Cosmetic surgery to enhance the overall body
Introduction
Plastic surgery is performed all over the world nowadays, and patients have different reasons and motivations to undergo the procedures. However, one common goal of patients undergoing plastic surgery is enhancing the overall appearance of the body. In other words, we are all trying to achieve a certain harmony of the body where features are proportionate to each other and complementing each other.
There are different procedures that are performed nowadays to enhance the overall appearance of the body and even change the shape of the silhouette, and this is what we will discuss in today’s article.
- Liposuction
As you probably know already, liposuction is among the most popular and frequently performed plastic surgery procedures in the world. The procedure is safe and delivers spectacular results with minimal risks. When liposuction is performed, the plastic surgeon will use a hollow, stainless steel tube called a cannula to dislodge and liquefy fat. The cannula is inserted in the areas to be treated through small incisions that are often no larger than 3 to 4 mm. The fat targeted with this procedure is localized in different areas of the body under the skin, so we are only talking about subcutaneous fat and not other types of fat such as visceral fat.
Because it only targets the subcutaneous layer of fat, this procedure can’t be used for weight loss purposes, but it can deliver very good results when used to enhance the overall appearance of the body. Because it can eliminate localized adipose pockets, liposuction can improve and refine the contours of the body. Liposuction can be used on the abdomen, flanks, the upper and lower back, the arms, chin, buttocks and hips, legs, calves, and knees, as well as any other area you might think of that would allow the insertion of a cannula and performing a back and forth movement with it.
Keep in mind that liposuction should only be performed on patients with a normal weight and good skin tonus. Otherwise, the results might not be according to the expectations. To be able to achieve a nice body shape, it is important for the skin to retract on the new contours of the body. If the skin quality is poor, liposuction can leave behind slight sagginess, but this is a very rare occurrence as an experienced plastic surgeon will be able to evaluate if the patient is a good candidate or not. Even on older patients or patients with a poor skin tonus, liposuction can still be performed, but the recommendation is to combine it with an additional procedure such as a body lift that will eliminate the excess skin that would otherwise be left in the area treated with the procedure.
Liposuction is commonly performed both as a stand-alone procedure and with other plastic surgery procedures to improve the results. Getting rid of localized pockets of fat is like a dream come true. Even patients who are dedicated to having an active life with plenty of physical exercise can develop unwanted fat deposits in different areas of the body such as the abdomen and the flanks. The procedure can be performed on both men and women of different ages, and the results are often amazing if the patient has a strong medical recommendation for the procedure.
Liposuction is also preferred by many patients as it often lasts no longer than an hour or so to be performed, during which the patient can be either under general anesthesia or local anesthesia with sedation. The hospitalization period is of a few hours and the recovery period is shorter than in the case of more complex and invasive procedures.
- Tummy tuck
It is true that the tummy tuck is performed to get a firmer and flatter abdomen; however, in doing so, most patients notice that there is an improvement in the overall appearance of the body, especially when the procedure is performed with liposuction.
The tummy tuck is a complex and rather invasive plastic surgery procedure that targets the abdominal wall. During the procedure, the plastic surgeon aims to strengthen loose abdominal wall muscles with sutures and eliminate the excess of skin that might be present on the inferior part of the tummy. At the same time, imperfections of the abdominal wall such as umbilical hernia will be corrected.
This procedure is often a part of the Mommy Makeover package, a combination of plastic surgery procedures performed together to improve the appearance of the body after pregnancy and childbirth. The tummy tuck is also a procedure recommended for patients who have undergone massive weight loss and are now left with an excess of skin tissue on the tummy. This is often called an abdominal apron and can only be eliminated surgically during a tummy tuck.
The tummy tuck is more invasive than liposuction and often takes longer to be performed, especially if we are talking about repositioning the belly button. There is also a procedure called the extended tummy tuck which addressed the flanks as well, so this can take up to five hours or more to be completed, especially if liposuction is performed with it. The overall shape of the body is considerably improved after the tummy tuck.
- Hourglass procedures
The hourglass procedures are actually a combination of plastic surgery procedures that aim to change or improve the silhouette of the patient. The procedures’ goal is to create an hourglass silhouette, which is the most sought-after body shape for women. Many celebrities have impressed and amazed us over the years with their alluring hourglass figures, like Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Lauren, but also modern-day celebrities such as Sophia Vergara.
The hourglass figure is characterized by the similar dimensions of the hips and shoulders and the waist being much smaller than them. This means that in an hourglass figure, the waist is 20 to 30% smaller than the hips. As you can imagine, this means alluring curves in all the right places. But unfortunately, only less than 8% of the women’s population is born with an hourglass figure. Moreover, even ones born with this beautiful body shape can end up losing it due to unsuitable life choices, unbalanced eating, and a lack of physical exercise. Also, something as simple and unavoidable as the passing of time can change the beautiful hourglass shape.
For patients interested in achieving this beautiful shape, plastic surgery offers hourglass procedures such as the hourglass tummy tuck or the hourglass hip procedure. What happens during this procedure is creating curves in all the right places by changing the fat distribution in the body. This means that the plastic surgeon will perform liposuction on areas of the body with an excess of fat (often the abdomen and the flanks), then purify the fat and inject it into the hips to create a beautiful waist-to-hip ratio. By redistributing the fat from areas where it is in excess from areas that could use a little more volume, we can enhance the overall appearance of the body considerably. Patients with a rectangular shape of the body due to narrow hips and unwanted fat deposits on the flanks can enjoy the benefits of having alluring curves and a more feminine appearance.
Keep in mind that to be able to undergo the hourglass procedures, you need to have an excess of fat in one or multiple areas of the body. Also, the recovery period is about two weeks, during which you are advised not to rest or lie on the hips or other areas where the procedure was performed. Make sure to choose a highly experienced plastic surgeon to play out your hourglass procedure to ensure you achieve the best results possible.
Conclusion
Plastic surgery is not only efficient in enhancing or augmenting certain features of the body, but also improving the overall appearance of the body. The procedures commonly performed on patients who want to improve their overall appearance are liposuction, the tummy tuck, and the hourglass procedures. Liposuction is combined with many other plastic surgery procedures to achieve superior results. The tummy tuck can considerably improve the appearance of the body by making the abdomen firmer and flatter, and the hourglass procedures can help patients achieve the most desired body shape of all time. Make sure to discuss your aesthetic desires in detail with the plastic surgeon before scheduling the procedure.