Tummy Tuck in Houston*

The hourglass tummy tuck is a procedure to recreate the hourglass figure and at the same time a flatter abdomen.  The hourglass tummy tuck is the only tummy tuck technique that will provide you with a better shape and a flatter abdomen.  This is in contrast to the traditional tummy tuck, which main focus is to result in a flatter and tighter belly.  In this description, we are going to discuss the fundamentals of the hourglass tummy tuck, what to expect after surgery, and how the surgery is performed among other things. Click me for Tummy Tuck Before and After pictures.

The Difference Between The Hourglass Tummy Tuck And The Traditional Tummy Tuck:

The hourglass tummy tuck is a procedure developed by Dr. Cortes.  The main objective of this procedure is not only to recreate a sexy curvy figure but also a tight abdomen at the same time.  The traditional tummy tuck objective throughout the history of plastic surgery is to revert the consequences of pregnancy.  In other words, the excess skin that results from pregnancy is removed as well as the fat and then the abdominal wall is tightened. The skin that is left is pulled and closed recreating a similar result as a pre-baby tummy.  The traditional tummy tuck will successfully recreate a flat abdomen but if you look closely, all of these patients will have a square shape.  This is where the hourglass technique is unique where Dr. Cortes combines liposuction of the lower back as well as the abdomen and flanks with tightening of the muscle, cutting the excessive skin, recreating a new belly button, and then performing fat transfer to the hips for better shape and an hourglass figure.  It is a big difference between the traditional tummy tuck results and the hourglass tummy tuck.

Who Is The Best Candidate For The Hourglass Tummy Tuck?: 

Certainly, you need to be within a certain weight limit before having an hourglass tummy tuck.  Typically, the BMI needs to be below 35.  If you are significantly overweight, you are not going to be a good candidate for the procedure due to the fact that it is impossible to recreate an hourglass shape due to anatomical factors as well as visceral fat among safety concerns.  You need to be emotionally and physically healthy. If there are medical problems like diabetes, and high blood pressure among others you will need to have these issues resolved prior to the surgery.

Your Consult: 

We encourage you to visit our Youtube channel, DrWilbertoCortesLive to watch educational videos that  Dr. Cortes has produced.  These videos will help you understand the surgery better and the different approaches that Dr. Cortes uses to enhance your body.

During the initial consult, Dr. Cortes will assess the different types of fat that you have including superficial fat and visceral fat.  He will assess your hip-to-waist ratio, type of hip shape, and indentations, the tone of your skin, the shape of your belly button, and the location of the different fat pockets in your back, lower back, sides, flank, and abdomen. In addition, he will review your history including any medical issues as well as prior surgeries that might complicate the surgery.

Risk of surgery

Cosmetic surgery is safe, but nevertheless, you can have complications.  You can develop a blood clot, fluid collection, loss of skin, burns of skin, infection, and a constricted belly button among others.  During your consultation prior to surgery, we will discuss your surgical concerns and every risk as it relates to the surgery itself.  If you smoke, you need to quit smoking about 2 weeks prior to surgery and 2 weeks after surgery.

Location of Your Surgery and Type of Anesthesia: 

The hourglass tummy tuck is the procedure that needs to be performed under general anesthesia.  It is an extensive procedure that will require liposuction of multiple areas and you are not going to be able to tolerate this procedure with local anesthetics for the following reasons.

1. There is a limit on the amount of local anesthetic that you can inject into the body without causing any health issues.

2. You are not going to be able to tolerate the amount of liposuction that needs to be performed to recreate the hourglass shape.

Surgery:

Dr. Cortes performed the hourglass tummy tuck by first placing you on your chest.  Liposuction is performed on the lower back and this will help to eliminate the love handles as well as start making your waist as small as possible. Once he is finished with the liposuction on the lower back, he will flip you over, put you on your back, and then start doing liposuction on the flank and waist. A lower abdominal incision will be made and then dissection will be continued towards the midline and the muscles of the abdominal walls are going to be tightened.  The belly button is going to be recreated and with this technique, The belly button will have a more natural look and will be deep and sexy.  The incisions will be closed with 3-0 Monocryl.  Additional liposuction is performed to decrease your waist even more.  Ultimately the fat that was collected during the procedure would be reprocessed and then injected in the hip area to create a nice balance between the hip and waist ratio.

What to Expect After Surgery: 

After surgery, you need to be extremely patient while the swelling and the bruising resolve.  We are going to provide you with pain medication to minimize your pain.  You are going to have drains that will be removed 1 week after surgery.  Sutures will be removed in about 10 days.  We need to walk around and drink fluids to avoid blood clots among other issues.  You are going to be able to start exercising for about 3 weeks and heavy lifting for about 4 to 6 weeks.

Getting Back to Normal: 

You will be able to take a shower 24 hours after your surgery.  You are going to see that over the course of a few weeks, the swelling would start resolving.  You are going to wear a girdle for about at least 3 months up to 6 months.  You will be able to return to work in about 2 weeks.  You will notice right after surgery, that your body has changed tremendously with different proportions and redistribution of the fat.  The results are permanent but you are going to notice that about 20% to 30% of the fat injected in the hips would be reabsorbed after the surgery.  You are going to need to be extremely patient to adjust to your new body and allow the scars to heal over a period of 1 year.