Flatten Your Belly With a Tummy Tuck in Lubbock

As women, we often dedicate our lives to our families. As mothers, this also means we give our bodies. Do you remember the you before you had kids? Back before you ever referred to your stomach as your “belly?” Even before your bra came with extra clips and hooks to accommodate someone else’s eating schedule? It may be a bit foggy (let’s not even get started on all those sleepless nights), but try for a moment to remember how you felt about your body before any of the changes that came with having a baby—the things you took for granted. While you may not be able to do anything about those lost nights of sleep, and life chooses a lot of things for you, you also have choices. You CAN reclaim your body with a tummy tuck in Lubbock. 

Women who have had children sometimes struggle in their efforts to restore the body they enjoyed before motherhood. It often takes more than a new diet and exercise routine to reverse the effects of pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. Of course those habits are highly beneficial and should be part of your healthy lifestyle, but the reality is, they often cannot solve the problem of flabby skin leftover from childbearing. A tummy tuck easily gets rid of loose skin that won’t disappear even after you reach your pre-pregnancy weight, no matter how much you diet or exercise. 

Options for a “Mommy Makeover”

Many women choose to combine procedures in a “mommy makeover” to cover several areas of concern at once. In addition to trimming your waist with a tummy tuck in Lubbock, you can consider breast and body contouring procedures to regain a youthful look. Rejuvenate your bustline with a breast lift, breast augmentation, or maybe a breast reduction, if that’s right for you. You can also opt to have liposuction to target those troublesome fat pocket areas that have developed over time. Being able to pick and choose your procedures enables you to have a personalized plastic surgery plan that meets your needs. 

Maybe the makeover won’t turn back the clock entirely, but it sure can help bring back the look and confidence you once had. Plastic surgery enables many women to build upon their self-esteem as they enhance the features that make them feel the most beautiful. Having children doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your body or live forever with the physical changes that took place. You can be you again, the you that you remember.

What is a Tummy Tuck?

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, a “[t]ummy tuck surgery, also known as abdominoplasty, removes excess fat and skin and, in most cases, restores weakened or separated muscles creating an abdominal profile that is smoother and firmer.” Simply put, a tummy tuck gets rid of flabby skin and tightens abdominal muscles to give you the flat tummy you want. If you have unsightly stretch marks on your lower abdomen, a tummy tuck in Lubbock can also make those disappear. Abdominoplasty is for patients who are unhappy with sagging skin and fat on their midsection, which is often caused by events such as massive weight loss or pregnancy. It is a procedure that can have dramatic results that benefit your appearance, body image, and even your health.

What Happens During Tummy Tuck Surgery?

Abdominoplasty is typically an outpatient procedure, taking about two hours under general anesthetic. The surgery is performed through a low horizontal abdominal incision. The length of the incision depends on the amount of skin that needs to be removed. Patients who have had a C-section may be able to have their tummy tuck incision incorporated into their existing scar. Next, the skin is elevated off of the abdominal muscles, and it is redraped and excised. Abdominal muscles are tightened at the same time with permanent sutures in multiple layers. To achieve a symmetrical, natural look, a standard tummy tuck in Lubbock also involves the repositioning of the navel and the skin around it. 

If you have excess fat on the hips or thighs, your plastic surgeon can perform liposuction for additional contouring at the same time as your abdominoplasty. Every body is unique and every patient has different expectations, and a tummy tuck can be personalized to fit your individual needs. Talk to your doctor about your goals so your plastic surgery can be tailored specifically for you.

Why Choose to Have a Tummy Tuck in Lubbock

When you feel healthy, eat right, and get regular exercise, it can be frustrating to see loose skin and belly flab persist despite your efforts. Don’t give up on those important habits; instead, consider how a tummy tuck could complement your healthy lifestyle. 

Abdominoplasty has a very high rate of satisfaction among Dr. Jane Rowley’s patients. The procedure flattens and firms the tummy while repairing weakened abdominal muscles simultaneously. For more information on what to expect from your tummy tuck in Lubbock, check out the informative video below.

Diastasis Recti Correction

Before you had children, you probably understood that pregnancy would cause your feet to swell and your waist to expand. But, did you know about the potential for diastasis recti? Many mothers and people who have lost a significant amount of weight experience a separation of the abdominal muscles, called diastasis recti. A 2016 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that 60 percent of women experienced diastasis recti during or after pregnancy. The condition often results in a belly pooch and can make a woman appear as though she is still pregnant even after the baby has arrived. Diastasis recti is mostly cosmetic in nature, but it can also cause discomfort such as bloating, constipation, lower back pain, and poor posture. 

It is important to seek your doctor’s advice if you think you may have separation between your abdominal muscles. Avoid doing traditional ab workouts like sit-ups and crunches, because they can actually worsen the condition. Some patients have found moderate success with yoga or other special exercises, but the only way to fully resolve diastasis recti is through surgery. Many of Dr. Rowley’s plastic surgery patients have found relief from the condition with a tummy tuck in Lubbock.   

