Liposuction: Info, Prices, Photos, Reviews, Q&A

The answer as to whether liposuction or a tummy tuck would be best suited for a specific patient will largely depend on the ultimate cosmetic goal and the current physical state of the abdomen.

Liposuction is a great option for patients with some stubborn and localized fat deposits that the wish removal of. Liposuction addresses only the superficial fat layer and while it can shrink a patient down by several inches it will do nothing to improve or correct skin laxity or excess skin.

Many times for patients who have had children and who complain of that post-baby tummy an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck procedure is recommended.

A tummy tuck addresses the excess skin that pregnancy can often leave behind and the separation of the abdominal wall muscles (called a diastasis recti) resulting in the firmest, flattest abdomen.

Which procedure is best suited for you will require a consultation and evaluation to confirm.

If excess or loose skin is your concern, I would venture to say that your physical exam would confirm this and a tummy tuck would then be the best option for you. (Stephen T. Greenberg, MD, Woodbury Plastic Surgeon)

There are 3 things I look at to answer this:

1. Skin – is there a lot of looseness/dimpling/stretch marks?
2. Fat – how thick is the layer between the skin the muscle, and is there a component beneath the muscles?
3. Muscle – is there looseness from pregnancies or weight loss, and are there any hernias?

Other important factors are whether the patient is done having babies & are they at a healthy/stable weight? (Kevin Dieffenbach, MD, Oahu Island Plastic Surgeon)

When you have loose skin the best is to do a Tummy tuck and even more recommend after having children to combine Tummy tuck with a Muscle repair as a baby stretches everything out. (Derby Sang Caputo, MD, Dominican Republic Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction removes fat and relies on the skins natural ability to contract or shrink.

In many cases, it works well; however, if your skin has lost much of its elasticity and there are many a tech marks and hanging skin it will not, leaving a poor aesthetic result. Tummy Tucks are for laxity of skin and laxity of the rectus abdominal muscles that can separate causing an adominal bulge.

If you are planning to have more children I would not recommend a tummy tuck. In a tummy tuck, the excess lower abdominal skin is removed and the muscles are tightened. (Richard Wellington Swift, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

If you’ve had children your best result will be with the tummy tuck. This removes loose skin and stretch marks and tightens the abdominal wall. This can be combined with liposuction for a BBL. (John L. Burns Jr., MD, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)

After having a child I usually suggest to my patients to wait at least 6 months post delivery to perform surgery. (Emmanuel Mallol Cotes, MD, Dominican Republic Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction doesn’t thighten the skin or abdominal wall , this is best addressed with a tummy tuck procedure. The ideal liposuction candidate has localized fat deposits and quality overlying skin without significant excess skin or skin damage. If you have excess skin on your abdomen then you are a candidate for a tummy tuck. (Alex Campbell, MD, Colombia Plastic Surgeon)

A tummy tuck surgery, also known as abdominoplasty removes excess fat and skin, creating an abdominal profile smoother and firmer. Liposuction, slims and reshapes specific areas of the body by removing fat deposits and improving your body contours and proportion. (Franklin Peña, MD, Dominican Republic Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction results depend on skin elasticity. If the skin has been stretched and now in excess, liposuction results can be minimal and variable. If excess skin exists, typically one needs it removed via an excisional procedure such as a tummy tuck. (Chad Douglas Tattini, MD, Bloomington Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction involves very small incisions, removes only fat and may relax the skin. A tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) involves a much larger incision but removes fat and excess skin.

Depending on the severity of the problem, there are full tummy tucks (larger incisions) and mini tummy tucks (smaller incisions). (George C. Peck, Jr, MD, West Orange Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction and tummy tuck surgery address different needs.

Liposuction and tummy tuck surgery are very different procedures, and many people benefit from both. Liposuction permanently removes fat cells from isolated pockets that don’t respond to diet or exercise. You may wish to use liposuction to reduce love handles or abdominal bulges.

However, liposuction will not tighten your skin or your abdominal muscles. A tummy tuck can pull your abdominals together for a more toned look and remove excess skin. Many mothers who have undergone multiple pregnancies enjoy both procedures together to address their needs. (Lee B. Daniel, MD, Eugene Plastic Surgeon)

Tummy Tuck vs Liposuction, depends on what your concerns are. Each procedure treats a different problem. Liposuction only decreases the fat layer and if you have loose skin it will make the skin looser if you only removed the fat.

Tummy Tuck removes the excess skin and tightens the abdomen muscles. You can do both procedures at the same time to treat the fat layer along with the skin laxity and muscle tightening. (Frederick G. Weniger, MD, FACS, MBA, Hilton Head Island Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction removes fat under the skin to improve the shape of your body. It does not address any other layers of the tummy such as the skin covering the fat, and the muscles under the fat.

