At Healthy Life Bariatrics, Doctor Babak Moein performs bariatric surgery, general surgery, and post-bariatric body contouring. The latter is useful for reshaping the body after the excess weight has melted away. When a person loses a significant amount of body fat, sometimes excess skin and some stubborn fat can be left over. Procedures like the tummy tuck and abdominal skin tightening can eradicate saggy skin and stubborn body fat, leaving the belly flat and tight for improved self-esteem.
Want to know how this procedure works and if it might be right for you? You’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to learn all about this popular combination of body contouring procedures, which is now available at HLB in Los Angeles, California.
Tummy Tuck After Extreme Weight Loss
Significant weight loss is massively beneficial to your health. After procedures like gastric sleeve surgery or gastric bypass surgery, patients stand to lose over fifty or more pounds of excess weight. What a huge accomplishment!
Unfortunately, after such an extreme loss of weight, many people find that their skin lacks the elasticity to conform to their newly slimmed-down body size.
Luckily, the tummy tuck is a cosmetic body contouring procedure aimed at removing excess skin and fatty tissue. Otherwise referred to as abdominoplasty, this procedure is ideal after massive weight loss when the goal is to attain a flatter tummy after succeeding with bariatric surgery.
Read our article: Post-Bariatric Body Contouring Surgery in Los Angeles – When is it Safe?
Why Does Significant Weight Loss Leave Excess Skin Behind?
When you attain a high body mass index (BMI) to the point of obesity, the body changes. More specifically, excess weight gain changes the dynamics of the abdominal wall tissues, namely fat and skin. Such weight gain stretches the skin. In many cases, stretch marks can form and the abdominal muscles can weaken. When you accumulate increased fat in the intra-abdominal area, the muscles can separate at the midline. This issue is particularly pronounced in women who have experienced pregnancy.
Losing weight causes a decrease in body fat at the subcutaneous layer. After the loss of a considerable amount of weight, your skin can remain saggy and stretched out. If the weight loss is rapid, such as in the case of weight loss surgery, you might end up with skin that hangs over the abdominal area like an apron.
In addition to hanging skin and pockets of stubborn belly fat, some people who have lost a massive amount of weight can also form abdominal hernias. A tummy tuck can solve all of these problems.
Get a Flatter Tummy with a Tummy Tuck
A tummy tuck is aimed at removing excess skin along the abdominal area. During the procedure, the cosmetic surgeon cuts out excess skin while also tightening the abdominal muscles. Stubborn pockets of body fat can be removed with liposuction, which is easily paired with the tummy tuck. If a hernia is present, the surgeon can correct the hernia during surgery while preventing new ones from forming. After the surgery, it will be easier to build abdominal muscles on your own through ab exercises in the future.
How Long Does a Tummy Tuck Take?
The time it takes to perform a tummy tuck depends on how much skin needs to be removed. In addition to the time during surgery, you should expect to spend some time in post-operative care as your doctor monitors your initial recovery.
In most cases, a tummy tuck can take between one and four hours to complete. The surgeon doesn’t only spend that time cutting away excess skin. The majority of the time is spent shaping and strengthening the muscles in the abdominal wall.
The results of the procedure are permanent as long as you are able to maintain a healthy weight.
What if a Significant Amount of Skin is Left Behind?
For skin that overlaps much like an apron, the ideal procedure may not be a tummy tuck. The surgery that is better suited for this job is known as a panniculectomy. This procedure is designed primarily for weight loss surgery patients who still need help ridding their bodies of excess skin.
A panniculectomy takes between two and five hours for the surgeon to complete, depending on how much excess skin is being removed. Unlike a tummy tuck that also involves the strengthening of the abdominal wall, a panniculectomy only involves the cutting away of extra skin.
Read our article: Skin Removal After Weight Loss Surgery – What You Should Know
How Do You Know if a Tummy Tuck or Panniculectomy is Right for You?
Both tummy tucks and panniculectomies are intended for adults and women who are not pregnant, as well as for those who do not smoke and who can maintain stable body weight.
You might be a suitable candidate for a tummy tuck if you have what is known as a belly pooch you can’t seem to get rid of through diet and exercise alone. You should also be in good general health and at a healthy weight.
A panniculectomy would be a better procedure if your recent weight loss has left behind a belt of overhanging belly skin. You would be particularly suited for this procedure if the excess skin is causing hygiene issues below the pubic region. When the skin rubs against other skin, issues that can arise include infections, ulcers, and rashes.
How Much is a Tummy Tuck vs Panniculectomy?
The tummy tuck is the cheaper of the two body contouring procedures. The surgery is usually not covered by medical insurance. The average cost of a tummy tuck is $6,154 plus any medical service costs, such as anesthesia, surgical center costs, and surgeon fees.
