4 Less Invasive Alternatives to the Traditional Tummy Tuck

A traditional tummy tuck is ideal for removing stubborn fat and large amounts of extra abdominal skin while tightening weakened abdominal muscles. 

However, only some people are willing to deal with the downtime, scarring, and healing procedure that this plastic surgery entails. Before proceeding with an abdominoplasty, one of the most crucial considerations is researching the possible alternatives. This blog post will examine some of the less invasive abdominoplasty alternatives to help you determine which best fits your goals.

Liposuction: A Fat Removal Option

Liposuction, without a doubt, is one of the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures. It has less invasive properties than the traditional tummy tuck, making it a suitable alternative for qualified patients.

Yet, unlike a tummy tuck, stomach liposuction is a procedure that's only suitable for patients who have excess abdominal fat and decent skin elasticity. To further illustrate, if you have excess loose skin and undergo liposuction, you will probably end up with lackluster results due to the more pronounced drooping of your abdomen. 

Furthermore, newer techniques require less invasiveness than traditional liposuction while delivering equal or better results. Traditional liposuction often requires general anesthesia, which adds significant risks compared with wide-awake procedures. 

Applied Heat Energy For Skin Tightening 

An alternative to tummy tuck procedures is the use of applying controlled laser energy to the abdomen for skin tightening. Tissues are heated to an ideal temperature before the area is wrapped in compression bandaging. Patients report firmer skin after this therapy, with no scarring or extended downtime.

Because a specialized probe monitors tissue temperatures during this nonsurgical therapy, it is considered a safe practice. Plastic surgeons commonly use infrared cameras to monitor your skin throughout treatment and guarantee the appropriate degree of heat to achieve the desired skin tightening goals. This treatment may be a suitable tummy tuck alternative for those with loose abdominal skin but little fat. However, the research on heat energy applications still needs to be tested regarding results. Changes tend to be much less dramatic with this type of noninvasive approach. 

EmSculpt: Muscle Contracting Technology

EmSculpt is a non-surgical tummy tuck alternative that tightens and tones the abdominal muscles without the scarring and downtime surgery entails. 

A unique EmSculpt gadget stimulates muscle contractions stronger than regular muscle contractions. Up to 20,000 muscular contractions can be produced by a single therapy (thus working your muscles out in a way that would be impossible to do with exercise alone). This therapy is ideal for people who want to tone their muscles to attain a tighter and flatter abdomen contour. The recuperation process is substantially more straightforward, albeit you may feel sore for the first several days.

EmSculpt, like other nonsurgical approaches, may require several sessions and will not likely deliver dramatic or permanent results. Nonetheless, it is a good alternative for Orange County patients looking to avoid incisions being made during their abdominal tightening endeavors. 

AirSculpt® Tiny Tuck™: A Precise, Less Invasive Procedure

The commonality of abdominoplasty in Orange County makes sense when you realize that abdominal fat is a confidence-denting situation for most people.

Nonetheless, the concept of surgically removing fat or tightening the skin around the abdomen can be pretty offsetting for potential patients because they fear how invasive these procedures can be. Nonsurgical approaches like those detailed above will require multiple sessions, which can add up the cost and still fail to produce dramatic changes, 

AirSculpt® has considered these issues in the fat removal industry, providing a minimally invasive abdominoplasty solution to eliminate these discomforting factors for patients.

The minimally invasive AirSculpt® Tiny Tuck™ uses no general anesthesia or drains while directly removing loose skin below the belly button and providing dramatic abdominal tightening results. Patients can combine this procedure with our permanent stomach fat removal offering or focus on loose skin alone. 

Aside from removing fat with AirSculpt® technology, we've partnered with Renuvion®. This skin-tightening process can be utilized as an alternative to a tummy tuck in patients with extra fat and moderate loose skin. Referred to as the AirSculpt® + skin tightening treatment, this approach combines helium gas with radiofrequency to create a plasma stream of energy, generating enough heat to shrink and tighten the skin.

Whereas the Tiny Tuck™ is best for dramatic abdominal tightening without the fully surgical elements of a tummy tuck, AirSculpt® + is best suited for those looking to enhance their fat removal results anywhere on the body. As you can see in the before and after photos above, these patients achieved truly dramatic transformations with the help of this tummy tuck alternative. 

To start working with us and learn more about the Tiny Tuck™, call our Orange County location or any of our 27+ body contouring offices across North America and Europe for your complimentary consultation.