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Tummy Tuck

Dr. John LeRoy Answers Your Questions About Tummy Tucks

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belly-being-marked-for-surgeryThe abdomen is an incredibly common “trouble area” for adults. When I say “trouble area”, I mean a portion of the body that is most in need of aesthetic rejuvenation for people as the years go on. Excess skin, stubborn fat, and damaged abdominal muscles that create the appearance of a belly “pooch” are common sources of frustration for people. Thankfully, tummy tuck surgery is designed to address all of these concerns and create a flatter and more healthy-looking abdomen for women and men. Today, I wanted to answer a few common questions about tummy tuck surgery and how it can help my patients.

Question #1: What is the difference between a tummy tuck and liposuction?

While these are both common body contouring procedures, they help patients in very different ways. During a tummy tuck, the focus is on repairing the abdominal muscle, as well as removing loose, stretched skin and tissue that has become lax over time. While fat removal is sometimes part of the procedure, that is not always the case. Liposuction on the other hand, is only intended to address excess fat and cannot help patients who need loose skin and tissue treated (as well as those who experience damaged abdominal muscles).

Question #2: Is there a less invasive version of the tummy tuck available?

I offer a minimally invasive tummy tuck variation known as my signature Band Aid Tummy Tuck. This alternative can be extremely helpful for patients who are within 5-10 pounds of their ideal body weight and experience excess fat deposits and/or mild to moderately sagging skin in the lower abdomen area. During the procedure, I am able to remove small amounts of excess skin and then refine the contour of the abdomen with liposuction (if needed). This option is performed in-office with gentle numbing.

Question #3: Is it true that a tummy tuck can improve my posture?

It is. In addition to the wonderful cosmetic benefits that it’s most known for, undergoing a tummy tuck can provide additional medical benefits like improved posture and reduced back pain as well. By correcting a protruding abdomen and tightening separated abdominal muscles, posture issues can often be addressed.

As a board-certified plastic surgeon, it’s important to me tha I be able to answer questions like this and guide my patients toward the best-possible surgical choices and outcomes for their unique needs. For more information about tummy tuck surgery, or any other cosmetic surgery procedure that I perform, contact me, Dr. John L. LeRoy, to schedule a plastic surgery consultation today. You can also follow along with me on Facebook for additional tips, practice news, and much more.

Tips For Exercising After Undergoing Plastic Surgery

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I completely understand the impulse to want to get back into your daily routine after undergoing plastic surgery. And for many people, regular exercise is an integral part of their daily routine. Exercising regularly is a healthy lifestyle choice that can help patients maintain their aesthetic results in the years following their cosmetic procedure. However, it’s important to understand when it will be safe and advisable to fully dive back into your workout routine after plastic surgery.

I wanted to begin by reminding readers that every patient is different and post-surgery recovery varies from patient to patient. There are many factors to consider before a recommendation like when to begin exercising again can be made. Speaking generally, a simple rule that I explain to my patients is that it is likely safe to begin lighter exercise one to two weeks after a minor procedure like a Band Aid facial surgery and two to four weeks after more invasive procedures like a tummy tuck or mommy makeover. Readers may find the following tips for exercising after plastic surgery helpful:

  • Wait six weeks or more before any more strenuous (high impact) physical activity or heavy lifting in order to give the body time to properly heal after surgery
  • Start slow and build back your strength over time instead of instantly going as hard as you did before surgery
  • Make realistic goals and stick with them
  • Wear supportive garments (if applicable to your surgery) while exercising if advised to do so by your plastic surgeon
  • Make sure to take rest days between exercises and not push yourself too hard too soon

In the video below, I discuss exercise after plastic surgery in more detail:

Showing patience in the short term during the plastic surgery recovery period can provide several long-term benefits for patients. If you would like to learn more about plastic surgery or to schedule a plastic surgery consultation, contact me, Dr. John LeRoy. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook or Twitter for more videos, tips, and updates from my practice.

Is Mommy Makeover Surgery Right for You?

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Common Myths about LiposuctionTime can affect the body in many ways. For women, especially those who have experienced pregnancy and childbirth in the past, it’s incredibly common to experience patches of stretched, excess skin in areas all over the body. And try as we might, it is virtually impossible to improve the appearance of some of these areas with diet and exercise alone. While there are several body contouring surgeries available that can help women look and feel younger by addressing these concerns, I thought it would be helpful to discuss mommy makeover surgery and the unique benefits that this plastic surgery combination can provide.

