Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Ask Dr. Man- Mini-Tuck

Dear Dr. Man, I’m turning 50 this year and I feel so old. Everyone tells me I have a great body, but I really want a tummy tuck. Everyone thinks that because I’m skinny (I wear a size 2) that I have a perfect body. But I feel uncomfortable wearing a bikini. I always feel like I have a pooch in my lower belly. My kids are grown now and I really want a tummy tuck. My husband thinks I’m nuts, as do all of my friends. Is it crazy for a thin person to get a tummy tuck? What about a mini-tuck? Signed, Mid-life crisis in Boca

Having children can wreak havoc on a woman’s stomach- even a thin woman. There are many thin women who get tummy tucks or mini-tummy tucks. You must do what is good for you and what you feel comfortable with. Just know that there are many other women who feel like you do and who have yielded excellent results from surgery.
In fact, thinner women with firm, flat abdominal muscles who have excess skin and fat only below the navel are usually excellent candidates for a mini-abdominoplasty, also known as a mini-tummy tuck. This procedure can produce excellent results; but only a limited number of women are good candidates for this particular surgery.
In a partial of modified tummy tuck, the incision is often shorter and the navel may not need to be moved. The abdominal skin is lifted up only from the top of the pubic hair line to the navel. The skin flap is then stretched downward, removing the excess tissue, and then the flap is stitched back into place.
Most women after pregnancy have stretched out the muscle and skin above their navel, making many women better candidates for a full abdominoplasty. Many women request a mini-tummy tuck in order to avoid what they perceive to be a more invasive procedure (i.e., a full tummy tuck). However, a full abdominoplasty is usually more satisfying for women because it allows the surgeon to repair the abdominal wall muscles and remove excess skin above the navel as well.
If you’re a good candidate, a tummy tuck is a great procedure to eliminate excess skin and fat, narrow the waistline, get rid of stretch marks on the lower abdomen and improve the appearance of the navel. Sometimes doing less is more; and other times a full procedure is the way to go. I recommend speaking to a board-certified plastic surgeon to evaluate which procedure is right for you.

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Dr. Man


Dr. Daniel Man is a board-certified plastic surgeon who has dedicated his life’s work to helping people look younger and improve their appearance through cosmetic surgery. He is a noted author, artist, inventor and educator. Dr. Man has been featured on major television networks, as well as national and local magazines and newspapers for his work as both a plastic surgeon and an artist. He has a successful private practice in Boca Raton, FL. For more information about Dr. Man, visit www.drman.com.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this tummy tuck tips! I'm planning to have one. I have such a harder time losing the baby weight. I exercise a lot but it seems to be not enough. I think Abdominoplasty is the answer to my problem.

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  2. Abdominoplasty or "tummy tuck" is a cosmetic surgery procedure used to make the abdomen thinner and more firm.

    Shilpa

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  3. A toned, flat tummy is a goal many of us and so I tried a lot of ways on how to have a nice tummy. It is on of the best option to have a Tummy tuck surgery to get the skinny tight body.

    Tummy Tuck in the Philippines

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