When you lose a significant amount of weight, you are bettering your overall health. However, the skin and tissue often may not have enough elasticity to keep up with your weight loss. You may find that you have a lot of excess skin just hanging around on your abdomen, under your arms, and even in your jowls. Women can experience this after giving birth.
You have several options to get your skin to fit your new body, including a tummy tuck and several surgeries, including an arm lift, breast lift, tummy tuck, and a medial thigh lift.
Tummy Tuck
An abdominoplasty, commonly known as a tummy tuck, is a procedure that removes excess skin and tissue from your abdomen. It’s not a procedure used to get rid of fat, though a tummy tuck can be combined with liposuction.
Generally, after having a baby or losing a lot of weight, it is common to have excess skin and tissue that no amount of exercise or dieting will get rid of. This is because your skin has too much elasticity to form to your smaller self. A tummy tuck gets rid of the excess skin and tissue to help you look slimmer.
A tummy tuck can also be used to tighten the connective tissues in the abdomen. As long as you are at a stable weight and don’t plan on getting pregnant again, the tummy tuck can last quite a long time.
Mommy Makeover
You don’t have to be a mommy to have a mommy makeover! Many people who want to get rid of excess skin and tissue after losing weight can benefit from a mommy makeover. Mommy makeovers are usually two or more procedures combined into one surgery.
The benefit of a mommy makeover is that you have just one recovery time instead of two, three, or four separate recovery times. The length of the surgery depends on several factors, including the number and types of procedures you choose.
FAQ
Should I Lose Weight Before Having a Tummy Tuck?
It depends on what your final weight should be. Dr. Rhee will give you a physical exam to determine whether the weight you want to lose can be removed with exercising and dieting or if that weight is all in excess skin and tissue that cannot melt away with exercise and dieting.
Can I Opt Out of Certain Procedures for a Mommy Makeover?
A mommy makeover doesn’t include any specific surgeries. It can include any surgeries you and Dr. Rhee agree on. For example, one person may benefit from a tummy tuck, breast lift and arm lift, while another person might benefit from an arm lift, lower facelift and tummy tuck. Yet another might only benefit from an arm lift and tummy tuck. It depends on the person and is your choice.
Contact Charlotte Ann Rhee, MD, Board-Certified Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Whether you want a tummy tuck or a mommy makeover, including a tummy tuck, breast lift, arm lift or other procedures, contact Dr. Rhee at Charlotte Ann Rhee, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Huntington Station, NY, to discuss your goals.