When it comes to surgery on your abdomen, you may be weighing your choices between getting a tummy tuck or abdominal liposuction. These surgeries are very different and depending on what you are looking for you may find that you are a better candidate for one surgery over the other.

A tummy tuck used as an option for those attempting to tighten their mid-section. However, a tummy tuck now is more for patients who have excessive, extra skin, usually in folds, around their middle, resulting from pregnancy or excessive weight loss. The tummy tuck surgery is usually done under general anesthesia and a large incision is made across the lower abdomen from hip to hip. In addition, the belly button is usually repositioned as a result of the tummy tuck.

With liposuction, stubborn fat is removed and the abdomen is contoured. There are a few small incisions made over the midsection, but these usually heal well and do not leave noticeable scars. (Some surgeons do abdominal liposuction just by going through the belly button, but I find that this does not produce even results. Following liposuction, the skin will shrink naturally so you are not left with excess skin around the mid-section, which would detract from your results. Furthermore, tumescent liposuction is done only under local anesthesia, which means that the patient is awake during the surgery. Using the tumescent method, there is a lowered risk of clot formation and because the patient is able to stand and move around, the surgeon can better remove fat and achieve optimal results..

Again, there are several considerations when choosing between a tummy tuck and liposuction, and it depends on what exactly you are looking for as a result. A good way to decide whether you are a good candidate for liposuction is to do a pinch test. Using your thumb and hand, grab onto the flab of the stomach. If you can move the fat underneath the skin, then you may be a good candidate for abdominal liposuction versus a tummy tuck.

However, some patients need both liposuction and a tummy tuck. In these patients, I strongly feel – and studies support – the fact that it generally is better to do these two procedures as separate surgeries scheduled weeks or months apart. This is for two reasons. Firstly, one can be more complete, especially in the upper abdominal area when liposuction is done separately. Secondly, it is safer and there are fewer chances of complications from the tummy tuck when it is done separately.