When you are thinking about having plastic surgery, you’ll want to gather as much information as you can. You might schedule a consultation with a surgery center and ask the plastic surgeon a lot of questions. However, the best resource to learn more about a plastic surgery procedure are often the people who have had that procedure.
“I have learned that it’s okay to be imperfect but that it’s also okay to want to do something about it. I absolutely did not have this procedure for anyone but myself. I wanted the outside of me to reflect how I felt on the inside. So that is exactly what I did.” – From My Tummy Tuck Diaries
Much like childbirth is such a vivid memory for us women who have undergone it that we can recount all our rollercoaster emotions even years later, a person who has had, say, a tummy tuck, is best suited to recount her experience in all its detail. Especially if she is a writer.
Eyewitness Account of a Tummy Tuck
We recently came across “My Tummy Tuck Diaries” on the blog Addison’s Wonderland and thought we’d share it with you here. If you’ve thought about maybe, perhaps, one day, getting a tummy tuck but still hesitate about going forward with it, reading about Brittany’s journey throughout her entire tummy tuck procedure will give you a much better understanding of what it might entail for you. It will also help you decide which questions to ask, how much time to take off, what the recovery looks like, and more.
Why I “Needed” a Tummy Tuck
Brittany starts out with passing on her doctor’s wisdom on how to test if you “need” a tummy tuck (as well as a breast lift, which she also had, which actually makes her procedure a Mommy Makeover). She had gone through quite a bit of weight gain and then lost that weight again, and that typically does not go over well with your skin. “I had a LOT of extra skin,” her informal test confirmed. So she made the decision for a full abdominoplasty, which is the fancy name for tummy tuck.
[Please note that another excellent procedure to remove excess fat from your abdomen is liposuction, a minimally-invasive and involves less trauma and a much shorter recovery time than a tummy tuck. Before you decide on a tummy tuck, you might want to find out if you’re a good candidate for Liposuction – offered with or without skin tightening.]
Brittany describes the time leading up to her procedure as almost the worst part. We find that this is often the case with plastic surgery patients. At NuBody Concepts, the statement we most often hear from our patients after the procedure is “I wish I had done it sooner, but I was scared.”
How Painful is a Tummy Tuck?
This is not to say that the procedure itself is a total walk in the park. As you can read up on Brittany’s blog, you will experience pain in the days after your tummy tuck. Your abdominal muscles are so central to everything you do as you move around during the day that you cannot avoid using them altogether. This is different for your breasts. For this reason it’s definitely worth thinking about having your breasts done at the same time as your tummy tuck, as you get two for the price of one in terms of recovery and discomfort.
Brittany then goes on to talk in some detail about her recovery – how to best engage a helper, whether and how often to medicate, how long to wear the compression belt to help with healing. She even has some rather unusual advice on how to ensure your new belly button retains a beautiful shape. At the end of her Tummy Tuck Diaries, she shares her after pictures in a bikini – certainly inspiring for anyone who hasn’t dared putting on a bikini in years.
Getting Started With Your Tummy Tuck
If you pass Brittany’s test of whether you “need” a tummy tuck and decide to have one of your own, the best path forward is to start researching the procedure as well as plastic surgery practices with board-certified plastic surgeons who are experienced with tummy tucks. If you have found a provider, schedule a consultation with the plastic surgeon. This will help him or her assess your body type and which type of tummy tuck would work best for you, and it will be an opportunity for you to ask all your questions.
Brittany, like so many others, had her tummy tuck because she wanted “the outside of me to reflect how you feel on the inside.” Do you feel that way too? And do too much skin and tummy flab stand contribute to a less-than-ideal outside? If the answer is yes, then a tummy tuck might be the perfect solution for you.
Write your own Tummy Tuck Diaries. Get started by contacting NuBody Concepts for more information on tummy tucks as well as liposuction, breast augmentations, mommy makeovers, and more!
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.
John Rosdeutscher, MD
Double board-certified plastic surgeon “Dr. R” has been voted Best of Music City #1 plastic surgeon 3+ years.
