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Living a full life can take its toll on your physical appearance. After pregnancy and other major life events, you may not feel that the image in your mirror reflects the real you.
If you’re considering cosmetic procedures to boost your self-confidence and rejuvenate your appearance, it’s important to research the possibilities and decide what will best fit your needs. Tummy tuck and mommy makeover surgeries are both popular options that many people select to transform their lives.
However, when deciding between a tummy tuck vs. a mommy makeover, it’s vital to understand the differences between the procedures and how many body areas you wish to target.
What is a tummy tuck?
A tummy tuck, also known as an abdominoplasty, targets your midsection and focuses on multiple abdominal areas to transform your physique, including loose or saggy skin, excess fat, stretched stomach muscles (rectus diastasis) caused by pregnancy or weight fluctuation.
During a tummy tuck surgery, you’re placed under general anesthesia. The surgeon carefully makes a low transverse incision in the bikini area. This allows for a lifting of the mons or pubic area. The excess skin below the belly button is then removed. Liposuction is utilized to remove excess fat and contour the abdomen. The muscles are repaired to flatten and strengthen your core muscles, and the loose skin above the belly button is tightened to create a flat and contoured result.
The entire tummy tuck procedure takes an average of one and a half to two hours. If you’re in Wisconsin and choose to have your procedure at Quintessa Aesthetic Surgery, you’ll enjoy the innovation of the drainless tummy tuck — a procedure pioneered in the state by our renowned surgeons, Dr. Daniel Butz and Dr. Jake Thayer.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, tummy tucks are the third most popular body plastic surgery procedure.
Best candidates for a tummy tuck
Any plastic surgery choice should be a personal decision — you need to feel that the step you’re taking is the right one for you, and nobody else should decide that for you. However, there are some criteria that should be met if you choose to have a tummy tuck.
The best candidates for a tummy tuck:
- Are physically fit
- Avoid smoking
- Avoid excess alcohol use
- Have stubborn abdominal fat or excess skin
- Hit their target weight
- Hold realistic expectations
- Possess a positive outlook
Recovery time for a tummy tuck
As with any major surgery, you need to allow yourself time to fully heal and recover before completely resuming your normal daily routine. For the first two weeks following your procedure, you should avoid heavy lifting and a rigorous exercise routine.
Nevertheless, avoiding any physical activity can also be detrimental to your recovery. It’s important to maintain some daily physical movement throughout your healing process.
You should also follow any guidelines your surgeon shares with you. For example, you’ll need to wear a compression garment around your tummy for six-eight weeks to reduce swelling and protect your incision.
A moderate level of pain, pulling, numbness, or tightness is to be expected. At Quintessa, we utilize long-acting nerve blocks that will last 2-3 days. This along with the drainless approach make the modern abdominoplasty much more tolerable than the tummy tucks of the past.
Cost of a tummy tuck
The cost of a tummy tuck surgery may vary based on the following factors:
- Your surgeon’s experience and expertise
- Location where your surgery takes place
- Surgical techniques used
- Expertise of your anesthesiologist
- Technology utilized for your procedure
- Complications that may arise during the surgery
- Type of abdominoplasty performed (Mini tummy tuck, standard, or extended): Your type of procedure will be determined by the amount of excess skin in need of liposuction
However, on average, a tummy tuck costs between $11,000 – $16,000.
What is a Mommy Makeover?
Although a mommy makeover surgery often includes a tummy tuck, when considering a tummy tuck vs. a mommy makeover, it’s important to understand that the latter focuses on transforming multiple areas of the body and is a more intensive process.
A mommy makeover typically includes two to three plastic surgery procedures to enhance and sculpt problematic areas. A traditional mommy makeover includes a breast enhancement procedure (augmentation, lift or reduction) and a tummy tuck. However, advances in plastic surgery and technology allow surgeons to target different areas to offer their patients a rejuvenated look.
Here are the different body parts a mommy makeover might target:
- Abdomen
- Breasts
- Buttocks
- Genitalia
- Waist
Procedures included in a mommy makeover
The following are surgeries that might be included in a mommy makeover:
- Arm lift
- Breast augmentation
- Breast lift
- Breast reduction
- Breast revision
- Brazilian butt lift
- Labiaplasty
- Liposuction
- Thigh lift
- Tummy Tuck
Best candidates for a mommy makeover
The best candidates for a mommy makeover slightly vs a tummy tuck are slightly different. For example, if your stomach is the only area you feel that you need to target, you may find that a tummy tuck is a better option for you.
Here are some of the factors that make you a great candidate for a mommy makeover:
- You’re in good physical health
- You maintain your ideal body weight
- You have realistic goals and expectations for your surgery
- You don’t plan on becoming pregnant again
- You’re able to take time off of work for your procedure
- You have someone at home who can support and assist your recovery
- You can strictly adhere to pre and post surgery guidelines
What is the ideal weight for a mommy makeover?
Although candidates who choose a mommy makeover may have goals to resculpt their physical contours, tighten their skin, and transform their appearance, mommy makeovers do not typically result in significant weight loss.
In the weeks leading up to a mommy makeover, you should remain within 10 to 20 pounds of a weight you can maintain after your surgery, and your BMI (Body Mass Index) should generally remain under 32 as a BMI over 32 may weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to infection.
Cost and recovery time of a mommy makeover
As the mommy makeover includes multiple procedures, it tends to be a bit pricier than a tummy tuck surgery, and may cost over $20,000. The costs can vary based on a number of factors, including:
- Number of procedures included
- Surgeon’s experience and expertise
- Anesthesia used
- Implants used
- Post-surgery medical treatment
- Technology
- Location of the surgical center
The great thing about combining procedures via a mommy makeover is that you only have one recovery and it’s about the same length as a tummy tuck recovery! You should plan on taking two weeks off from work and any heavy lifting so that you can fully heal, and can resume normal physical activities within four to six weeks.
Tummy tuck vs mommy makeover: How to choose
When you’re considering a tummy tuck versus a mommy makeover, it’s important to take into account your desired target areas, your budget limitations, candidate guidelines, and recovery time. Although a tummy tuck may include liposuction, it’s considered one procedure. Conversely, the mommy makeover includes multiple procedures.
Here are some of the benefits you can expect from a tummy tuck:
- Flattened tummy
- Improved physical appearance
- Self-confidence boost
- Slimmer waistline
- Tightened stomach muscles
And here are some highlights of a mommy makeover:
- Boosts self-confidence
- Rejuvenated physical appearance
- Restoration of pre-pregnancy body shape and contours
- Single recovery period for multiple procedures
