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Am I a Good Candidate for Tummy Tuck Surgery?
A tummy tuck is major surgery that is not for everyone. Good candidates, however, can experience dramatic results and a huge boost in self-esteem. The best candidates typically fall into one or more of three categories:
- Women who have had multiple pregnancies
- People who have lost massive amounts of weight
- Those who have lost elasticity of the skin and/or muscles due to age
The best candidates are in good overall health, have strong abdominal muscles, and have had a stable weight for at least one year.
View Our Abdominoplasty Before and Afters
Dr. Bryan Gawley, MD, FACS & Dr. Jennifer Geoghegan, MD, FACS
At the end of the day, the natural results of a tummy tuck procedure speak for themselves. You can see what our surgeons have achieved for other abdominoplasty patients by browsing our before-and-after photos to get an idea of what this cosmetic surgery procedure could mean for you.
View Abdominoplasty BnAs
Benefits of Abdominoplasty Surgery
A tummy tuck is a very popular part of the Mommy Makeover Procedure. During pregnancy, the uterus expands and can stretch the abdominal wall to the point that exercise will not return it to its original shape, often resulting in separated abdominal muscles and areas of loose skin. This is even more common in women who have had multiple pregnancies and may notice changes such as stretch marks, particularly across the lower abdomen.
After significant weight loss, many people are disappointed with the results because excess skin and fat and stretched muscles do not tighten on their own. A tummy tuck can help complete your hard work by addressing excess fat and restoring a smoother, firmer abdominal contour so you can enjoy the figure you deserve.
Complementary Cosmetic Procedures for a Tummy Tuck
When diet and exercise fail to deliver the flat belly and shapely contours you expect, this cosmetic surgical procedure may be able to solve your problem by removing excess skin and fat that cannot be improved naturally. While it’s not a weight loss tool, it can complete your weight loss efforts and refine your overall silhouette.
Gawley Plastic Surgery doctors are experts in body contouring and have created the four-dimensional tummy tuck for full abdominal rejuvenation while carefully placing incisions to minimize the appearance of a tummy tuck scar.
Liposuction
Liposuction can often be performed alongside a breast reduction for extra contouring. Sometimes excess stubborn fat around the breast tissue, typically around the armpits, needs to be removed to enhance your results.
Mommy Makeover
A mommy makeover is specialized combination of body contouring surgical procedures.
Our mommy makeovers offer the perfect complement of treatments to give you your pre-pregnancy body back and help you look your very best.
Our surgeons will help you choose the combination of procedures that will give you the body you desire which may include a tummy tuck, liposuction, breast augmentation, breast lift, or breast lift with augmentation.
Breast Surgery
During and after pregnancy, the breasts are often the most dramatically affected area of a woman’s body. The results can be very unpredictable. Some women lose volume. Some begin to sag due to stretching. Many women experience a combination of both. Age and the elasticity of your skin are just two of the factors that determine how your breasts will react to pregnancy. Our doctors at MD Plastic Surgery can enlarge your breasts with breast augmentation to replace lost volume, perform breast lift to correct sagging, or you can choose a combination lift and augmentation to fully restore and enhance your breasts.
Recovery & Results from a Tummy Tuck
Your recovery from the tummy tuck procedure varies depending on the extent of your procedure as well as your body’s healing ability. A modified tummy tuck offers a shorter recovery. If you underwent a full tummy tuck in combination with liposuction, you will be able to resume sedentary work in 2 weeks and you can begin exercising in about 3 to 4 weeks. It takes this long since your abdominal muscles are tightened during the tummy tuck and most patients will remain stooped over for about 7 days and returning to normal activities would not be possible. Your body is also utilizing a significant amount of energy to heal and you may take more time to return to your normal preoperative activities without feeling tired. As with every surgical procedure, you must discuss your options and recovery time period with your surgeon. It is important to allocate the required recovery time to allow your body to heal well and to be able to enjoy the intended results.
Dr. Gawley and the entire staff are great. I had a very informative appointment and every person I spoke to was so nice, I felt very comfortable and well taken care of. I can’t wait to get my procedure done and am confident with my decision to go to Dr. Gawley!
- Rebecca
More Patient StoriesArizona’s Board-Certified Experts
MD Plastic Surgery’s board-certified experts make a serious commitment to helping you get the results you want and the care you need. We combine our cutting-edge technology and top-of-the-line procedures with expertise and genuine compassion to help you reach your aesthetic goals while giving you the most comfortable experience possible.
Meet Our Team
Dr. Bryan Gawley, MD, FACS
Founder, Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
Dr. Jennifer Geoghegan, MD, FACS
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
Lawrence W. Shaw, MD, FACS
Double Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
A commitment to your comfort
Transforming Lives
with Precision
We make a serious commitment to helping you get the results you want and the care you need. We combine our cutting-edge technology and top-of-the-line procedures with expertise and genuine compassion to help you reach your aesthetic goals while giving you the most comfortable experience possible.
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