Tummy Tuck Myths

Myth 1: Weight Gain Will Not Affect Your Results

Should you put on a few pounds, you probably won’t notice much of a difference in the way your new stomach looks. But if you gain a significant amount of weight, your results can be drastically affected. This is why most doctors recommend that you’re done having children and are at an ideal weight before proceeding with surgery.

Myth 2: A Tattoo Can’t Hide your Scar
Unbeknownst to many, you can camouflage an unwanted scar with a tattoo. Many patients think that they can’t have one over a tummy tuck scar because the skin is not smooth. But as long as you wait until your scar is fully healed and the majority of the collagen made to set it has been made, you should be fine.

Myth 3: Tummy Tucks Are for Smokers
Nicotine in any form can increase the risk of delayed healing and a poor outcome from surgery.

Fact 1: A Tummy Tuck Shouldn’t Be Performed at the Same Time as a C-Section
Despite the fact that the scars may be similar, a tummy tuck and a C-section are two totally different surgeries that should not be performed simultaneously. When you’re pregnant, there is a surge of hormones, fluid and weight—it’s hard to decipher how much fat was the result of pregnancy, how much will be lost and how slack the skin really is. Any doctor who offers to perform a tummy tuck directly after a patient has given birth should be viewed with extreme caution. “You really need to wait a good six months and let your body heal before considering any type of surgery,” says Salt Lake City, UT, plastic surgeon Renato Saltz, MD.

Fact 2: You May Have a Smaller Appetite
After the muscles have been tightened, it’s common to feel an internal tightness in the stomach that temporarily can restrict your appetite. “A lot of patients don’t eat as much for the first three to six months post-procedure and even lose more weight after the surgery,” says New York and Great Neck, NY, plastic surgeon Kevin Tehrani, MD.

Fact 3: You May Experience Some Numbness Post-Procedure 
While not all tummy tuck patients feel burning or numbness, Dr. Renato Saltz says that it’s the result of trauma to the small sensory nerves, which usually happens after any type of surgery, cosmetic or not, to this area. “The nerves naturally repair themselves, which can take upward of a year,” says Marlton, NJ, plastic surgeon Evan Sorokin, MD.

Fact 4: Your Doctor May Suggest Liposuction to the Surrounding Areas
Since the waistline, hips, thighs and pubic area all border the stomach, it’s routine for them to be addressed if you’re having your stomach operated on, too. “You don’t want to have this really flat, tight stomach and heavy saddlebags or thighs or heaviness in the pubic area,” says Dr. Evan Sorokin. The main goal is to create a streamlined look, which is why it’s important that those parts of the body are taken into consideration. “That’s why we almost always do lipo in those areas.” And you won’t need an additional incision since your doctor can use your tummy tuck incision.