If you’ve spent months or years exercising and eating a healthy diet, it’s only natural that you’ll expect excellent results. But unfortunately, many people who’ve lost a lot of weight don’t achieve their desired shape because they still have loose skin and stubborn pockets of fat. At Murphy Plastic Surgery in Englewood, CO, we can perform a tummy tuck to help you smooth out and reshape your stomach, so you can fully enjoy the results of your weight loss.

This treatment is highly effective and long-lasting, so it is sought after by patients of all ages. While many people are good candidates, not everybody is eligible for abdominoplasty. For example, those who haven’t yet reached their target weight or those who have a serious medical condition might need to look for an alternative. Today, we’ll discuss who can take part and what this treatment feels like.

Who Is a Good Candidate for a Tummy Tuck?

When you first come to the clinic to discuss your cosmetic concerns, we will take your medical history, individual situation, and desired results into consideration before deciding which treatment is right for you. Many people are eligible for abdominoplasty, but only if they are already at or close to their target weight, fairly healthy, and aren’t planning on having any more children.

It’s also important for patients to understand that they will need to maintain their body shape and follow all our instructions if they want to experience the best possible results. No matter if you’d like to get treated for cosmetic reasons or because you suffer from a condition related to your abdominal wall, the best way forwards is to come and speak to us at the clinic. We can show you all options and help you decide which one is best.

You Have Loose Skin in Your Abdominal Area

The reason most people get abdominoplasty is that they are concerned about the loose skin in their abdominal area. After losing a lot of weight or having children, your body might not bounce back to its previous shape. Instead, the excess skin and a small amount of stubborn fat tissue might remain. No matter how hard you exercise and how well you eat, you won’t be able to get rid of this.

Abdominoplasty is the perfect treatment because it allows you to finally achieve the shape you’ve worked so hard for. Together with your Denver, CO surgeon, you can decide on the ideal look and determine how to best achieve it. Your doctor might need to move your belly button, and they might also re-shape your abdominal muscles.

You Are At or Near Your Target Weight

People often believe that cosmetic surgeries are designed to help them lose weight, but this isn’t the case. In fact, only a few pounds of tissue can be removed safely at any one point. This means that you’ll have to do the hard work and reach your target weight on your own, before you can benefit from abdominoplasty.

Sometimes, patients come to us because they struggle to get rid of excess weight. Some of the best strategies include getting the help of a nutritionist or personal trainer, teaming up with an accountability partner, and spending time with people who support your goals. We can help you find professionals to work with. Until you’re ready for the tummy tuck, you can benefit from our minimally invasive med spa treatments, which are open to almost everyone.

You Are Fairly Healthy

Abdominoplasty isn’t a dangerous surgery, but it usually requires general anesthesia. For this reason, we always check our patients’ medical backgrounds before approving them for surgery. We will make sure that you don’t have any health conditions that could make surgery and the subsequent recovery dangerous.

To prevent problems and speed up the approval process, bring your health records and a list of medications you’re currently taking to your initial consultation. It’s also important that you let us know about any allergies you have, so we don’t use products that could be harmful.

You Are Ready To Commit to a Healthy Lifestyle

The work doesn’t end when you’ve recovered from your abdominoplasty. To benefit from long-term positive results, you’ll have to commit to a healthy lifestyle for decades to come. This means keeping up with regular exercise, avoiding fatty and sugary foods, eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, and getting a good amount of sleep every night.

Those who have already built up healthy habits are much more likely to succeed, so we always speak to new patients about their lifestyle. We might also ask whether you have a supportive network, since this helps with accountability and remaining focused on your goals.

You Are Done Having Children

Having kids is very taxing on the body, and it changes the shape of the stomach significantly. If you believe that you might want more children in the future, your surgeon will ask you to wait and try nonsurgical methods for the time being. Otherwise, it’s likely that you will need a second surgery at a later date. Once you’re done having children, you can come back to the clinic and have an abdominoplasty.

You Have a Medical Condition Related to Your Abdominal Muscles

Several medical conditions are caused by a problem with the abdominal wall. For example, stress urinary incontinence is a problem that results in uncontrollable leakage of the bladder whenever stress is placed on it, for example when the patient sneezes, coughs, or jumps up and down. This is often related to the abs, and the underlying issue can be resolved during abdominoplasty.

Other conditions that could be resolved with this method include back pain and a ventral hernia. These issues can occur when the abdominal wall is weakened due to a C-section, weight loss, or bad posture. Your surgeon can examine your abs to figure out whether your medical issues are caused by your abs and, if so, they can fix the problem with surgery.

You Understand What It Takes To Recover from Surgery

As mentioned, this surgery doesn’t require a lengthy stay at the hospital, and most patients go back home after a few days. However, it’s important to consider that you’ll need to take a few weeks off work and spend some time resting. You’ll need to pay attention to your sleeping position, wear a special garment, avoid sitting for too long at a time, and refrain from exercising.

If you fail to adhere to these guidelines, it’s unlikely that you will see excellent, long-lasting results. That’s why we will explain all the requirements to you ahead of time and ask you whether you’ll be able to spend the necessary time resting.

What Does the Treatment Feel Like?

Abdominoplasty is usually performed under general anesthesia, so you won’t feel anything during the treatment. When you wake up, you will be placed in an observation room for a few hours, so we can monitor you and make sure that you are feeling well. Because this type of surgery isn’t dangerous, and the risk of side effects is low, most people go home on the first day.

However, some prefer to stay in hospital overnight, sometimes because they live alone or because they would like to be monitored for longer. Don’t hesitate to discuss your preferences with us. We can customize abdominoplasty to make sure the process suits your individual needs.

Can Abdominoplasty Be Combined with Other Methods?

If you have excess skin and fat tissue on your stomach because you’ve lost a lot of weight or had children, chances are that you are also concerned about the appearance of your thighs, butt, and breasts. Don’t hesitate to let us know about these cosmetic issues, since we have treatments available for all of them.

For example, the mommy makeover consists of an abdominoplasty with a breast lift. It is cheaper and less time-consuming to combine these surgeries than to have them separately. You could also look into having a facelift or a butt lift done, especially if you’ve recently gone through menopause.

Get Rid of Excess Skin and Fat on Your Stomach Now

The tummy tuck is the perfect treatment for people who are at or close to their target weight and would like to get rid of excess fat and skin that can’t be addressed with exercise alone. It is also suitable for people who have medical conditions like a ventral hernia or back pain related to the abdominal wall. Call us at Murphy Plastic Surgery in Englewood, CO to book your initial consultation and find out whether you’re a good candidate.