Plastic surgery is constantly expanding and evolving, and more people every day are discovering the powerful role surgery can play in boosting self-esteem. However, even as some surgeries grow in popularity at our plastic surgery practice in Austin, TX, there are a few things people often get wrong about these procedures and what they can achieve.
In this blog post, I want to break down a few common misconceptions about our most popular surgical procedures.
Tummy Tuck vs. Abdominal Liposuction
While both of these procedures can be helpful in sculpting a more attractive abdomen, they each achieve very different things. A tummy tuck is primarily designed to address loose skin and stretched muscles, while liposuction is aimed at removing fat. People often believe tummy tucks are intended to remove abdominal fat, but they’re more centered around tightening loose skin and muscles than suctioning out excess fatty tissue.
A tummy tuck is a good option for someone who has been pregnant or lost a great deal of weight and needs help tightening loose skin that has lost elasticity. Liposuction is a better option for someone with good skin elasticity and excess abdominal fat who is looking for help removing stubborn deposits and contouring the area. (To learn more about what liposuction can and can’t achieve, please see our previous blog post.)
If both concerns are present, we can combine these procedures into one surgery to create a more comprehensive, dramatic result.
Breast Augmentation vs. Breast lift
Many women choose breast augmentation because they’re looking to fill up empty skin after pregnancy, weight loss, or aging. However, adding an implant isn’t typically the best way to restore a youthful, firm appearance to the breasts. Because the skin has been stretched, implants can actually make sagging worse. For droopy, deflated breasts, a breast lift is usually the best approach. This surgery involves removing excess skin and tightening tissues to reshape and reposition the breasts and nipples.
A breast lift does not add volume or enhance size. In fact, some women say their breasts appear slightly smaller after the surgery. To address sagging while restoring volume, we often recommend combining a lift with augmentation. This involves both tightening the skin and placing implants during the same surgery.
Facelift vs. Neck Lift
Some patients pursue a facelift because they’re looking to correct laxity, sagging, or banding in the neck—a group of concerns sometimes referred to as “turkey neck.” While a facelift does correct sagging along the jawline and lower face, a neck lift is usually more effective for correcting a double chin and loss of definition in the neck. These procedures can be combined for a comprehensive transformation that spans from the lower face to the collarbones.
To see examples of the results you can expect from Synergy Plastic Surgery, please visit our before-and-after photo gallery.
To learn more about plastic surgery options here in Austin, TX, please contact us online or call (512) 244-1439.
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