When you’re working out regularly, you expect to become fitter, stronger, and healthier over time—but many people actually seem to reach a plateau at some point. Eventually, they can’t quite take their body goals to the next level and no longer see results from their efforts. This could happen when your body has become used to your exercise routine or if you’re overtraining and not giving your body enough time to repair itself between workouts. However, there are other reasons why fat might still cling to the stomach area regardless of what you do, since genetics or hormones might make you prone to carrying more weight there. While exercise is ideal for improving health and “getting in shape,” plastic surgery is meant to put finishing touches on your efforts to lose weight and tone up Want to remove remaining fat and repair damaged areas that prevent you from sculpting the body you’ve always wanted? If so, it’s important to know which belly-focused procedure is most suitable for you: liposuction or an abdominoplasty, also known as a tummy tuck? Naperville-based plastic surgeon Dr. John Bull explains that while the two procedures are used to sculpt the same area, they are not the same thing.

It’s true that tummy tucks and liposuction share several features in common: They’re both elective surgical procedures, they both are used to re-shape the abdominal area to make it leaner and flatter, and they both involve the removal of stubborn fat that a patient has been unable to get rid of through other, standard weight-loss methods.

They also differ in how the procedure is handled, who makes a good candidate for the surgery, and what happens during recovery:

Procedure

Liposuction

Liposuction is a fat reduction treatment in which the surgeon makes small incisions and uses a thin tube called a cannula to break up and suction away fat cell deposits from directly below the skin. Local, intravenous sedation or general anesthesia may be used to prolong the patient’s comfort, and it’s generally a more simple and straightforward treatment compared to tummy tucks. Unlike tummy tucks, liposuction isn’t limited to focusing on the stomach area. Patients can also have liposuction done on surrounding transition areas such as the flanks, hips, upper thighs, and lower back—as well as other parts of the body, including the neck, chest, and more.

Tummy Tuck

For a tummy tuck, the patient is put under general anesthesia and an incision is made on the lower abdominal area so that the surgeon can repair several concerns relating to the skin, muscle layer, tissues, or fat. Tummy tucks are much more involved when compared to standard liposuction. The surgeon will repair muscle, remove unwanted sagging skin on the abdomen, and reduce excess fat as necessary.

Candidates

Liposuction

The best candidates for liposuction are people who are within 30 percent of their ideal weight and in good general health. These patients have firm skin, have good muscle tone, and want to reduce small pockets of isolated fat on the abdomen or surrounding areas that are resistant to diet and exercise and won’t budge even after all-over weight loss.

Tummy Tuck

Tummy tuck candidates should likewise be physically healthy and at a stable weight. Ideal candidates include those who have a significant amount of skin laxity on the abdominal area after pregnancy or weight loss, have leftover fat on the abdomen that sits directly below the skin, have had separated core muscles due to diastasis recti, and are finished having children.

Recovery

Liposuction

Patients usually have a shorter recovery after liposuction compared to a tummy tuck. It’s normal to experience side effects such as swelling, draining, and bleeding.

Tummy Tuck

Though the initial recovery phase lasts between 10 days and two weeks, it may take up to six weeks for patients to feel more like themselves after a tummy tuck, and it’s important to get approval from your surgeon before engaging in physical activity or exercise again. Patients may experience swelling and numbness in the stomach area for a few months.  

Discover more about the benefits of liposuction or a tummy tuck from The John Bull Center for Cosmetic Surgery & Laser Medispa. Call (630) 280-3913 to contact them, or submit a contact form to find out more about the unique benefits of these cosmetic procedures.