Is a Tummy Tuck Safe?

A tummy tuck sculpts and flattens the belly for a more slender silhouette. It is the ideal surgical procedure for patients who have undergone pregnancy, experienced significant weight changes, or have not seen improvement through lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise.

Not only is a tummy tuck safe, but it is also one of the most-requested plastic surgeries, ranking in the top five surgeries for men and women alike for years. In 2019, 140,000 tummy tucks were performed in the U.S., according to statistics from the Aesthetic Society.

Understanding what a tummy tuck does, how it’s performed, and the risks and benefits of this generally safe procedure can help you make informed decisions.

A Tummy Tuck Repairs Muscle And Restores Firmness

Childbirth or losing a large amount of weight can cause separation of the abdominal muscles and sagging skin, changes that are often too difficult to resolve with diet and exercise alone. A tummy tuck is one of the few surgical procedures to repair the stomach muscles while sculpting the area simultaneously.

A tummy tuck effectively resolves the following issues:

Excessive or sagging stomach skin
Weakened stomach muscles
Unwanted abdominal fat

Tummy Tuck Procedures Are Customized

A tummy tuck procedure involves incisions between the belly button and pubic area in a horizontal, oval, or elliptical shape. After effectively removing the excess tissue from the site, the connective tissue that lies over the stomach is sutured shut to keep the muscles tight.

At Core Aesthetics, we offer three tummy tucks to address different issues. They include:

Standard, which addresses the upper and lower sections of the abdomen
Mini, which only addresses the lower portion, from the navel and below
Circumferential, which treats all areas of the stomach, waistline, flanks, and back

Which type of tummy tuck is chosen depends on how much excess skin is removed.

A Tummy Tuck Is Safe For Most People

Tummy tucks are generally safe and effective, primarily when performed by an experienced plastic surgeon like Dr. Kiwanuka. Ensuring your surgery is performed by a surgeon with lengthy education and experience is the best way to keep your tummy tuck procedure safe.

Being an ideal candidate for a tummy tuck is another way to ensure it is safe. Ideal tummy tuck candidates include people who:

Maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen but have not seen any noticeable improvement in their midsection
Struggle with sagging skin from weight loss or pregnancy
Have distended bellies due to previous pregnancies
Have had a C-section and are currently experiencing a bulging scar

Some other essential criteria for tummy tuck candidates include:

Being a non-smoker
Being in good physical and mental health
Having realistic expectations for the results

The Benefits And Risks Of A Tummy Tuck

When deciding whether to pursue a tummy tuck, consider the following benefits and risks of the procedure.

Tummy tuck benefits include:

Core strengthening
Reduced risk of developing hernias
Improved control over bodily functions
Significantly reduced risk of developing stress urinary incontinence
A flat, toned belly
Restored muscle function

Tummy tuck risks include:

Asymmetry
Numbness or other changes in skin sensation
Possibility of revisional surgery
Recurrent looseness of skin
Disappointing aesthetic results
Unfavorable scarring

Choose A Highly-Trained Professional Surgeon For The Safest Tummy Tucks

When you trust your tummy tuck to an experienced and impressively educated practitioner, such as Dr. Kiwanuka, you can be assured that the procedure will be safe. She will minimize risks, and it’s more likely that you’ll love your results.

At Core Aesthetics, Dr. Kiwanuka combines state-of-the-art skin-tightening and muscle-building techniques to restore youthfulness and grace to her patients’ physiques. She prioritizes her patients’ individuality and strives to ensure that everyone leaves her practice looking and feeling their best.

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