Getting a tummy tuck is one of the best ways to enhance your shape and feel better in your own skin. This treatment can leave you with a whittled down, slim waist, and even help to give you a lovely hourglass figure. At East Bay Aesthetic Surgery, with locations in Danville and Pleasanton, CA, we know how cosmetic treatments can truly revolutionize your life and give you renewed confidence. If you’ve been on the fence about this treatment, we’re here to help.
How Does a Tummy Tuck Work?
This treatment is extremely popular, and there’s one simple reason why; it works. Most treatments result in substantial and noticeable changes to the body, and many people find that they look better in their favorite clothes. The treatment takes roughly three hours, although every patient is different. You will be told exactly what to expect for your personal tuck in our initial consultation.
The tuck itself fortifies your abdominal muscles and removes any fat or excess skin from the tummy area. Your skin is then repositioned to appear tighter and more toned. Since it’s specifically designed to strengthen the abdominal walls as well as remove fat and skin, many people find that their body responds more positively to exercise after they’ve had one done. Plenty of patients also report that their stomachs look much more contoured afterward.
Tummy Tucks Versus Liposuction
Sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably, but they are slightly different in practice.
Tummy Tuck
This treatment works to remove excess skin and fat, and repair abdominal walls, giving patients a more toned and slimmer look. It’s a popular treatment for people who have lost a significant amount of weight or given birth because it tightens the skin and even can minimize or erase the look of stretch marks and scars.
Liposuction
Liposuction also removes fat from your abdomen, but it doesn’t take care of the excess skin or do any repair work to your muscles. This treatment is generally preferred by people who want to get rid of little amounts of fat that they can’t neutralize with exercise or diet. Although liposuction is sometimes part of a mommy makeover or a post-pregnancy cosmetic treatment plan, it does not address stretch marks, scarring, or loose skin.
A liposuction session generally takes an hour, making it a fairly quick treatment.
Full Versus Mini Tucks
One of the best aspects of these treatments is that you can customize your tuck to suit your individual needs. Although both full and mini tucks work to address the same aspects of your stomach, namely fat deposits, loose skin, abdominal muscle weakness, scarring, and stretch marks, the full tuck is a little bit more comprehensive.
Mini
If you want to target your lower stomach or belly button area, the mini tuck could be exactly what you want. This is great for those who have some stubborn lower belly fat or who have lost a lot of weight in their lower abdomen. It tends not to be as effective for people who’ve been pregnant or whose bodies have changed drastically through rapid weight loss or gain. Mini tucks are sometimes done in conjunction with other treatments, like liposuction.
Full
The full tuck addresses both the upper and lower abdomen and is generally the one that will give you those stunning results you see in cosmetic treatment pictures. The advantage of the full tuck is that it tightens all of the abdominal muscles and removes excess skin from all around your abdominal region. The result is a slimmed-down, toned stomach. This is the tuck that is generally included in the popular mommy makeovers because it addresses and corrects post-pregnancy stretch marks and loose skin.
Benefits
Although each person is different, there are some common benefits that most people usually experience after one of these treatments. Talk to our team to determine what you can realistically expect from your treatment plan and what unique perks you might be able to expect afterward.
Clothes Fit Better
A slimmed-down silhouette means that most people’s clothes tend to fit much better after their tuck. Even if you’re thin, excess skin can make clothing look lumpy or not hang as well on your body. It can even lead to discomfort when wearing certain types of clothing or cause skin irritation if you put on something that’s too tight. Once you get your tuck, you might be able to say goodbye to a lot of your wardrobe complaints. Many people find that they can wear clothing they once thought was totally off-limits for them.
This is especially true for women who have their tucks done as part of a mommy makeover. Often it’s difficult to get your beach body back after pregnancy, and even those who are slim have loose skin around their midsections. This treatment is specially designed to remove excess skin and tighten up abdominal muscles, specifically targeting regions that are stretched during pregnancy. The result is a pre-pregnancy body.
