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Medical Benefits of a Tummy Tuck

Tummy Tuck Medical Benefits: More than a Flat Stomach!

A Tummy Tuck – technically called an “abdominoplasty” – is a common plastic surgery procedure that can tighten the abdominal muscles and remove loose skin, to give a flattened and toned appearance. Women often turn seek out a tummy tuck following pregnancy and childbearing to restore their pre-pregnancy figures. Men and women can also benefit from the procedure if they’ve lost a significant amount of weight, leaving loose skin in the stomach area.

While most people may think tummy tucks are only for cosmetic purposes, that’s not the case says Oakland County plastic surgeon Dr. Ali. “There are wonderful cosmetic benefits to a tummy tuck procedure for sure,” says Dr. Ali. “But there are also important medical benefits that can often be overlooked. And that might be why the procedure saw an 87% increase between 2000 and 2018.”

In this article we discuss three medical benefits of a tummy tuck procedure, in addition to achieving a flatter abs.

Medical Benefits of a Tummy Tuck:

Tummy Tuck Improves Posture

Abdominal muscles (“abs”) can become distended after extreme weight loss or multiple pregnancies. And weakened abdominal muscles not only create a “paunchy” look but also are associated with poor posture. Your ab muscle are part and parcel of the system that help your body stand upright.

Diet and exercise alone simply will never be enough to improve the appearance of stretched  abdominal muscles. If the muscles have been stretched out of shape, “splayed” or separated, they will need to be repaired surgically. During the tummy tuck procedure, the surgeon can actually tighten the abdominal muscles while removing excess skin and fat.

During the tummy tuck surgery the rectus abdominus muscles are then tightened by suturing the separated muscles together.

In addition to giving a more flattened and toned appearance, when the abdominal muscles are tightened, patients may find their posture improves because their spine is better supported.

Tummy Tuck Improves Core

If you have been exercising in an attempt to improve your abdominal area, you have no doubt heard all about the importance of “core” strength.

When the core of your body is weak, your body is less stable. Additionally, poor core strength results in undo gravitational stress on your limbs and joints. All of this can lead to sore calves, aching hips, shoulders & knees, and plantar or achilles problems. 

Tightening your core will improve balance, enhance athletic performance, help reduce aches & pains, and assist in averting the possibility of injury. 

Tummy Tuck Hernia Correction

Significant weight loss or surgeries, such as a C-section, can lead to a condition called a ventral hernia. This type of hernia occurs when the intestine or abdominal tissue pops through the abdominal wall and forms a sack. In addition to being painful, these hernias create visible bulges.

Weakened abdominal muscles are often the cause of ventral hernias. And once you have had a ventral hernia, you may be more susceptible to it reoccurring. An abdominoplasty (“tummy tuck”) in during a hernia repair procedure can strengthen the abdominal wall and prevent a hernia from recurring.

“There are tremendous benefits to abdominoplasty,” says Oakland County tummy tuck surgeon Dr. Ali. “It is not meant to be a weight loss procedure, but rather to help patients who are at or near their ideal weight achieve strengthened abdominal muscles and a flattened, toned look.”

Oakland County’s Best Tummy Tuck Surgeon

Oakland County board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ali has helped hundreds of women and men obtain the firm flat abdomen they have always desired with a Tummy Tuck. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Ali, and see if a Tummy Tuck procedure is right for your unique situation.

Call Dr. Ali for a Tummy Tuck Consultation: 248-335-7200

 

boss

What Should You Tell Your Boss When Getting Plastic Surgery?

Bloomfield Hills, MI – You’ve decided to engage in the ultimate form of self-improvement by opting for one or more plastic surgery procedures. But now you’re stressing out because you know there may be downtime as your body heals from the procedure, and you have to work.

What are you going to tell your boss? That you’re getting a breast augmentation and need a couple of weeks to heal fully?

The decision to get plastic surgery is an incredibly personal one and you may not want to tell everyone that you’re having your procedures completed, including your boss.

How do you keep your surgery a secret while also getting the required time off work? After all, some procedures may require you to be restricted to your bed or at least homebound for two weeks or more.

Here are some tips that may be able to help you out during this life-changing time.

Be Bold, but Reveal As Much as You’re Comfortable With

You may feel that you are entitled to tell your boss that you are requesting time off for plastic surgery. But the fact is, you don’t have to tell anyone if you don’t want to.

You can tell your boss that you’re having minor surgery. This will also help to explain why you can’t make any sudden movements or put your body under too much strain once you return.

If probed, simply say that it’s personal, and you’d rather not divulge the reason. If you’re having rhinoplasty or a breast augmentation, the results are going to be noticeable when you get back to work, but again, it’s no one’s business but your own.