For anyone unfamiliar, mommy makeover surgery combines multiple body contouring procedures into one surgery to help provide outstanding and long-lasting aesthetic results to areas all over the body. Depending on each patient’s unique needs, a mommy makeover may include the following:

  • Liposuction to remove unwanted patches of stubborn fat from the abdomen, back, arms, thighs, or other areas.
  • Tummy tuck surgery to remove loose skin and repair damaged or separated muscles in the abdomen that create the appearance of a belly “pooch”.
  • A cosmetic breast surgery of the patient’s choice that may include breast augmentation, breast reduction, or a breast lift.
  • Band Aid Liposuction and Band Aid Tummy Tuck for patients who don’t require quite as extensive cosmetic rejuvenation.

The individual surgeries that make up the mommy makeover are intended to complement each other, and help provide more comprehensive benefits together than they ever could separately. One of the things that my patients generally love so much about the mommy makeover is how customizable it is. I pride myself on being able to offer my patients a wide range of options to better suit their needs, and the mommy makeover allows women to precisely target specific areas for aesthetic improvement.

In addition to the cosmetic benefits of a mommy makeover, the emotional benefits cannot be forgotten either. I understand that no one wants to look old before their time and how frustrating it can be to not feel like yourself due to not being confident in how you look. A mommy makeover can help women turn back the clock and bring out their best, most youthful selves once more.

It’s important to note that you don’t have to be a mother to undergo a mommy makeover. When performed by an experienced board-certified plastic surgeon like myself, undergoing a mommy makeover can provide incredible aesthetic results for any woman trying to look and feel her best. For more information about the mommy makeover, or any other cosmetic surgery procedure that I perform, contact me, Dr. John L. LeRoy, today. You can follow along with me on Facebook for additional tips, practice news, and much more.

Are You a Candidate for a Tummy Tuck? Here’s How to Know

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laying-out--surgery-on-bellySwimsuit season is dawning once again, and it has left many people thinking about their physique and whether it matches their hopes and ideals. For some, a tummy tuck or a mini tummy tuck like my Band Aid Tummy Tuck could be the ideal way to get the body contour you want.

Are you a good candidate for a tummy tuck? Follow each of these steps to find out if you should take the next step and schedule a consultation at my plastic surgery office.

Define Your Cosmetic Goals

Each plastic surgery, including a tummy tuck, is designed to address very specific cosmetic concerns. Specifically, a tummy tuck can help with:

  • A “pooch” on your lower abdomen due to abdominal muscles that separated, a common issue for women who have been pregnant
  • Sagging skin throughout your abdominal area, above and/or below your belly button
  • Excess fat in your belly

If one or more of these aesthetic concerns are on your list of priorities, a tummy tuck may be the best way to improve them.

Check Up on Your Health

While a tummy tuck is cosmetic, it’s still a surgical procedure, and candidates should be in good health to make the surgery very low-risk. While I require every patient to undergo select medical tests before their surgery, it’s a good idea to visit your general practitioner for an annual physical if you haven’t had one in some time so you have an idea of your overall health.

It’s important to think about your health habits as well. For example, if you are a smoker, be aware that you will need to stop smoking for several weeks before and after surgery to allow for healthy healing.

Determine Your Weight Management Plans

A tummy tuck is designed to contour the physique you have on the day of the surgery. Any changes to your figure, including weight gain or weight loss, will impact the results of your surgery. This is why ideal candidates for a tummy tuck should be at or near their ideal weight with plans to maintain their weight long-term. If you have recently lost weight, it’s best to wait until you have kept your weight stable for several months so you’re certain you’re able to maintain it.

Pregnancy will also affect your tummy tuck results. For women considering a tummy tuck, it’s best to wait until you’re finished having children or you’ve decided you don’t want children in the future.

Consider Your Patience for Recovery

A tummy tuck has the potential to make a powerful difference in your appearance, but with this comes a recovery period that will limit your movements and activities for some time. To be a candidate for a tummy tuck, you need to be able to take enough time off work to recover and to properly follow all post-surgical care instructions and limitations so your body can heal.

