Yes, you can do liposuction with your tummy tuck!
On the abdomen, the main concern is the blood supply in the skin flaps. We want people to achieve a sculpted shape, but we also want to be super safe.
A tummy tuck removes the skin between the belly button and the lower abdominal area with an incision. However, those blood vessels have to transfer from somewhere when we’re tightening the muscles. Some of those blood vessels are going into the skin flap, so that concern in the past has always been making sure that we’re not injuring them so that people can heal really, really well.
As a plastic surgeon, I obviously want people to look absolutely incredible, but I want to minimize their complications, problems, or hiccups in the recovery. The modern tummy tuck involves certain things. It really has evolved with our understanding of anatomy, improves with new technology, and improves with some of the newer liposuction devices, such as ultrasound-assisted and power-assisted liposuction.
We still have to be very meticulous and cautious when we’re doing an abdominal flap, and sometimes there are limitations in how much we can liposuction the abdominal flap while keeping everything super safe. The preoperative evaluation is critically important as patients need to be non-smokers and they have to have good nutrition. We typically started to combine these treatments in total body sculptures with multiple modalities, and we are now really integrating some postoperative care, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy and Carboxy Gel, alongside nutritional supplements and peptides.
I think with the modern trend of high-definition liposuction in tummy tuck, you’re going to see more of these pre- and post-operative integrations so that we can continue to improve the overall results of body sculpting. It’s really a fine balance and coordinated dance between preserving that needed blood supply for the skin while also helping the patient achieve the results they desire.
When we talk about the liposuction of the abdomen in a tummy tuck, there are a couple of key points. It can create a very sculpted appearance to the abdomen, something that’s absolutely incredible in terms of shape. For patients, they can see the shape and sculpt that they desire, including some soft definition of the vertical lines from the midline edge. This way, it’s not just the overly pulled-over flat look. It’s a really fit, fabulous, and sculpted appearance that the patient’s skin can have.
I do think it’s important to still understand the limitations and the need for appropriate postoperative care when doing these more sophisticated sculpting techniques. Patients achieving their desires is something Dr. Johnny Franco at Austin Plastic Surgeon specializes in during the consultation. We will discuss what is best for you when liposculpting the abdomen while doing a tummy tuck.