Get Creative

If you are undergoing rhinoplasty, you could very well tell your boss that you plan to have surgery to repair a deviated septum. Or, if you’re having a tummy tuck you could tell your co-workers that you fixed a hernia.

Obviously, this will be suspicious if you change your appearance too much, but it’s up to you if you plan to tell anyone what really happened.

Find Co-Workers to Take Up Your Slack

It might help you get the necessary time off if you tell your boss that you found one or more colleagues to take up any slack you may leave behind.

This shows your boss that you care about the company and that you’re invested in the business succeeding in your absence. It also puts less stress on your boss, as he or she will know that work will continue, even in your absence.

Can You Work Remotely?

More people are working from home now than ever before. If you have the type of job that you’re able to do your duties from the comfort of your bed or couch, bring this up with your boss.

You may find that your boss is perfectly okay with you working via your computer or laptop from home as you recover from surgery. You may even open the door to work from home more often, even after your recovery is complete.

Check Your Employee Handbook

Some companies allow a person to take time off for medical reasons. Check with your HR department to see how your employer deals with employees undergoing surgery.

Your company cannot ask about why you need the time of or what surgery you’re having. In some cases, you may be able to collect disability and get extended time off, especially if the procedure is medical in nature, such as a tummy tuck to ease chronic back pain and repair a hernia.

Tell the Truth

If all else fails, it might be best just to come clean about why you need the time off. You may find that your boss has considered plastic surgery or has had one or more procedures completed in the past, and thus may have sympathy for your plight.

Use Vacation Time

The ideal scenario is to use the vacation time you’ve accrued to recover from surgery. You won’t have to ask for permission, and no one will be the wiser about your decision to undergo plastic surgery.

For all anyone at work knows, including your boss, you went to Hawaii and came back looking younger and more attractive.

How Much Time Do You Need?

If you work a desk job with minimal movement, you might get by with taking just a few days off work to begin with. You should then refrain from engaging in heavy activity for at least two weeks. Check with your plastic surgeon about your requirements for successfully healing from your recent surgery.

If you work a job like construction where you’re required to exert yourself, you will want to take as much as two weeks off. You may need six weeks to fully recover from surgery before you can get back to work at full capacity. Even then, you might ask for limited duties until your body has fully healed.

Want to learn more about the recovery time required for the plastic surgery procedure you’re considering? Contact Dr. Ali at your earliest convenience.

© 2016 Millionairium and Dr. Ali. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Millionairium and Dr. Ali are credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this document is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

momy

How to Get a Flatter Tummy in Far Less Time

Detroit, Mi – The secret to losing excess fat off of our stomachs is to eat less and exercise more. These are the facts that are drilled into our heads starting at tender young ages. Why, then, do half of Americans sport dangerous belly fat? If losing weight is so simple, we should all be sporting figures that would make the Kardashians envious.

Detroit Plastic Surgeon Dr. Ali has the answer. He says, “Losing weight can be easy when we are younger. But as we age, and after lifetime changes like childbirth, our metabolism slows down, skin loses its elasticity and hormones can spiral out of control.”

Dr. Ali offers three solutions to people who find that they have too much belly fat and not enough self-esteem to go around.

The procedures he recommends include Liposuction, Tummy Tucks and what he refers to as a Mommy Makeover.

Rid the Fat with Liposuction

Considered one of the most commonly performed Plastic Surgery procedures, Liposuction has up until recently been requested most by female patients. Males, however, are increasingly asking for lipo and the trend has only ramped up in recent years.

Women request liposuction to rid their bodies of fat deposits in the lower abdomen, hips, and the upper outer thighs (also referred to as “Saddle Bags”).

“These areas are tough to eliminate with exercise alone,” says Dr. Ali.

Men are more concerned with fat in their abdomen, chest and love handles, which can also be referred to as their “Spare Tire”.

The Liposuction procedure is designed to remove the fat or burn it away, depending on the techniques applied, and are the fastest way to a flatter tummy, no exercise or dieting required.

Restore Stomach Contour with a Tummy Tuck

When aging, pregnancy and extreme weight loss have caused the stomach to lose its contour, Dr. Ali will recommend a Tummy Tuck.

Dr. Ali says, “Fat deposits that occur during pregnancy are often resistant to exercise and dieting.” He adds that women who have recently given birth can experience decreased muscle tone and skin sag. For these ailments, Dr. Ali will recommend a Tummy Tuck.

Considered the most popular procedure among women post-childbirth, a Tummy Tuck (abdominoplasty) will restore the skin’s resiliency and the integrity of the abdominal muscles.

If excess skin, stretch marks or a saggy belly are a concern, a Tummy Tuck can give the patient the flat tummy they hope for.

