subject: Tummy Tuck: Don't Confuse Stomach Stapling With A Tummy Tuck [print this page] They sound like similar procedures, but stomach stapling and tummy tuck are two completely different surgical procedures. That being said, they do complement each other. Here's what you need to know about them to clear up any confusion:
Stomach stapling is a bariatric, or weight loss, procedure. It is also referred to as gastrolplasty or gastric stapling. Surgical staples are actually used to divide the stomach into two parts making the upper portion a smaller stomach. As a weight loss method, this procedure works by making the stomach smaller reducing the amount you can eat at one sitting. You feel full quicker so you won't overeat.
On the other hand, a tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a cosmetic procedure that removes sagging excess skin from around the abdominal area. Your plastic surgeon makes an incision across the pubic area and around the navel so he can lift up the skin and pull it tight. Then he removes the excess skin. He also tightens the abdominal muscle wall because it has also been compromised during pregnancy or weight gain.
A tummy tuck is not a weight loss method. In fact, your surgeon wants you to be within 20% of your ideal weight and also finished having children before pursuing this procedure. But, it is often a follow-up procedure to bariatric surgery like stomach stapling because of the excess skin left from extreme weight loss.
After the bariatric surgery, you should be at your goal weight for at least 6 months before having abdominoplasty. It may take a while for the weight to come off, but it will be worth it in the end.
Age combined with prolonged obesity tests the elasticity of skin and over time it loses the ability to snap back into place. Skin loses collagen and elastic as it ages and if it has been stretched to its limits for years, it simply can't recover. You are left with severe folds and sagging skin all over the body.
This means that even though you've lost the weight, you still can't wear the clothes you have been wanting too because of the skin hanging from your belly. So, once the weight comes off after the bariatric surgery, you will need a little help getting a handle on all that excess skin.
Stomach stapling is performed by a general surgeon who has specialized in bariatric procedures. A tummy tuck must be performed by a board certified plastic surgeon that has experience in the procedure. If you are interested in either of these procedures, it is important to find the right doctor.
Both should be certified by their respective practicing boards and be licensed to operate in the state. Also, you should feel comfortable with both doctors as this is a very sensitive situation requiring sensitivity and understanding.
by: Abigail Aaronson
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