Everyone wants to look their best. But when your midsection is not as trim as you would like, it’s hard to disguise and can be a discouraging battle. You’ve done everything you can with diet and exercise and still some fat remains. Your final and best step may be a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon.
Dr. Lee Thornton and Dr. Mark Elliott of Meridian, Mississippi have a wide variety of surgical procedures and non-surgical devices they can use on their patients to help sculpt a better body.
By Lee K. Thornton, MD and Mark S. Elliott, MD
and Adam McMillon
The Plastic Surgery Channel
Whether your issues come from multiple pregnancies, weight loss, or simply a stubborn fat pocket or two, modern plastic surgery offers unique options that can be tailored to each patient. “Typically you’re dealing with issues of skin, muscles and fat”, explains Dr. Thornton. “Some people’s overriding problem is muscle, some people’s may be fat, or skin, or various combinations. You really have to tailor your treatment to the areas you’re addressing, as well as the patient expectations.”
When is a tummy tuck necessary?
For patients who have loose skin and stretch marks, fat removal procedures may not be enough. “By and large, if there’s a significant muscle issue and a significant skin issue, then you’re moving them to the surgical realm,” says Thornton.
An abdominoplasty, commonly known as a tummy tuck, removes excess skin while tightening the muscles. “If it’s just fat,” says Thornton, “then we can look at some other options that are non-surgical.”
Liposuction and Non-Surgical Fat Removal
For patients with a little bit of excess fat in specific areas, new technologies can help eliminate the fat without surgery. CoolSculpting and Vanquish are two modalities that Elliott and Thornton utilize in their office to remove small amounts of fat. Even though the devices work very well, they aren’t for everyone.
“We end up redirecting some patients who come in asking for CoolSculpting,” explains Dr. Elliott. “You have to explain to them why they aren’t a great candidate, and redirect them to something that may be more appropriate for them. Because of this, you may even save them money. If they’re going to need six CoolSculpting treatments to equal one liposuction procedure, they should just have had the liposuction procedure.”
“For people who are heavy, I don’t want to rule them out from surgery,” admits Elliott. “You have to explain to them that they’ll walk out better, but not they’re not going to be thin.
Patient Customization and Satisfaction
Being able to customize a treatment plan to a patient’s specific needs goes a long way toward achieving their goals.
“Your common goal with the patient is to make them satisfied so that they feel like they got what they were after,” says Thornton. “That’s bottom-line. It takes somebody well-trained with a discerning eye who’s familiar with the technologies to determine which one to use in which situation. Matching that with patient expectations and happiness is the ultimate goal.”
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