A Mommy Makeover Restores Pre-Pregnancy Bodies

For women who want to get their pre-pregnancy bodies back, Dr. Ali may recommend a full Mommy Makeover, which involves several plastic surgeries performed at the same time.

In addition to giving the patient a flatter tummy with liposuction and/or a tummy tuck, many patients also request a breast lift and/or augmentation.

“There is a benefit to having all of these procedures done at once,” says Dr. Ali. “For one, a woman willonly need to recover a single time. This is ideal for busy moms who need to be active to take care of their children.”

Dr. Ali is one of the leading plastic surgeons in Detroit, proudly serving the areas of Bloomfield Hills, Rochester Hills, Troy, Clarkston and Farmington Hills.

If you have tried to lose stubborn belly fat and you find that dieting and exercise don’t do a bit of good, call Dr. Ali for a consultation at (855) 335-7200.

© 2016 Millionairium and Dr. Ali. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Millionairium and Dr. Ali are credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this document is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

sensual woman in bra and jeans - darkness

Types of Tummy Tucks Explained

Bloomfield Hills, MI – For people who are concerned about loose skin around their middle, a tummy tuck is a wonderful plastic surgery option. It is also a great solution for women who have weakened abdominal muscles after pregnancy. It can provide a beautifully contoured figure, but there is more than one type of tummy tuck.

“An abdominoplasty removes loose skin, tightens muscles and removes stubborn pockets of fat,” says Bloomfield Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Ali. “Each patient has different needs and different post-surgery goals, so we tailor our approach to meet those needs. At your initial consultation, your plastic surgeon can explain the main approaches and help you choose the one that is best for you.”

The Mini
The mini tummy tuck removes a smaller portion of skin and requires a smaller incision. They are ideal for patients who are healthy and at or near their ideal weight, but have a stubborn pouch of fat around their mid-section.

The surgeon makes an incision in the lower abdominal wall to the belly button. Then, excess skin will be removed, muscles will be tightened, and the skin will be pulled tight to close the incision. Recovery times vary, but most patients can return to normal daily activities in about a week.

The Traditional
The traditional tummy tuck is ideal for patients who are healthy, but who have a more substantial amount of loose skin to be removed. It is typically used on patients who have lost a significant amount of weight, or women who have excess fat or weak abdominal muscles following a pregnancy.

The incision will be slightly larger than with a mini tummy tuck, and is typically a straight line running from hip bone to hip bone. The surgeon may use liposuction to remove excess fat. Excess skin will be removed and abdominal muscles will be tightened before closing the incision.

Because a larger portion of extra skin is removed, the belly button will most likely be repositioned. The average recovery time is about four weeks.

The Extended
An extended tummy tuck is for patients who have a significant amount of loose, sagging skin in their midsection, as well as their hips and lower back. Excess fat in these areas will also be removed during the procedure.

A long incision is made that reaches around the hips to the lower back. Liposuction will remove excess fat and drain an excess fluid in the area. The muscles will be tightened in both the abdomen and around the hips, and loose skin will be removed before closing the incision. The belly button will also be repositioned.

Recovery typically involves a short stay in the hospital, followed by about a month of at-home recovery. Before beginning activities that require physical exertion, patients must be cleared by their surgeon.

At your initial consultation with Dr. Ali, he will discuss what procedure will be best for you. He’ll take into account the amount of skin that needs to be removed, as well as the integrity of the abdominal muscles.

If you are interested in removing excess fat and sculpting your mid-section, schedule a consultation with Dr. Ali.

© 2016 Millionairium and Dr. Ali. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Millionairium and Dr. Ali are credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this document is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

Mother Breastfeeding Baby In Nursery

When Can I Have a Tummy Tuck After Having a Baby?

Bloomfield Hills, MI – After the first few weeks of enjoying a new baby are over and routine starts to set in, many mothers wonder when they can visit a Michigan plastic surgeon to help get their bodies in pre-baby shape. But just how long should you wait after giving birth to have a tummy tuck?

“You should never have a tummy tuck right after giving birth,” says Dr. Ali. “Some women may think it makes sense to have the procedure while they’re still in the hospital, or even right after a c-section, but that isn’t the case. Your body needs time to bounce back before having an abdominoplasty procedure.”

There are several reasons for this.

  1. Hormones can affect the elasticity of skin, and the post-partum body will be full of higher levels of hormones.
  2. There is an increased risk of bleeding, including from the uterus, in a post-partum woman.
  3. To have the most success, a woman should be at or around her ideal weight, and right after a baby is born, that most likely won’t be the case.
  4. Tummy tucks require a recovery period where it will be difficult to lift anything, especially a newborn.
  5. Women who are breastfeeding still have high levels of hormones in their bodies, and anesthesia and other medication can be transferred through a mother’s milk to her newborn.

