An Alternative to Tummy Tucks

What You Should Know About Tummy Tucks

Tummy tucks can get rid of excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen and tighten your abdominal muscles. While this may sound like the perfect solution to that paunch that just will not respond to diet or exercise, it is important to be informed about the drawbacks of the surgery, and possible alternatives.

A tummy tuck, or "abdominoplasty," is a major surgical operation. Tummy tucks require a surgeon to cut open the skin of your abdomen from hipbone to hipbone. Although it can be camouflaged, the incision leaves a permanent scar.

Tummy tucks are not for everybody. If you have scarring from previous abdominal surgery, you may want to think twice about having the procedure done because the scars could be unusually prominent. If you are a woman who is planning a future pregnancy, you may also be a poor candidate for a tummy tuck because the vertical muscles in the abdomen that are tightened during surgery can separate again during pregnancy. Finally, if you intend to lose a lot of weight, you will have to postpone the surgery.

Because tummy tucks are major procedures, they carry an increased risk of complications, and lengthier recovery times than other forms of cosmetic surgery. It is also important to remember that while a tummy tuck can get rid of some of the fat under the skin of your abdomen, it cannot get rid of the fat from "love handles," or your lower back.

For people with excess fat deposits in other areas of their bodies, liposuction may be an effective alternative to tummy tuck surgery.

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