This is one of the most common confusions at consultation. Most people arrive saying they want the abdomen gone, and usually they are thinking of liposuction. Yet these two operations do not solve the same problem.
What does liposuction solve?
Liposuction removes fat only. If your skin is elastic and there is no sagging, it will adapt to the new volume and the result will be good. But if the skin has lost its elasticity, emptying what lies beneath will only make it sag further.
What does a tummy tuck solve?
A tummy tuck does two things: it removes sagging skin and it repairs the abdominal muscles that have separated in the midline (rectus diastasis). The reason the abdomen protrudes after pregnancy is often not fat but this muscle separation. No amount of exercise can bring separated muscles back together; only surgery can.
Two simple tests you can do yourself
- Skin test: pinch the skin below your navel. If what you hold is not just fat but a hanging layer of skin, liposuction will not tighten that.
- Muscle test: lie on your back and lift your head slightly. If a long ridge appears in the midline above the navel, that is a sign of muscle separation.
These tests do not replace an examination, but they give you an idea of which operation is going to be discussed.
So which one?
Liposuction alone is enough.
Liposuction combined with a skin tightening technique such as J-Plasma can be considered.
A tummy tuck is needed. Liposuction of the waist is usually added.
Neither operation is a way of losing weight. In both cases the best result comes when your weight has been stable for some time.