So when is the best time to have a tummy tuck?

“I always advise my patients to wait at least six months after their baby is born, longer if they are breastfeeding,” says Dr. Ali. “By this time, the influx of hormones will have started to recede, the weight will be closer to normal and the stretching of the abdomen will have recovered.”

These are important for several reasons. Waiting at least six months following the birth will allow for the stitches to hold better in the tissue because the tissue will no longer be softened to accommodate the baby.

For lasting results from a tummy tuck, it’s important to be at or near your ideal weight before having the procedure. A tummy tuck isn’t a weight loss procedure – while some fat and tissue will be removed, it’s primary goal is to tighten loose skin and give the abdomen a smoother, flatter appearance. It should never be used as a substitute for proper diet and exercise.

Following pregnancy, it’s important to remember that your body may not go back to looking exactly as it did prior to the pregnancy. But it’s also important to remember that just because your body looks a certain way in the days and weeks immediately following birth doesn’t mean it will always look that way.

“After giving birth, the skin will be stretched, the uterus will still be swollen, and you’ll be carrying extra weight that you didn’t have before,” says Dr. Ali. “And in the months following birth, these will all begin to go away. It’s hard to make aesthetic judgments based on what we think the body would look like, so I advise patients to wait.”

The body needs time to recover from all of the changes pregnancy brought. It’s also important that women be not anticipate further pregnancies prior to a tummy tuck. Becoming pregnant after a tummy tuck can alter the results, and most women will want to have the procedure redone after giving birth.

If you have questions about when is the best time to seek out a tummy tuck, or are interested in regaining your pre-pregnancy body, call Dr. Ali today to learn more about how abdominoplasty can help you.

© 2015 Millionairium and Dr. Ali. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Millionairium and Dr. Ali are credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this document is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

Who Qualifies for a Tummy Tuck?

A “Tummy Tuck”, or Abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure undertaken to remove excess loose skin or fatty deposits in the abdominal area. This procedure is not a substitute for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a stable and reasonable weight. It is usually undergone by individuals who have lost a significant amount of weight, who have had bariatric surgery, or who have had pregnancies that have stretched the muscles of the abdomen.

Under general anesthesia, a highly trained, skilled plastic surgeon removes loose or sagging skin and excess fat deposits from the abdominal area using incisions and strategic liposuction. Extensive experience is needed to re-sculpt the area. Loose muscles are also tightened during the surgery, all of which contributes to a firmer, more sleek profile.

Individual expectations are evaluated beforehand, as well as the patient’s medical history and current health status. Any cosmetic procedure is a highly individualized decision, and the expectations for the outcome must be realistic. Patients must insure that they are pursuing the procedure for their own personal reasons, and are not attempting to live up to some perceived ideal body image or to someone else’s expectations. Additionally, it is imperative that the patient maintain the same body weight into the future, as weight gain or additional pregnancies may reverse or diminish the results of the procedure.

Dr. Ali is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which is recognized by the American Board of Plastic Surgery – the highest governing board in plastic surgery. He is committed to individualized consultation and treatment for each patient, to assure the best outcome from every procedure he performs. Contact Dr. Ali today for your personalized consultation to determine if a Tummy Tuck is right for you.

What a Tummy Tuck Will Not Do

One of the most common misconceptions about plastic surgery is that it is a quick fix. The reality is that most cosmetic procedures are not a quick fix — they are carefully calculated choices to enhance or repair areas of the body that may not be responding to other means of improvement. We sometimes see the “quick fix” misconception with individuals who pursue a tummy tuck, also known as an abdominoplasty. It is important to us at Dr. Ali’s office that our patients and the general public are educated about surgery, and what it does and does not do for you.

So what does a tummy tuck NOT do?

  • It is NOT a way to lose weight. Will you drop some pounds? Of course — you are removing fat and skin.
  • It is NOT a long term solution for body image issues. Will it make you more confident about your appearance? Most likely — will it fix body image issues you may have? Possibly not. Seeking help for conditions around body dysmorphia require a multi-faceted approach.
  • It is NOT a replacement for living a healthy, active lifestyle that is. Will it immediately tighten your tummy? Yes. Will it help slow the aging process, improve your overall quality of life and keep you healthy? No – only a healthy, active lifestyle can do that!

This is not to say that a tummy tuck isn’t a fantastic procedure. It truly is — tummy tucks can help individuals who have lost significant weight feel comfortable in their skin by removing the excess around the abdomen. It is ideal for mothers who have lost abdominal strength due to their pregnancies as it helps tighten muscles that were compromised.

Considering a tummy tuck? Let us help you evaluate the options to see if it’s the right fit. Contact Dr. Ali today for a consultation!