
How can I prevent looking boxy after a tummy tuck?
How can I prevent looking boxy after a tummy tuck?
An unsightly appearance of the tummy and midline in general can alter the beautiful shape of a woman. And there are so many factors that could trigger this, some of them completely unavoidable. The unwelcoming look of the tummy and the midline can be caused by multiple pregnancies, weight fluctuations, the natural aging process, and a sedentary lifestyle. After giving birth, many women discover that they have lost the beautiful shape of their silhouette and now their curves are gone, replaced by unwanted fat deposits and saggy skin on the tummy.
It is important to understand that the tummy tuck is a good procedure to help you get a more beautiful abdominal area; however, there are limitations to what an abdominoplasty can do. In some cases, patients don’t really understand what results can occur after the procedure and end up disappointed a few months down the line. This is the reason why we can never emphasize enough on the necessity to choose a board-certified, talented plastic surgeon to walk you through the process of getting a tummy tuck. An experienced plastic surgeon who plays out this procedure routinely will be able to tell you that the tummy tuck might not be enough to correct all the imperfections on the midline.
Women can be confronted with saggy skin on the tummy, but also with an excess of fat tissue on the abdominal wall and the flanks. This is possible even for patients with a normal weight, and this fat can be very difficult if not impossible to get rid of with diet and physical exercise.
When the tummy tuck procedure is performed, the plastic surgeon will strengthen loose abdominal muscles, correct a potential umbilical hernia, and eliminate the excess skin, but he will not work on the excess of fat. Some patients tend to believe that during the tummy tuck, the plastic surgeon will eliminate the fat in excess on the tummy. This is not the goal of abdominoplasty, and the surgical steps don’t include fat removal.
Because the fat layer is not addressed, some patients can end up having a boxy look after the tummy tuck. This means that the tummy is flat and firm, but they don’t have any curves, and they look more or less like a box. The square shape of the body for a woman is not very alluring, and many women are disappointed to notice this look on them after undergoing a tummy tuck.
So, how can we prevent looking boxy after a tummy tuck? Well, the solution is rather simple, and any experienced plastic surgeon will know what it takes: liposuction on the flanks and the abdominal area. Liposuction can be enough for some patients to avoid the boxy look, but for others, fat transfer to the hips might be necessary as well.