What to Consider Before Your Tummy Tuck

The choice to have plastic surgery is a personal one that requires introspection, research, and planning. Just because you have a belly pooch does not mean you should dive right in to the decision to undergo a tummy tuck. If you feel strongly about enhancing your body through plastic surgery, consider taking some time to evaluate your motives, goals, and expectations. The first questions you should ask yourself if you are considering a tummy tuck in Lubbock are “Why do I want plastic surgery?” and “What am I expecting from this procedure?”

These two factors will impact how happy you’ll be with the results. It’s important to examine your motivations for plastic surgery to make sure it’s the right choice for you. From larger procedures like a mommy makeover to smaller ones like submental liposuction, all can have profound effects on your life and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Motivation

First, look at your motivations for having plastic surgery. Is it something you’ve always wanted for yourself, or is it something someone close to you has been pestering you about, but not something you’re as interested in? If it’s the latter, you should think twice before proceeding. Drastic life changes should always be done because it’s something you want for yourself, not something someone else wants you to do. Permanently changing your appearance to please someone else can lead to resentment or regret in the future. 

If you want to have a tummy tuck in Lubbock because you believe it will help you achieve your personal goals, you likely have healthy motivations for pursuing plastic surgery. Having the right mindset from the very beginning can make a big difference in the way you feel about your surgical outcome.  

Expectations

At Rowley Plastic Surgery, we want you to pursue plastic surgery for the right reasons so you’ll be happy and satisfied with your results; but that’s only half of the equation. Having proper expectations is also very important to your overall satisfaction. Surgery can’t turn you into a different person or make you look like someone in a magazine. If you expect perfection, you will be disappointed–-no one is perfect, so welcome to the club! At the same time, we can all improve, and a tummy tuck in Lubbock gives us options that diet and exercise can’t. So, focus on progress and improvement, not perfection. The latter simply doesn’t exist.

These are just a couple of reasons why the initial consultation is so important. From ear-pinning to a mommy makeover, each procedure and each patient is unique with different needs to be discussed. Dr. Rowley takes her time with her patients to discuss their expectations and answer all their questions. The more clearly you can communicate your hopes for your procedure, the more she can help you achieve your specific goals.

Benefits of Abdominoplasty

It’s easy to imagine the aesthetic benefits of a tummy tuck in Lubbock. After all, you can just look at those old photos and remember what it was like to fit into your favorite skinny jeans. What you might not know is that for women who are mothers, a tummy tuck can have multiple physical health benefits. A recent study of women who had postnatal abdominoplasty showed a marked reduction in back pain and urinary incontinence, common results of pregnancy and childbirth: 

“The study included 214 women undergoing abdominoplasty with repair of the abdominal muscles . . . . The women’s average age was about 42 years, with an average of 2.5 deliveries.

“Before and after surgery, the women completed questionnaires rating their disability from back pain and urinary incontinence . . . about 51 percent of women had moderate to severe disability from back pain, while urinary incontinence was a ‘significant concern’ for 42.5 percent.

“On follow-up questionnaires . . . only nine percent of patients still had moderate disability from back pain. Urinary incontinence remained a significant problem for less than two percent of women.”

In addition to women who have had children, people who achieve weight loss make up a significant proportion of tummy tuck candidates. These patients also experience health benefits with abdominoplasty. A 2017 study added to the literature which suggests a positive correlation between abdominoplasty and improvement in urinary incontinence. Patients with preoperative urinary incontinence symptoms reported a significant decrease in their symptoms and a positive impact on their quality of life. If you have felt embarrassed about your ability to control your bladder, abdominoplasty may be the right solution for you. A tummy tuck in Lubbock can help you take back control of both your appearance and your health.    

Tummy Tuck Recovery

Every abdominoplasty procedure is different, and so is every patient’s recovery. Most patients will need to have a drain placed for the first week or so following surgery. Dr. Rowley will prescribe medication to help control your post-operative pain. Depending on your body type and the amount of skin that is removed, you could bounce back fairly quickly or your healing period might last a little longer. Most patients can return to work in about 2 to 3 weeks. After a tummy tuck in Lubbock, full activity is typically resumed after 6 to 8 weeks. 

Explore Your Tummy Tuck Options Today

At Rowley Plastic Surgery, we offer no-obligation consultations, so we can get a good feel for your needs, motivations, and expectations. We can address any questions you might have about the surgery you’re interested in, and we can talk to you about realistic options. We will help you determine if a certain procedure is a good fit for you and if it isn’t, Dr. Rowley will tell you honestly and help find other solutions. Women trust her because she doesn’t sugar coat and will tell you the truth about what you can expect, always with your best interests in mind. Call today for your no-obligation consultation to see if a tummy tuck in Lubbock is right for you.