The surgery that will help you regain some of your shape after pregnancy or weight loss
With the arrival of summer we begin to look at our body with another concern. Some run to the gym, some others need help to remove some skin and localized excess fat. This is the situation of some women after pregnancy, whose belly muscles have lost some firmness, or others, who after a weight loss need to remove excess skin. The solution could then be a tummy tuck, “a procedure that includes the surgical removal of excess skin and excess fat from the abdomen, usually performed under general anesthesia,” explains Luiz Toledo, a global specialist in plastic and aesthetic surgery.
During the first phase fat can be removed by liposuction, followed by the incision to remove the excess skin, which will leave a scar. In the case of a full abdominoplasty the scar will be from hip bone to hip bone carefully hidden within the bikini line, with another small scar around the navel, which is also repositioned to the correct place. Although there is no specific age for this intervention, Dr Toledo explains that “there is a procedure called mini abdominoplasty, usually indicated for younger patients, with a small amount of skin that needs to be removed, leaving a much shorter scar.”
In case of surgery, there are always some postoperative cares that must be respected to ensure the correct healing process. “Do not lift weights, such as shopping baskets and children for three weeks; do not drive for two weeks; quick shower only and no baths while the incision is healing; regular postoperative visits to change dressings and to observe the recovery process; and no exposure of the scar to the sun for a month” are some of the important guidelines to follow, that Dr Toledo refers to. Returning to normal life, which may include physical exercise, occurs one month after surgery.