Weigh Your Surgical Options

A traditional tummy tuck isn’t the only way to get excellent body contouring results. As you consider a tummy tuck, consider whether you might be a better fit for a similar type of procedure instead.

For example, my Band Aid Tummy Tuck is a minimally invasive, in-office tummy tuck performed with gentle numbing rather than general anesthesia. For patients who want to treat a smaller area, my Band Aid Tummy Tuck can provide strong results with less recovery time.

Another potential alternative is liposuction. If your primary cosmetic concern is abdominal fat rather than sagging skin or muscle separation, liposuction or my Band Aid Liposuction may be better suited to your needs.

The Sure-Fire Way to See if You’re a Tummy Tuck Candidate: Schedule a Consultation

All the tips above can help you decide if you may be a good candidate for a tummy tuck, but the only way to know for certain is with a tummy tuck consultation. As a double board-certified plastic surgeon, I sit down with each potential patient to discuss their procedure, what they can expect, and whether they are a good candidate. To start this process today, schedule a consultation with me, Dr. John LeRoy. Follow me on Facebook for more cosmetic surgery tips.

What Can a Tummy Tuck Do for Me?

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Most people would love to have a firmer, smoother physique, but life tends to have other plans. Aging can take a toll on anyone’s figure, and so can having kids and raising a family. That’s why there are ways to take back control over your appearance while still enjoying the fulfilling lifestyle you have. One of those ways is with tummy tuck surgery.

You’ve probably heard of a tummy tuck, but what exactly can it do for you and your appearance? As a double board-certified plastic surgeon, I’m highlighting each of the ways a tummy tuck can benefit you.

Tummy Tuck

Tighten Your Abdominal Skin

Just as skin can thin and sag on the face, the same can happen to the abdomen. Aging plays a role, but the largest contributor to excess abdominal skin is usually pregnancy. Your skin stretches quickly to accommodate your baby’s growth, but after you give birth, your skin often doesn’t tighten back up when your belly shrinks back to its usual size. A similar effect happens when people lose a significant amount of weight.

During a tummy tuck surgery or Band Aid Tummy Tuck surgery, I resolve this issue by removing excess abdominal skin and giving the remaining skin a smoother, firmer contour.

Flatten Certain Types of Abdominal “Pooches”

Another common effect of pregnancy is a “pooch” in the abdomen. When your baby is growing, your vertical abdominal muscles may separate from each other to some degree to make room for your baby. After you have the baby, those separated muscles can create a bulge or “pooch” in your lo

wer abdomen.

While workouts won’t help to repair these damaged muscles, a tummy tuck will. During your tummy tuck, I restore the bond between your abdominal muscles with a precise contour to give you a flatter abdomen.

Remove Excess Abdominal Fat

Most of us have some amount of abdominal fat we don’t want. During a tummy tuck, I can remove some of this unwanted fat as I’m removing excess skin and repairing the abdominal muscles.

Keep in mind, though, that if you only want to remove fat and you aren’t concerned about sagging skin or separated abdominal muscles, you are pr

obably a better fit for liposuction or my minimally invasive Band Aid Liposuction than for a tummy tuck. This is why it’s important to schedule a plastic surgery consultation if you’re considering any procedure – so I can discuss your goals with you and determine the best way to achieve the results you want.

Reduce Some Stretch Marks

As I noted, tummy tucks are particularly popular among people who have either had children or lost a significant amount of weight because both of those experiences can lead to sagging skin. Both weight fluctuations and pregnancy also have a tendency to leave stretch marks on your abdomen too.

To some degree, a tummy tuck can help with stretch marks. When I remove excess skin, I will generally be removing some of the skin with the stretch marks, so you can expect to have fewer 

stretch marks after your surgery. While everyone’s stretch marks can vary, a tummy tuck sometimes makes the remaining stretch marks less noticeable because the skin is firmer so it doesn’t pucker as much around the stretch marks.

Is a Tummy Tuck the Right Choice for You?

A tummy tuck is a highly effective cosmetic surgery that can be extraordinarily helpful for people who have excess abdominal skin, unwanted belly fat, and an abdomen “pooch.” If you want to make these types of changes to your appearance, call my plastic surgery office in Atlanta today to schedule your consultation. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for more plastic surgery tips.