I hate my Tummy! Is a Tummy Tuck my Only Option?

Problems with Tummies occur from pregnancies, being overweight (and losing weight), sun damage, and age. Skin tightening is a major concern for most women at some point of their lives! 

Pregnancies stretch the skin as well as separate the rectus muscles (the six-pack muscles), causing a protuberant abdomen and/or wrinkled skin. Stretched skin can hang over the lower abdomen. If there is excess weight gain during the pregnancy the sagging will be worse.

What Treatments Can Get Rid of Your Tummy and access skin? 

Treatments can include liposuction, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), mini-tummy tuck, reverse tummy tuck, and minimal-surgical treatments such as TOP skin tightening treatments with Renuvion, or liposuction combined with skin tightening using the Renuvion.

Dr. Finger will discuss which treatment options are best for you, depending on your body. Fatty abdomens must be treated according to the amount of excess fat, loose skin, and if the problem extends around into the back area. Problems and treatments must be treated according to each individual’s problems.

Liposuction only removes fat with minimal skin tightening. Liposuction can be used virtually anywhere from the ankles to the chin. However, the skin may need to be tightened as well.

More about Tummy Tucks 

Tummy tucks remove excess fat and skin and tighten the rectus muscles as well and are usually accompanied by liposuction of abdomen, sides, and back. When there is sagging and fat extend around the body, Dr. Finger may offer a procedure called the “belt” or “circumferential lipectomy.”  This treatment extends around the patient and tightens the abdomen as well as the outer thighs and buttocks. The results are usually dramatic.

Tummy tucks leave scars across the lower abdomen, usually covered with a bathing suit, and a scar around the umbilicus (belly-button). There should never be “stitch marks.” 

The latest tummy tuck technique eliminates the need for drains. This technique requires special suturing called Progressive Tension Sutures. The recovery time is much less as is the discomfort. 

Other Tummy Tuck Procedures 

A reverse tummy tuck is for a patient with loose skin and wrinkles only in the upper abdomen. During the procedure, Dr. Finger places the scar in the creases under the breasts. He then pulls the skin upwards and removes any excess, tightening the skin. 

Basically, tummy tuck options require elevation of the skin to be removed, performing whatever needs to be done while the skin is elevated and then excising the extra tissue.

What else can you do about loose skin? 

The latest minimal surgical technique for a loose skin really anywhere on the body, but specifically for the abdomen is called Renuvion. Renuvion involves inserting a probe under the skin using either local or general anesthesia and tightening the skin with heat from a combination of radiofrequency and Helium. This causes instant shrinkage of the fibers that connect the skin to the underlying muscles, which both shrinks and elevates the skin. Dr. Finger frequently uses the Renuvion treatment to tighten the skin on the abdomen, back, arms, neck, breasts, and thighs. 

Book your consult with Dr. Finger to learn more about your treatment options. Dr. Finger offers his expertise in Savannah, Georgia, and Bluffton, SC.