better Looks directly, so we can answer any specific
question you might have.
Related Keywords:
Tummy Tuck, abdomen fat, abdomen skin, Abdominoplasty, Tummu
Tuck, plastic surgery, plastic surgeon costa rica.
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