Many woman, especially those of us who have had kids, don’t want to undergo surgery but would love to have a non surgical tummy tuck. Wouldn’t it be nice to able to go back to the days when we could bounce a quarter off of our abs, but without the pain, expense, and risk of complications of surgery? For those of us who want that there are tummy tuck alternatives that might be just what the doctor ordered.

Having a tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is expensive. It costs thousands of dollars for the surgery. When you add to the expense the fact that you’ll be out of commission for up to six weeks and that you’ll have quite a bit of pain, as well as the risk of complications, many women just don’t want to put themselves through that for a tighter tummy.

The good news is that you don’t have to. Today there are several non surgical tummy tuck alternatives that can help you get the flat looking midsection you’re craving without having to go under the knife.

Here are some of the most promising:

1. For fat loss liposuction works just fine (if your problem is loose skin this won’t help). Liposuction is still a pretty involved procedure but it’s not major abdominal surgery. Often the doctor will perform liposuction in conjunction with a tummy tuck. If you want to just have some fat removed this procedure can work very well.

To put it simply: the doctor uses a vacuum like device and literally sucks fat out of your body. You will still have a recovery period but it’s not as long as with a tummy tuck. Ask your doctor if this is a good idea for you.

2. Titan. This is a process where a laser can tighten the skin from the surface. There are no incisions involved with this procedure. If you have just a little extra skin, this procedure would probably work really well for you, ask your doctor.

3. Thermage is a non surgical procedure where radio frequency energy is directed to the skin. This can help tighten and lift excess skin. It’s completely non invasive.

4. Injection Lipolysis is a procedure where a compound is injected directly into the skin. This compound has been shown to melt off fat deposits. Most people will need 2 or 3 injections to remove the total amount of fat that they want removed. It’s non surgical and works well on the face, jowls, neck, sides, thighs and abdomen. It hasn’t been FDA approved yet though so make sure to talk to your doctor about it, and any potential side effects, and get his opinion.

We’re lucky, today more than ever we don’t have to age gracefully, we can fight it every step of the way. We now know a lot about diet and exercise and the benefits both have on our overall health as well as our appearance. The problem is that sometimes diet and exercise just aren’t enough. To get rid of that flabby tummy without going under the knife you should look into
non surgical tummy tuck alternatives.

Tags: Abdominal Surgery, Abdominoplasty, Ask Doctor, Conjunction, Excess Skin, Extra Skin, FDA;, Healthy Diet, Incisions, Laser, Liposuction, Loose Skin, Midsection, radio frequency, Radio Frequency Energy, Recovery Period, Risk, Six Weeks, surgery, Thermage, Thousands Of Dollars, Titan, Tummy Tuck, Vacuum, Woman —

Before considering facial liposuction, or any kind of plastic surgery for that matter, make sure you thoroughly research and find a board-certified plastic surgeon that you are comfortable with. Ask for references and to be shown before and after photos of patients they have performed the surgery you are interested in having on. Your face is the first thing people see and you really do not want any mistakes to be made. Choose your doctor wisely.

For most of us, as we age we put on weight. Some would say it is inevitable. Whether your weight gain is due to overeating, a slower metabolism, menopause, or what have you, it doesn’t matter, fat is fat. You know you should eat healthier and get some exercise but truthfully, in the real world, it is very difficult to stick to a routine because life always gets in the way.

So who do you turn to? How do you get the look you want without killing yourself in a gym? Why not consider the option of facial liposuction?

The use of lasers has become the procedure of choice for many due to the fact that it is much less invasive and there is a shorter recovery time associated with it. Find a surgeon skilled in the use of lasers to fix those saggy jowls, double chins and fat rolls on your neck.

Called SmartLipo, laser-assisted liposuction is a great way to refine the look of your face. No big incisions and no stitches to close them mean way less scarring, bruising, swelling and pain. The laser gets passed over the loose skin, shrinks the fat cells and tightens the targeted areas.

Traditional liposuction for those saggy jowls or double chins is performed by making a tiny incision either under the chin or inside the mouth and then removing the excess fat by inserting a tube, called a cannula, into the incision and suctioning out the fat. The excess skin is then stretched tight, trimmed, and the incision stitched closed.

If liposuction is performed on the face, you may choose to combine it with some neck work, too. Called cervicoplasty, this part of the surgery will take care of that double chin you have.

When the surgery is complete your head will be wrapped in a compression dressing that will need to be worn throughout the recovery process to help keep the healing tissue supported. Your doctor will tell you that you may return to work in about a week but expect a full six weeks to fully recover. Avoid looking at yourself in mirrors during this time. Wait until you are completely healed, no sense in scaring yourself half to death.

Plastic surgery is not for everyone but if you have done all you can by way of diet and exercise and still have areas that need work, like your face, by all means, talk to a board-certified plastic surgeon about facial liposuction. It may just be the self-confidence booster you need.

Tags: board-certified plastic surgeon, Cannula, Double Chins, Excess Skin, Facial Liposuction, Fat Cells, Incision, Incisions, Jowls, Laser, Laser Assisted Liposuction, Lasers, Liposuction, Loose Skin, Menopause, Plastic Surgeon, Plastic Surgery, Recovery Time, Stitches, Suctioning, surgeon, surgery, Tiny Incision, Traditional Liposuction, Weight Gain —

A friend of ours wants to have an abdominoplasty procedure done. When she first told us about this, all we could do was look at each other. Afterwards, when we were by ourselves and were able to discuss it more, I made the comment that I thought she was nuts to want to have anything done.

