While a tummy tuck and liposuction are surgical procedures performed on the stomach area, these are two different surgical procedures. Both, however, can change the appearance – for the better, obviously, particularly in making it smaller, flatter, and tighter – of the midsection. Both should also be performed by qualified doctors and aren’t covered by health insurance because of their cosmetic nature.
And therein ends the similarities of these procedures. Here are a few more things that make tummy tuck and liposuction different from each other.
Suitable Candidates
A tummy tuck not only removes excess fat from the abdomen but it’s also used to remove excess skin. It’s a popular procedure among people who have experienced significant shifts in weight and among mothers dealing with post-pregnancy stretched skin on their stomach. Basically, it bring back the rectus abdominus together again; these sit-up muscles were previously separated or stretched during the pregnancy.
Doctors consider the following people as suitable candidates for a tummy tuck:
- With a body mass index of over 30
- On a safe and effective weight loss program (i.e., active weight loss)
- Considering a future pregnancy
- With a chronic heart condition
With liposuction at the likes of Smart Lipo, the doctors consider individuals as suitable candidates when they are relatively healthy people with their current weight as close to their ideal weight as possible. This is because liposuction isn’t a weight loss procedure – instead, it’s designed to remove small deposits of stubborn fat in areas that diet and exercise may not address so well. Obese people aren’t suitable candidates for these reasons.
While a tummy tuck can only be performed on the abdomen, a liposuction can be performed on other areas of the body aside from the stomach. These include the hips, thighs and buttocks, even on the chin and arms.
Actual Procedure
Both tummy tuck and liposuction require incisions and anesthesia since these are considered as invasive procedures. The differences lie in the actual procedures for each surgery.
In a tummy tuck, your doctor will make an incision on your skin covering the abdominal wall and expose the muscles underneath. The muscles will then be sewed together, if they have been stretched out or separated, then pull the skin tight over your abdomen. Excess skin will also be trimmed off and the incision closed with sutures.
The entire tummy tuck procedure can take 1-3 hours and it’s performed in a single session.
In liposuction, your doctor makes small incisions around the fatty areas of the treatment site. A cannula, a thin tube, will then be inserted into an incision and manipulated so that it can loosen the fat cells. A medical vacuum is used in suctioning the dislodged fat deposits.
Unlike a tummy tuck, several sessions will likely be required for a liposuction before the desired results can be achieved.