Tummy Tuck VS Liposuction

Understanding the different effects of these two popular plastic surgeries on the stomach area. While both will reduce stomach area, they are designed to handle stomach muscles and excess skin in totally different fashions

Tummy Tuck VS Liposuction: Which Should You Pick, and Why?

Do you find yourself sporting a second waistline, or loose flab surrounding your stomach area? At this point, does plastic surgery sound like a great idea to finally fix this unsightly appearance? There are two operations that most people turn toward in an effort to fix their waistlines: the tummy tuck and liposuction. Both serve the same end result, but are either one better than the other for doing so? Here we will explore both procedures; looking at the good and the bad between the tummy tuck vs liposuction debate.

Tummy Tuck or Liposuction... Which Handles Flabby Skin?

Making a choice between the tummy tuck or liposuction boils down to one critical aspect, and that is how much flabby skin you are supporting around your midsection. If you are a woman whose born children before, or you are a person who has lost a dramatic amount of weight, then the odds are good that you have flabby skin around your tummy. Getting a tummy tuck done will solve this problem of "extra" skin. Liposuction, however, would only make the problem worse. In looking at the tummy tuck verses liposuction, you need to understand that the purpose of liposuction is to relieve your body of unnecessary fat. This procedure will do nothing for skin that is lose and flabby, really creating an additional problem if this is what you suffer from.

Liposuction is the method of vacuuming fat out of your body, so that there won't be as much fat underneath it all. You can see what will happen, then, right? More loose skin will be the result. But, if you are just sucking out 25 pounds or less from the area, then there won't be any more loose skin than what you started off with. However, if it will take more than 25 pounds to satisfy your appearance through liposuction, and you are dealing with flabby skin due to childbearing or other reasons, then you might not like the results of liposuction, because it won't take care of any amount of loose skin to your satisfaction. As we discussed already, tummy tucks are the best method for getting rid of both extra skin and extra fat. With this procedure, you are bound to have the look along the waistline that you desire.

The Side Effects of Both The Tummy Tuck And Liposuction

When looking at the differences between liposuction and the tummy tuck, you need to understand that the tummy tuck procedure puts you in much more danger, with a bigger side effect risk, and less desirable results that going through liposuction will. With plastic surgery, liposuction is quite simple to go through. Using a narrow tube that is inserted through the abdominal wall, fat is "vacuumed" out. With this operation scarring is lessened and so is the swelling and the pain that follows. Recovery is slow as well.

With the tummy tuck procedure, things aren't so easy. Starting with a large cut going across the abdomen, all of those muscles are opened out so that they can be sewn together more tightly. Once this is done, the skin will be pulled until it is tighter, and then all the extra skin will be sliced off. Lastly, the surgeon will sew your abdominal incision up again.

Just by looking at what happens with these two operations, you know that the tummy tuck involves the greater risk and more complications. This means that the chances of things going wrong are bigger, and so are the chances of side effects. These side effects can be bleeding internally or infection, but the worst side effects are not being happy with the results you get. You might not like the skin, because the surgeon didn't tuck it in tight enough, so the sag is still there, along with a new scar. Maybe the fat has been shifted around so it appears out of balance. Maybe the skin looks too lumpy, or there is just too much scarring, or the belly button just doesn't look right. Looking at the side effects of liposuction pales in comparison to the tummy tuck.

Comparing the Scarring of a Tummy Tuck With Liposuction

One big consideration when looking into both surgeries is determining what level of scarring will remain when either surgery is completed. Liposuction scarring is minimal at best, appearing as tiny scars that are red and barely noticeable, mostly soon after the procedure is over. These tiny scars will disappear soon enough and won't be visible much thereafter. There is no reason to worry about scarring if you are looking into getting liposuction.Not so with the tummy tuck. This surgical procedure will leave a long scar across your midsection, as much as a foot long, soon after the surgery is over. It will be quite pink in color and will be hard to miss. But, if you don't spend time in the sun, use lotion a lot to quicken the healing process, among other things, then the scar will fade as years go by, until it becomes barely noticeable. With different skin types, come different fade appearances, ranging from fading nearly all the way gone to remaining almost completely visible years later. Along with the type of skin you have, the skills of the doctor will also be a factor.

Comparing the Cost of Liposuction To A Tummy Tuck

Tummy tucks, as you might have already suspected, has a greater price tag than liposuction. Liposuction, for instance, runs around $5,000 typically, unless just a single region is treated, in which case it can be as low as $2500. A tummy tuck can set you back by an average of $8600. The reason for the higher price is that tummy tucks are much more complicated and harder to perform. With this comes greater risks and therefore greater skills needed from the surgeon. Any more risky, more complicated surgeries will always be billed at a higher cost.

Final Thoughts, Tummy Tuck VS Liposuction

In the end, after looking at these two procedures, you should see that liposuction comes out on top of these comparisons every time, in every category of consideration. It is less costly and less risky, however if you have flabby skin or need to lose a great deal of weight it will not be the procedure of choice. If all the weight you need to shed is at or less than 25 pounds and you just want to firm up your belly, then definitely side with liposuction. But, flabby skin is only going to be trimmed up and tightened right using a  full tummy tuck. The Tummy Tuck carries a great deal more cost, and you will be at risk a great deal more as well. Tummy tuck risk can be reduced quite a bit by doing your due diligence and selecting a well trained and skilled surgeon with a proven track record with tummy tuck operations. This type of research can be the difference between a great tummy tuck experience and a very bad one.