Assessing the final results of the hourglass tummy tuck
The hourglass tummy tuck is a plastic surgery procedure commonly performed on women with an excess of skin on the lower part of the abdomen, small hips, and excess adipose tissue on the flanks and tummy. The procedure is performed to correct the unaesthetic appearance of the tummy but also to improve the overall shape of the patient’s body. The hourglass tummy tuck combines liposuction with the traditional abdominoplasty techniques and fat transfer to the hips. It can take up to three hours or more for the hourglass tummy tuck to be performed, and the recommendation is to have the procedure played out only by an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon.
The hourglass tummy tuck can help the patient achieve the hourglass body shape by reducing the size of the waist and increasing the size of the hips. Many patients are intrigued by the necessity of having fat transfer to the hips because they believe their hips are wide enough. But in a vast majority of cases, the hips are quite small and it is actually the flanks that present an excess of adipose tissue. The shape of the body is square when the flanks have an excess of fat, and it can be corrected and changed into an hourglass shape if we extract the fat from the flanks and transfer it to the hips. In changing the fat distribution in the area, we can achieve a more feminine body shape with curves in all the right places.
This procedure is a complex one, and the patient needs to understand that it will take time for the results to transpire. After the hourglass tummy tuck, the patient will be advised to avoid sleeping on the sides and the front of the body. Moreover, compression garments are mandatory for at least a few weeks and up to a few months to perfect the results.
The initial results of the tummy tuck are visible within weeks after the procedure when the swelling and bruising subside. The patient will notice that the hips have more volume, the middle area is smaller, and the tummy is flat and firm. However, these are not the final results of the procedure. The appearance of the hips will change in the next two months.
During the hourglass tummy tuck, the plastic surgeon will inject more fat than necessary because the body will absorb a certain percentage of the fat that was transferred. This means that the hips will look bigger shortly after the surgery and the final results will be visible after two to three months.
When it comes to the incisions, patients should know that the cicatrization process can take up to one year and even more. In other words, a year post-op would be a good time for assessing the final results of the hourglass tummy tuck.
