Liposuction or Tummy Tuck: Which is Right for You?

If you’re a woman in your 30s or 40s, you’re likely familiar with the unwanted skin and fat around your midsection. You’ve tried everything related to diet and exercise to get rid of your dreaded muffin top, but it’s still hanging around.

This is not your fault. As you age and your hormone levels change, the way your body stores fat changes as well, which can make it much more difficult to lose that excess skin and fat.

If you’re ready to explore a surgical option, the expert team at Matthew J. Lynch, MD is ready and waiting to help. You have two basic options: liposuction or a tummy tuck.

Read on to find out which option might be right for you!

Liposuction 

If you want to get rid of fat around your middle section, liposuction is one of the most popular methods in America to remove fat while sculpting and contouring your body. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, only breast augmentation is a more popular cosmetic surgical procedure than liposuction. Thanks to advances in modern medicine, liposuction can now be performed with local anesthesia instead of general anesthesia. Scars from the procedure are usually also smaller and less noticeable than when the procedures were done in the past.

One negative aspect to liposuction is that it just removes excess fat — it does not actually tighten your skin. Often, muffin tops are a combination of both loose skin and excess fat. Even if the excess fat is removed, your skin will still not have the elasticity necessary to create the flat, smooth stomach you want, so your muffin top may still be keeping you company. If this is the case for you, your provider may recommend a different procedure, such as a tummy tuck.

After a liposuction procedure, it’ll be three or four days before you should go back to work. Even when you do return, you’ll still need to wear a compression garment for a couple of weeks. You’ll still have swelling for about four weeks, and even then, you’ll still have to wait a few months to see what the end product looks like.

Tummy Tuck 

A tummy tuck, on the other hand, can give you more dramatic visual results. This is because the doctor not only takes out excess fat during the procedure, they also stretch and strengthen your skin. Your doctor may also have to reposition your muscles, but the end result will be a shape and silhouette that looks more like your ideal image than when you started. 

On the negative side, a tummy tuck is an invasive surgery that is much more involved than liposuction. You will have a scar, which your doctor will position in a discreet location, and there are more possibilities for complications. You will need to wear a compression garment for about six weeks while your body heals from the surgery.

A tummy tuck approach may be your best option if you have excess fat with loose skin as well as weakened abdominal muscles due to injury or pregnancy. If you have high expectations about the final results, it may be a better fit for you as well.

If you still aren’t sure which option is the best for you, you don’t have to decide alone. Set up an appointment online or over the phone with Matthew J. Lynch, MD, and our expert team will help you figure out the best path to the results you want.