Can I have Abdominoplasty


Cosmetic Surgery Enquiry

This is a difficult question to answer as each person will differ as to how suitable they are for an Abdominoplasty; however, there are certain things that surgeons look for when you go for a consultation to see whether you are a suitable candidate. The first thing that is required of a suitable candidate is that they feel they need an Abdominoplasty. You need to be one hundred per cent sure that an Abdominoplasty is right for you; if there is any doubt in your mind then you are probably not going to be a suitable candidate. You also need to be aware that the procedure will not result in you having the perfect stomach, or having probably even in you having a six pack; like other surgical operations, it cannot perform miracles and you need to be aware of this and affect the limitations.

Who is the ideal candidate?

The best candidates, it is thought, are women how have had a number of pregnancies, older people whose skin has begun to sag and loose its natural elasticity, men and women who were obese but, due to weight loss, have excess skin, and those whose bodies naturally accumulate fat around the abdomen. These criteria, however, are not set and there are other things that surgeons look for (and you should do too) to examine whether you are a suitable candidate for Abdominoplasty.

The first, and possibly most important, criterion that a surgeon will look at, if you are a woman, is whether you are planning on becoming pregnant again any time in the near future. If you are planning on becoming pregnant then they will normally advise that you wait until you have had your final planned pregnancy before having Abdominoplasty. This is because the muscles may split again during the pregnancy, undoing the Abdominoplasty, and therefore rendering it pointless.

There are, though, other criteria that your surgeon will look at when deciding whether you are a suitable candidate for Abdominoplasty. The first is that you should be within about 30% of your ideal body weight; the second is that you have good skin tone and also that you have good skin elasticity. The last is important because if you do not have good skin elasticity then it will be harder for your skin to stretch over the muscle (this is a problem because you will lose some skin and the rest will need to compensate while it is healing). You should also be emotionally stable, this is important as there is the possibility after the operation that you will feel down for a time and you need to be emotionally stable in case this happens. A further requirement that is looked for is that you are generally stable with your weight over an extended period of time, normally around six months minimum.

The final criterion that will be looked for by your surgeon is that you have a full understanding of what the process of Abdominoplasty will entail; both with terms to the actual procedure itself, and the effects and risks. It is crucial that you have a complete understanding of the operation because an Abdominoplasty is not a small decision but is major surgery and therefore you need to understand the risks and effects. It is important you know the risks and possible complications because if they happen then you are more prepared for them mentally and therefore are better equipped to deal with them. Your surgeon will not consider you a suitable candidate for Abdominoplasty unless you can demonstrate that you have this understanding.

A further consideration that your surgeon will look at is whether you have had any previous surgery on your abdomen. This is because scarring on your abdomen that exists will limit the effectiveness of an Abdominoplasty.

If, however, you fulfil enough of the criteria above, then you may be a suitable candidate for an Abdominoplasty and your surgeon will go through the next steps with you and make sure you understand fully the effects and limitations of Abdominoplasty.

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