A tummy tuck includes surgical removal of excess skin, removal of fat under the skin, and tightening of the muscles under the fat. (Renuka Diwan, MD, Cleveland Dermatologic Surgeon)

After pregnancy the skin tends to stretch and has loss of elasticity, this also depends on age and how much weight was gained during pregnancy. Some people have excess skin on upper, lower, or both upper and lower abdomen after pregnancy which would make one a better candidate for a mini-tummy tuck or a full tummy tuck.

If the rectus muscles have become seperated with pregnancy then a tummy tuck is a great way to tighten these muscles as well creating a flatter tummy. Each patient is dealt with as an individual and some can get by with just liposuction if the skin has not been overstretched.

It is important to discuss all options at your consultation. (Yannis Alexandrides, MD, London Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction is generally used to get rid of the stubborn fat that will not go away despite being at or near your goal weight.

A tummy tuck is often used to tighten the entire abdominal area are tighten the muscles and loose skin which is often seen after a woman has had children. (Francis X. Fleming, MD, Kennewick Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction removes fat cells, but does not remove any skin. A tummy tuck removes fat cells, and skin , and tightens the abdominal muscles which are stretched out by child birth. A general rule is that after two kids, you are more likely to need a tummy tuck than abdominal liposuction due to the stretching of the muscles and skin associated with pregnancy. If you have laxity of your skin or a bulging of your muscles after meals, a tummy tuck will help you tremendously. (Gilbert Lee, MD, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)

After having multiples pregnancy your abdominal muscle needs to be repair to archive the flat tummy and liposuction in your waist to define your curves, reconstruction of the belly bottom is part of your Tummy tuck.

If you do only liposuction your skin would be saggy, an in person consultation is necessary. (Orlando Llorente, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

At the time of a consultation, your plastic surgeon will do an examination to determine what surgery is the best for the issue that concerns you. These two procedures treat different issues. If there is excess fat, liposuction is used.

If there is excess or sagging skin and/or muscle wall stretching, the tummy tuck is done. If there is a combination of all of these problems, both surgeries may be necessary. Although many plastic surgeon will do both at the same time, i do them as separate procedures because when done at the same time, the liposuction has to be done more conservatively to minimize the chance of serious wound healing problems.

Needing to leave behind more fat therefore does not allow as flat an abdomen as can be achieved whendoing the surgeries separately. (Thomas C. Wiener, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

The differences are as follows and have advantages and disadvantages. Tummy tuck is more surgery but can give you a better result as far as making your abdomen flatter and improving your contour and shape.

It has a longer recovery and slightly more discomfort after the procedure. Liposuction is a faster recovery less pain but depending on the amount of skin can be a little less than a tummy tuck (Frank J. Ferraro, MD, Paramus Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction reshapes fat deposits. Abdominoplasty reshapes skin and muscles as well.

Liposuction is ideal for reshaping areas of subborn fat. Locations that tend to be particularly amenable to liposuction are the waist and outer thighs (saddlebags). This technique will not result in significant tightening of skin.

Abdominoplasty will reshape the skin and muscle changes typically associated with pregnancy. This powerful technique will is often combined with liposuction to provide improved contour to the waist as well smoothing and tightening the front of the abdominal wall.

What techniques are appropriate in your particular case should be addressed by a board certified plastic surgeon during an in person consultation. (Emily A. Williams, MD, Spokane Plastic Surgeon)

An exam is the best way to tell you for sure. If you have loose skin then liposuction is not ideal. The tightness of the skin dictates the results with liposuction in large part. (Robert Whitfield, MD, FACS, Austin Plastic Surgeon)

Basically, liposuction is going to remove fatty tissue using very small incisions. You are then relying on the body to tighten the skin during the healing process, now that there is significantly less fatty tissue underneath it.

That will happen to varying degrees depending on multiple factors including the quality of the skin, how much elasticity it has, the age of the patient, the amount the skin has been stretched, etc. SmartLipo can be used in conjunction with regular liposuction to try to get more skin tightening than what the body may be able to do on its own.

This is pretty fascinating technology. A tummy tuck includes surgically removing extra skin and fatty tissue, to more definitively shape the body. I often do this in combination with some form of liposuction, again, depending on the specific patient and situation.

I almost always additionally tighten the stomach muscles themselves which makes a significant improvement in the shape of the abdomen. When I meet with a patient in person I go over the various options so that we can mutually come up with a good body contouring plan. (Hampton Alexander Howell, MD, Winston Salem Plastic Surgeon)