6 Tips to Get the Best Results from Your Tummy Tuck

When you’ve lost a significant amount of weight, you might be left with excess skin around your midsection. A tummy tuck can help you get a flat, tight tummy to complement your new figure. If your only trouble spots are fat pockets without much excess skin, a non-surgical tummy tuck might be preferable.

At NuBody Concepts in Nashville and Memphis, our board-certified plastic surgeons have helped many women and men regain their figure – and confidence – with surgical and non-surgical tummy tucks. If you haven’t had a tummy tuck yet, click below to discuss your goals with a plastic surgeon.

After your tummy tuck, there are several actions you can take to ensure best results:

1. Choose the Best Tummy Tuck for You

Learn everything you can about tummy tucks and mini tucks to make sure you choose the procedure that is best suited for you. Tummy tucks are not a one-size-fits-all solution. A mini tuck only addresses the area under the belly button and results in a smaller incision and a shorter recovery. A full or extended tummy tuck addresses the entire abdomen and involves the repositioning of the belly button before the incision is closed. Learn all about types of tummy tucks to understand which one may be best for you.

A surgeon’s time is limited, which is why most serious practices will charge a surgeon consultation fee. However, this fee is typically applied to your procedure cost if you choose that practice, or refunded if you’re not an eligible patient. While you may hesitate to pay this fee more than once while searching for the plastic surgeon you feel most comfortable with, it shouldn’t deter you from doing diligent research. In the end it will be worth it.

2. Ask These Important Questions During Your Consultation

Anesthesia: Ask what type of anesthesia will be used during your surgery, because this will make a difference for your recovery time. The “old school” approach is to use general anesthesia, but nowadays most plastic surgery can be performed without it. At NuBody Concepts, we use IV Sedation for our tummy tucks.

Incision location: Ask the surgeon where your incision will be located (ideally under the bikini line), and ask about steps that you can take to reduce scarring.

Before and After Photos: Ask to view before and after photos of previous patients – not just generic ones but ones of his or her recent patients. Point out to the surgeon the results you want to achieve.

Recovery: Ask about your post-surgical recovery and what to expect during and after the procedure. You will achieve the best tummy tuck results when following your doctor’s guidelines.

Alternatives: Ask if, based on your circumstances, there might be less-invasive alternatives. Great progress has been made with non-surgical skin tightening technology like BodyTite and Renuvion, allowing eligible patients to achieve tummy tuck-like results without surgery.

3. Set Up Aftercare Assistance with Friends and Family

Your recovery will go much smoother if you set up help ahead of time, especially if you have small children. Ask a friend or family member to keep a small child for a few nights. Or ask them to stay overnight at your home to prepare meals for the kids and to bring them to daycare or school.

Having a close friend, significant other or your spouse stay at home with you for the first 24 to 48 hours after the surgery will help you to keep daily chores to a minimum while you recover. Taking care of smaller children often involves a lot of lifting, which you’ll need to refrain from doing for some time after your procedure, depending on doctor’s orders.

4. Follow Your Your Doctor’s Post-Surgery Activity Recommendations

Listen to your doctor’s advice for post-op practices like when to return to work, how early to resume exercise, and how long to avoid sun exposure on the incisions. These details are important to your recovery and will ensure that you achieve the best cosmetic results.

The recovery time after a mini tuck is shorter than a full tuck. Either way, let your doctor clear you before you return to your normal schedule; don’t get impatient and jump ahead of the time restraints that are recommended. You should follow all aftercare instructions, including limits on lifting children and climbing stairs, carrying groceries, etc.

Since most tummy tucks involve the repair of muscles, they require a little bit more post-op caution and healing time than other cosmetic surgery.

5. Wear Your Compression Garment for Best Tummy Tuck Results

Your surgeon will provide you with a heavily elasticized compression belt that must be worn around your midsection like a girdle. The garment will cover the area under your breasts down to your pelvic area and will apply even, steady pressure on the entire treated area. Wearing your compression belt is important because it will provide better contouring, encourage healing, promote circulation, and reduce pain and discomfort.

Most patients report that they take comfort in wearing this garment, even if the idea at first seems cumbersome. And again, your tummy tuck results will be directly affected by how diligently you wear your garment.

6. Belly Button Perfecting: Marble Placement

Belly button reconstruction is a part of tummy tuck surgery. You may hear of the marble trick on a tummy tuck forum and think it’s weird! But, it has received good results according to some surgeons. Your new postoperative navel may evolve during the recovery process and become square, oblong, triangular or vertical, rather than round. But, once the incision is healed, and if your doctor approves, you could tape a small marble to your navel to encourage your belly button to recover in a circular position.

Patients leave the marble in for a few minutes a couple of times a day to gauge their comfort. The patient then leaves the marble in place for twenty minutes at a time twice a day. Cleansing the navel after each session is essential. This tip should only be applied under the direction of your doctor and after the incision has healed.

Bonus Tips for Best Tummy Tuck Results

Cosmetic surgery can be a great incentive to finally stick to that diet and exercise plan that has seemed elusive before. It’s easier to maintain your ideal figure than to try and achieve one. In the immediate aftermath of your surgery, it’s important for your body to get enough protein and fluids to help support a speedy recovery and to maintain its normal function. Protein shakes are a great way to balance your diet in the days after your surgery.

Going forward, we recommend you maintain a healthy and balanced meal plan. Diets often don’t work because they are hard to stick to. Instead of depriving yourself, focus on healthy eating habits revolving around fruits, vegetables, protein, and limited sugar.

And lastly, once you are cleared for a return to exercise, develop a regular exercise routine and stick to it as much as you can. The more something becomes habit, the more we are likely to keep up with it.

We hope our tips will help you maintain your tummy tuck results should you go through with the surgery. As long as you are mentally prepared and plan ahead, having a tummy tuck can be a life-changing experience for you. Please contact us if you have any questions, or click the pink button to schedule a consultation!

With NuBody Concepts, you can achieve the body you’ve always desired. Check out our Tummy Tuck before and after photos to see proof of our work. Schedule a consultation at our Memphis or Nashville location today to learn how NuBody Concepts can help you achieve stunning Tummy Tuck results.