A panniculectomy is more expensive, averaging $8,000 to $15,000 plus associated costs like anesthesia and hospital care.
Unlike a tummy tuck, medical insurance companies will cover a portion of this surgery, particularly if your doctor feels the procedure is medically necessary.
How Long is Recovery Time?
A tummy tuck takes between four- and six-weeks recovery before you can return to your normal activities. A panniculectomy can take up to eight weeks of recovery by comparison.
What is the Deal with Abdominal Skin Tightening?
By now you know that a tummy tuck or panniculectomy can rid your body of the excess skin that can be left behind by significant fat loss. Liposuction can eradicate stubborn body fat left behind by the same surgery. To further tighten your abdomen, your cosmetic surgeon may recommend J-Plasma technology, which is known as a technique called Renuvion.
What is Renuvion?
Renuvion is a nonsurgical procedure used to coagulate tissue. The procedure tightens and refreshes the loose skin around the abdomen without the need for invasive surgery, prolonged downtime, or big scars.
During a Renuvion session, the cosmetic surgeon applies controlled heat to specific areas around the abdomen for abdominal skin tightening.
How Does Renuvion Work?
When used during the tummy tuck procedure, the surgical specialist will create a small entry point that is used to place the device just under the skin. With the device in place, the specialist releases a combination of helium gas and radiofrequency energy to create a precise stream of plasma energy.
The J-plasma beam generates enough heat to contract the skin while the excess helium gas cools the treatment area. The effect causes the tissues on the abdomen to contract, which tightens the abdomen.
Renuvion costs $5,800 on average, according to Real Self.
Is Weight Loss Necessary to Qualify for a Tummy Tuck?
While a tummy tuck can help people after weight loss, losing weight is not necessary to qualify for one. You would also be an excellent candidate for abdominoplasty surgery. Both the tummy tuck and liposuction can also be used to give you a tighter, slimmer physique when you have saggy skin due to aging or following pregnancy. In some cases, the tummy tuck can also rid your body of stretch marks if the scars exist within the region of skin that is to be cut away.
Will Saggy Skin Return After a Tummy Tuck?
Extra skin that is removed during abdominoplasty surgery should never return. However, some bodily changes can cause unwanted changes to your appearance during the time following the tummy tuck. For example, gaining weight or getting pregnant can cause the skin to stretch again following a tummy tuck. This is why patients are advised to maintain a healthy weight. They should avoid future pregnancies once the recovery period has ended.
Doctor Babak Moeinolmolki and the professional staff at Healthy Life Bariatrics understand that some patients are hesitant about undergoing body contouring at first. This is because there is always risk involved with any surgical procedure, even one of a cosmetic nature. However, Doctor Moeinolmolki will do everything possible to ensure you are satisfied with your final tummy tuck results. If you have concerns about additional loose skin after bariatric procedures like gastric sleeve surgery or gastric bypass surgery, please do not hesitate to ask.
Other Ways to Prevent Sagging Skin
In addition to maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding pregnancy, there are other ways to keep your skin taught and elastic long-term. Doctor Moeinolmolki of Healthy Life Bariatrics can provide more detailed recommendations during an abdominoplasty surgery consultation in Los Angeles, CA. Here is some easy-to-follow advice to get started.
Eat Healthily
Consuming plenty of fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins provide your skin with plenty of nutritional support.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking plenty of water will keep your skin hydrated, which will prevent loss of elasticity.
Don’t Smoke
Smoking damages the skin, keeping it from bouncing back following significant weight loss.
Avoid Excess Skin
Wearing sunscreen and staying out of direct sunlight will discourage skin wrinkling and other signs of aging.
After tummy tuck surgery, you should follow the post-operative instructions given to you by Doctor Moeinolmolki. These directions are meant to promote optimal healing while minimizing your risk of complications.
Rid Your Body of Excess Skin with Body Contouring by Doctor Moeinolmolki
You now know several ways to attain a tighter abdomen, whether you have lost a significant amount of weight or you’re merely getting older or recently had children. Abdominoplasty surgery, a panniculectomy, liposuction, and Renuvion can be used by a skilled surgeon like Doctor Moeinolmolki to sculpt your abdomen for a major boost to your self-esteem.
Ready to learn more? Contact Healthy Life Bariatrics, home of world-renowned surgeon Doctor Moeinolmolki. Doctor Moeinolmolki is the only Southern California surgeon who is dual board certified in minimally invasive surgery and cosmetic body contouring surgery. That means Doctor Moeinolmolki can be your bariatric surgeon for weight loss and post-bariatric body contouring surgeon to sculpt your body afterward. The doctor even performs general surgeries for GERD, gallbladder issues, hernias, and more. Schedule a consultation with Doctor Moeinolmolki by calling (310)807-1735.
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