Tummy Tuck: Restoring the Lost Abdomen with Liposuction

Other than the face, the abdomen is perhaps the most scrutinized area of the body. Perhaps that’s because both sexes want great looking “abs”! Clothing for women, from bikinis to blue jeans frequently bares the belly. Men are judged as fit or couch potatoes depending on their abdominal girth. Everyone admires the trim bodies they see on television work-out infomercials.

The Liposuction Clinic has devoted this website to the topic of restoring the lost abdomen. While we can’t give everyone a six pack, we can make tremendous improvements to abdomens that have been “lost” due to pregnancy or weight loss or both.

From a surgical point of view there are two techniques that can improve the tired tummy: liposuction and tummy tuck. Often both are required for maximal restoration. From the non surgical point of view, there is one important technique: weight loss! A man with a classic “beer belly” is often not much of a candidate for surgery until he loses those 40 extra pounds.

LIPOSUCTION CLINIC

Liposuction is a tried and true technique. Dr. McLean’s experience with liposuction began when it first came to North America from France around 1982. In expert hands liposuction is one of the safest cosmetic procedures. Liposuction has one drawback: it treats only excess fat, and not the excess skin that often accompanies it. Liposuction, therefore, is best performed when the client has well-toned skin that has not yet stretched too much. Often this is in someone who has never really had significant weight issues, but dislikes certain bulges. We think of liposuction as trimming, shaping, and sculpting: not as reducing weight.

So what about the excess skin in that sagging tummy? Can’t you just exercise enough to tighten it? You will know the answer when you realize that you exercise to tone muscles, not skin. Skin is like the clothes you wear: no amount of exercise will get your gym clothes to fit you more tightly!

TUMMY TUCK (PLUS LIPOSUCTION)

At the McLean Clinic the most popular abdominal restoration procedure is our legendary tummy tuck / liposuction combination. This is more than a simple tummy tuck: it involves shaping, trimming, internal suturing, sculpting, and muscle tightening. A McLean Clinic Tummy Tuck addresses the whole area of the tummy, not just the bulge that appears when you sit down. You can see results of this on the photos on this site. Another special thing about our tummy tuck is that we have tried hard to make the experience as easy as possible for you. We have eliminated drains and tubes, hospital stays, removable stitches, and major discomfort. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis with general anaesthetic (asleep).

COMBINING PROCEDURES

Clients may prefer to combine the tummy tuck with another procedure. This is often breast surgery, and for women whose aim is to reverse some of the effects of pregnancy, the name “MOMMY MAKEOVER” may apply. Other procedures could include anything from arm lifts and liposuction of areas such as the thighs and neck through to treating baggy eyelids or sagging jowls.

A Word About Risks

Surgery, like everyday life, involves the taking of risk. In cosmetic surgery very serious risks are rare, and more common problems are usually readily taken care of.
The risks of surgery generally include infection, bleeding, healing problems, numbness, fluid collection and adverse scars. Because cosmetic surgery usually involves two sides, there can be asymmetry.