Which Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) is best for me?
I offer my patients a wide range of Tummy Tuck Techniques. Each patient has a unique anatomy and a specific set of personal needs. It is important to explore these issues so that my patient and I can select an option that works well for her. I will share with you several patient experiences with the different techniques that I offer.
Before Standard HLT Abdominoplasty
After Standard HLT Abdominoplasty
This patient was unable to restore abdominal tone after her pregnancies despite excellent nutritional and exercise habits. She wanted the most powerful correction possible and was able to make arrangement to have help with her children for several weeks. When I examined her there was a wide gap between her sit up muscles (the rectus muscles) and loose skin above and below the umbilicus. With this combination of issues the best choice for her was the most powerful technique, the high lateral tension abdominoplasty. This is a very powerful technique that has worked well for me for years, but requires a significant recovery period.
Before Superficial High Lateral Tension Abdominoplasty
After Superficial High Lateral Tension Abdominoplasty
This patient had good deep muscle tone with no gap between her sit up muscles, but she had quite a large amount of loose skin both above and below the umbilicus. She wanted a procedure that allowed for a relatively quick recovery and was willing to accept a relatively long scar as long as it was low. To get a beautiful correction it was necessary to release the umbilicus so that I could tighten the upper abdominal skin. The superficial high lateral tension abdominoplasty technique works well for this.
Before Lower Abdominal Skin Excision
After Lower Abdominal Skin Excision
This patient was hoping to improve her abdominal contour with liposuction alone, but she realized the she had some loose skin, mostly in the lower abdomen. She had a small gap between her sit up muscles but compensated for this with her vigorous exercise program. Her family and work responsibilities were such that she could only take a limited time off from work. For her an excellent choice was a combination of vaser® lipoplasty with a lower abdominal skin excision. This helped to avoid the loose skin that would have occurred with liposuction alone.
We offer our patients a wide range of anesthesia options. For larger and more involved surgeries, most patients prefer a light general anesthetic. For lesser procedures that do not involve a tightening of the deep muscle layer, we often can carry out the surgery under intravenous sedation or even a local anesthetic with oral sedation.
For more information about tummy tuck techniques to improve abdominal contour call 312-751-2112 or contact us at info@www.johnqcookmd.com.