Skin Removal
One area where a tummy tuck is arguably more effective than a treatment like liposuction is skin removal. While liposuction and other fat removal techniques only target the tissue underneath the skin, tummy tucks are designed to eliminate excess skin. This is great news for women who have given birth or people who’ve had treatments like bariatric surgery, where you lose weight rapidly. Often these patients are left with extra skin that can make them look bulkier and also can mar the appearance of their stomachs.
As we age and our bodies change, we develop looser skin that can easily bunch around the midsection. Even if you’ve never gone through a pregnancy or lost a lot of weight, you might have some skin that you’d like toned up. Tucks can do this for you, repositioning your skin so that it’s flat against your muscle and giving you a flawless finish free of extra skin or any other kinds of folds.
Vanishing Stretch Marks
Anyone who has ever given birth or lost a substantial amount of weight knows that stretch marks can be an unpleasant side effect. These marks, which are usually white and indented, are exceptionally common and sometimes fade over time with topical treatments like cocoa butter. Tucks can get rid of them entirely and permanently.
Since these treatments reposition the skin, existing stretch marks and even scars can be hidden or folded out of view. All that most patients are left with is scar and stretchmark free skin.
Hourglass Shape
Most people love the look of an hourglass shape, but whittling down your waist into that type of pattern just isn’t feasible for many people, especially as we get older. This treatment works on both the front and sides of the stomach, getting rid of the love handles and giving you a sleek hourglass silhouette that looks smashing in clothes. Many people find that dresses or shirts that used to make them look boxy now look flattering instead.
One of the primary benefits of getting a tuck is finding the gorgeous shape that you’ve always wanted or thought that you lost forever. Many people are amazed by how just a little bit of a tuck can make a huge difference in both their self-confidence and how their clothes fit.
Flatter Belly
The key benefit of this treatment has got to be getting a flatter belly. Sometimes even diet and exercise can’t give us the results we want. If our bodies have gone through some changes, like aging, pregnancy, or rapid weight loss, the idea of a flatter belly might seem impossible. Fortunately, this treatment can give people a smooth, flat stomach by both eliminating stubborn belly fat and activating the body’s core muscles.
Initially, the treatment is effective in removing existing belly fat, but in the long run, it could do something even more extraordinary. Many people find that their bodies are far more receptive to exercise after this treatment. Since part of it is repairing muscle tissue, there’s some speculation that it could actually fortify the muscles and help people lose even more weight in the long run.
Less Back Pain
Some patients report that they experience less back pain after a tuck, and it makes sense. The more weight we have in our stomach areas, the more pressure we put on our backs, especially in the lower spinal area. Losing skin and fat can ease the pressure on our backs. Additionally, stronger core muscles can help us stand up straighter and keep our spine aligned. This can also help calm down any back problems over time.
Ideal Candidates
Anyone who wants to have a more contoured, slimmer stomach is a good candidate for this treatment, but there are some people who would benefit specifically from tucks as opposed to other cosmetic options like liposuction. If you have recently had a baby or lost a lot of weight quickly, you could experience excellent results from this treatment. Also, if you have a lot of loose skin from a previous treatment, a tuck might be exactly what you need to get a smoother-looking stomach.
The best candidates are at their ideal weight. Although you can fluctuate a few pounds after a tuck, you shouldn’t want to lose a drastic amount. Non-smokers tend to fare better than smokers, simply because they heal quickly after the treatment. Those who are thinking about becoming pregnant should hold off on getting this treatment done. Wait until after you’ve had the baby and treat yourself to a full mommy makeover.
Your Dream Body Can Be Yours
If you want to enhance your body and get the flat, contoured stomach that you’ve always wanted, we can help. Our team prioritizes your comfort, and we go out of our way to exceed all expectations. We will answer any questions that you might have and help you understand everything that will happen during your treatment. We will also put together a personalized plan based upon your goals, and our head plastic surgeon, Dr. Bachelor, will personally guide you through every step of the way.
There’s absolutely no reason why you should live with excess skin or a stomach that you are not proud of. You don’t need to hide your stretch marks or scars anymore. With a tummy tuck, you can proudly show off your figure at the beach again and look absolutely stunning in clothes. Simply contact us at
East Bay Aesthetic Surgery in Danville and Pleasanton, CA for a comprehensive, pressure-free consultation today!