Why? Because she weighs about 100 lbs soaking wet and works out like a fiend every single day. How could she possibly need to have a tummy tuck? Well, I was wrong to jump to any conclusion like that. She explained at a later date that even though she works out like a fiend, she is still getting older and the skin around her middle is starting to get saggy. It is because she works out so diligently that she wants to continue to look her best.

Can’t blame a woman for that now can you?

The procedure she will have is called a mini-tuck where an incision is made, minimal liposuction performed if any is needed, and the skin tightened, then stitched closed. The belly button does not require relocation with a mini-tuck. A drain tube is inserted into the incision to drain excess fluid. The lower abdomen is then wrapped with a compression dressing. Pain control using a prescribed narcotic or, if the pain is minimal, then over the counter pain relievers may be used. Recovery time is 2-3 weeks with a mini-tuck.

So, I learned my lesson. I learned that even someone who is in great shape and has incredible muscle tone can still be in need of firmer skin in certain areas of her body.

I have another friend who had an abdominoplasty procedure after having two pregnancies which resulted in two very big babies, 10 lbs and 11 lbs, respectively. She lost all the baby weight but since both the babies had to be taken Cesarean and were so big to begin with she ended up with a lot of excess skin in that area and she was told the muscles of her abdomen would never recover.

Obviously, the procedure she had done was a full tummy tuck which involved “baseball stitching” the damaged muscles, removing any fat remaining with liposuction, stretching the skin taut, trimming off the excess, relocating the belly button and closing the incision. Drain tubes were inserted to help keep fluid from accumulating and aid recovery. The area is then wrapped tightly with a compression dressing to help support the muscles. A narcotic analgesic will be prescribed to control the pain and discomfort associated with the procedure. Recovery time is approximately six weeks with a full tummy tuck.

So, if you are looking for a toned, flat belly, check out board-certified plastic surgeons in your area and call for a consult. Ask what your options are and if they think you are a good candidate for surgery. You may find that you are making one of the smartest decisions you have ever made in your life. Just think, no more battle of the bulge!

Although not recommended as a substitute for a weight loss or diet regimen, an abdominoplasty procedure can help correct the problem areas left behind when all is said and done.

Tags: Abdominoplasty, Baby Weight, Baseball Stitching, Belly Button, candidate for surgery, Damag, Drain Tube, Excess Fluid, Excess Skin, Fiend, Firmer Skin, Great Shape, Healthy Diet, Incision, Incredible Muscle, Liposuction, Losing Weight, Lower Abdomen, Muscle Tone, Pain Relievers, Pregnancies, Recovery Time, Single Day, surgery, Tummy Tuck —

Well, you did it. You lost the weight but now you find you have all this excess skin hanging all over the place. So what do you do? You talk to a reputable plastic surgeon about body contouring. Your doctor will tell you that if you are at your target weight and still have sagging skin that you probably can go no further without help from them. And they are right, no matter what you do from here on out will do nothing to help reduce the sagging skin.

Body contouring surgery is major surgery so do not enter into the decision lightly. Do your due diligence and research what you need to have done so you have the knowledge and can, with the help of your doctor, make an informed decision regarding how you wish your body to look.

There are several different techniques used to accomplish the specific looks you want. One of these techniques is ‘fat transfer’. What this technique consists of is removing fat from certain areas like your hips, thighs, and belly and injecting it into your buttocks. So basically you get the best of both worlds, nice slim hips, thighs or belly and lots of junk in your trunk to boot.

You could research using implants to improve how you look. Places can be implanted that you may not even think of. Did you know that you can get chin and cheek implants? Yup. Implants are not just for breasts anymore. Chin, cheeks, butt, calves, breasts for women or pecs for men. Yes I said men. Plastic surgery is not just for women either, guys, we know you want to look good, too.

So go ahead and call to make that appointment with a qualified, reputable plastic surgeon and with their help, figure out what you want to make yourself look and feel like you have never looked and felt before.

If cellulite is your biggest problem and you just can’t seem to find a solution to the problem, then maybe talking to a plastic surgeon is the next step you should take. When talking to your surgeon, they may recommend a procedure called Thermage. Done on an outpatient basis and completed in about an hour, Thermage heats the collagen in the skin and when the collagen contracts the skin tightens and reduces the appearance of cellulite.

You could opt for the old standby, liposuction. Liposuction quickly and easily removes unwanted fat from beneath the skin and the skin is then stretched over the area to make things look tight and toned. This is a more involved technique and does require a significant recovery period but when all is said and done you will look younger and more fit than you did before.

The younger and more fit you look then the younger and more fit you feel. The biggest part of being healthy is to look and feel healthy. Body contouring is one great way to look and feel your best.

Tags: Appointment, Best Of Both Worlds, Body Contouring Surgery, Breasts, Buttocks, Calves, Cheek Implants, Cheeks, Due Diligence, Excess Skin, Hips Thighs, Losing Weight, Major Surgery, Men Plastic Surgery, Outpatient Basis, Pecs, Plastic Surgeon, Plastic Surgery, Sagging Skin, Slim Hips, Target Weight —