The Tummy Tuck Consultation: 4 Important Questions to Ask
Posted August 31, 2023 in Body Contouring, No Drain Tummy Tuck, Plastic Surgeon, Plastic Surgery Advice, True Form Tummy Tuck®, Tummy Tuck
By Dr. Christopher Patronella
When someone is seeking a tummy tuck, there are a number of questions that are really beneficial to ask your surgeon. This will give you more information about the procedure, how the surgeon performs it, and how it will affect you and the appearance of your abdomen.
1. Does the muscle wall need to be repaired?
In most circumstances, if a woman has had children, it will need to be repaired. It does slow the recovery a little bit, particularly in returning to exercise, but it’s well worth it because it gives the abdomen a flatter overall appearance.
2. How do you perform the procedure to ensure the results will not look unnatural?
I think that if you analyze the abdomen in a young, healthy person who is fit, you will contours that are present which signify tone and conditioning. In doing a tummy tuck, if we don’t pay attention to those natural contours, then the abdomen can look very artificial like a flat board.
With the tummy tuck I perform, I do differential thinning of the fat pad so that it accentuates both the semilunar lines along the sides of the abdomen and also the midline structure of the abdomen. And this is further enhanced with the progressive tension sutures that I use as well. And that really will assist in providing a toned abdomen that has differentials in fat depth and more of three-dimensional effect for the abdominal wall.
3. Is treatment of the pubic area going to be included in the abdominoplasty?
This is oftentimes forgotten or ignored by some who perform this procedure. And it should not be. The tone of the abdomen, and the tone of the so-called mons area or pubic area should be the same. That often requires lifting of the mons area or thinning of the mons area so that you don’t have a flat abdomen then fullness of the pubic area. Those areas should match. So it’s important to deal with that during the tummy tuck procedure.
4. Is contouring of the love handle area addressed?
Another area that can be overlooked is the sides of the abdomen known as the love handles. Lack of attention to this can result in a flat, nice-looking abdomen with fullness along the sides. And those two things do not match.So I believe that aesthetically, we should always look at the entire abdominal, hip-waist unit together in order to create harmony between one area. Doing so is essential to create a look that is natural so that a woman will be proud to put a swimsuit on and not self-conscious about going to the pool with her children.
Contact us today to schedule your consultation with Dr. Patronella. For our out-of-town patients, we also offer the option of a preliminary video conference with Dr. Patronella.
