Liposuction Surgery for the Stomach

What’s keeping you from attaining your ideal body? In many cases, people have difficulty maintaining or reducing the amount of fatty tissue in certain areas like the stomach. Other factors, such as age, can make this endeavor even more challenging. Diet and exercise are often hailed as the primary means of improving one’s body, and while these habits are certainly the best first step toward improvement, some areas of the body are simply more resistant to change.

If your figure is being held back by a particularly stubborn bit of fat, a liposuction procedure at our Houston clinic may be the answer. With abdominal liposuction, you can finish the hard work you’ve put into your body by contouring one of the most common problem areas. To see exactly how this procedure may be able to help you, refer to the information below.  

Why Liposuction for the Stomach?

Liposuction can be performed in many areas of the body, from the face and upper arms to the hips and calves. Some places are more popular targets for liposuction than others, though, due to their tendency to retain fatty tissue. For some patients, the stomach has always been a primary area of concern due to genetics and natural body type. Other patients may find themselves retaining excess fat after pregnancy or a change in lifestyle. And even when patients manage to successfully slim down or tone the abdomen, the results may not be completely satisfactory or complementary to the rest of the body.

Once patients have reached their weight loss goal, liposuction can help trim the remaining fat and create better overall contours. With liposuction, patients can finally achieve the flat, smooth stomach they deserve.   

Candidates for Abdominal Liposuction

As with any liposuction procedure, the best candidates are those who have unwanted fat that is limited to a specific region of the body. Because liposuction is not intended as a weight loss procedure, patients should not expect a significant change in weight or body shape. Rather, patients should have an otherwise healthy, proportionate body, and just be looking to contour the abdomen. Good candidates for liposuction therefore have:

• Stable weight: Try to reach and maintain a stable weight prior to and following liposuction. Any major weight fluctuations afterward may alter the effects of surgery.
• Good health: Patients must be able to safely undergo and recover from surgery. This means they must have a healthy immune system with few risk factors. Those who suffer from heart disease, liver disease, uncontrolled diabetes, bleeding complications, or other conditions that impact their health should mention these risk factors when consulting their plastic surgeon.
• Elastic skin: The more elastic and healthy your skin is, the better it will be able to conform to its new curves and heal over the contoured tissue.
• Post-surgical commitment: Liposuction can achieve effective results, but it cannot prevent future changes to the body. If you want your liposuction to have a positive long-term impact, be prepared to adopt an active lifestyle that keeps your body fit and healthy.

Abdominal Liposuction Surgery

Liposuction may be performed through a variety of techniques, such as tumescent liposuction or laser-assisted liposuction. Many such techniques aid the surgery and help patients endure an easier, quicker recovery. By speaking with your surgeon, you can learn what technology is available and which procedure can best suit your needs.

Regardless of the precise technique, all liposuction surgeries utilize a thin tube called a cannula, which is used to remove excess fat and reshape remaining tissue. The procedure is as follows:

• The patient is anesthetized, usually with local anesthesia and possibly light sedation.
• Small incisions are made in the abdomen, near the area where tissue is to be removed.
• Typically, the cannula will be used to manually separate excess fat from surrounding tissue. Additional liposuction techniques may utilize other methods of tissue separation.
• Once fat is broken apart, it will be removed through the cannula and the underlying tissue will be made smooth.
• The cannula will be removed and incisions sutured closed.

The ensuing side effects and recovery from surgery depend largely on the amount of tissue removed. On average, patients can expect the initial recovery to last a week before they can return to work and engage in most daily activities. In the weeks following liposuction, patients will see the post-surgical swelling recede from the abdomen, gradually producing a clearer image of the procedure’s results. 

Learn More about Liposuction

Dr. Madjiti is prepared to answer all your questions and concerns about any of our plastic surgery services via a personal consultation. Together, you can discern which procedure is right for you. Contact our office to learn more and to schedule your first appointment with us.