Call: (310) 271-6996

You’re closer to your ideal weight after practicing healthy eating and exercise habits, but you’re still unhappy with the appearance of your abdomen. You might be frustrated that your belly is still flabbier than you’d like it to be, that it retains a bulge you can’t flatten, or that loose, sagging skin makes you embarrassed to show your midriff. You’re considering treatment to take you that last step to a firm, flat, trim midsection, but you’re not sure which to choose.

In this article, we’ll explain your treatment options and help guide you to the best choice, based on your goals.

It’s Your Body, Your Priorities, and Your Choice

Every body is different and responds in different ways to aging, weight changes, and pregnancy. And every individual has different priorities in life — not just about how they look, but how much time they can take for treatment and how quickly they’d like to see results. Here are the key factors to consider as you weigh your treatment options:

Tummy tuck

A tummy tuck is surgery to tighten loose skin, repair weakened and separated abdominal muscles, and remove excess fat. It’s major surgery, but it’s the most transformative of the procedures to repair a flabby, bulging belly. With a tummy tuck, you’ll get a firm, flat, smooth abdomen and a slimmer waistline. If you have loose, sagging skin on your stomach and your belly bulge is from muscles that no longer hold your midsection flat, a tummy tuck is the only procedure that can restore a youthful appearance.

While a tummy tuck can work wonders to improve your appearance, it does require downtime for recovery. Most patients take at least two weeks off from work, and it can take several more weeks before they feel completely back to normal. For a sense of the results you can expect from a tummy tuck, view our before-and-after photo gallery.

Liposuction

Liposuction is a minimally invasive procedure to remove pockets of excess fat. It’s a body-contouring procedure, not an overall weight-loss treatment, as it targets specific areas of diet- and exercise-resistant fat. In liposuction, a thin tube, or cannula, is inserted through small incisions and used to break up and remove fat deposits. The fat cells removed in liposuction are gone forever and they won’t grow back. If you gain weight after treatment, the remaining fat cells will increase in size, but there are fewer of them in the treated area, so your stomach will remain proportionally slimmer. Liposuction does not work to tighten loose skin or repair weakened abdominal muscles.

Most patients need a few days to a week of downtime after liposuction and may have some short-term swelling and bruising. The slimming effects are visible immediately, and final results appear after about three weeks. You can see examples of these results in our before-and-after photo gallery.

CoolScultping

CoolSculpting is a remarkable new treatment that uses precisely controlled cold temperatures to destroy fat cells where excess fat lingers in pinchable bulges. The technology uses a cooling device that surrounds the area to be treated, chilling the fat to the point where it is damaged, without hurting skin, muscle, and other surrounding tissue. In the weeks following treatment, these damaged fat cells are naturally processed out of the body as waste.

You’ll have no downtime after a CoolSculpting session. You can walk out of treatment and go straight back to work or resume your normal activities. Final results appear about three months after treatment, and it can take more than one session to achieve optimal results.

Learn More About Abdominal Treatments in Beverly Hills

Dr. David Kim and Dr. Eugene Kim at Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery have developed an impeccable reputation for stunning, natural-looking cosmetic treatment and plastic surgery results, attracting patients from all over the world. Contact our practice today at (310) 746-5475 or send an online request to schedule a consultation and a recommendation on the abdominal treatment — or treatments — best suited to your needs. For many patients, a combination of procedures is the ideal solution.

Breast augmentation has come a long way since its initial introduction to U.S. patients in 1962. New implant types, incision techniques, and placement options have made it possible to tailor treatment to each person’s body. Thanks to these highly personalized treatment strategies, this popular plastic surgery has left countless patients extremely satisfied with their results. 

Most of our breast augmentation patients are delighted by their new look and love their implants for years to come. However, tastes change and there may come a time when you’ll no longer want breast implants. While some women may choose to continue life without implants, others may feel more confident with a less invasive alternative that keeps their curves. Our Beverly Hills surgeons can guide you through your treatment options and help you find the right solution for your figure. 

The Reasons Behind Implant Removal

The reasons for choosing breast implant removal are as numerous as the reasons for initially choosing breast augmentation. While these reasons span the gamut between medical and cosmetic, some of the most common reasons we hear at BHPS include:

Aesthetics

Your perfect breasts at 20 and 50 may not look the same. Dissatisfaction with too large implants is among the most frequent reasons our plastic surgeons hear when it comes to implant removal in Beverly Hills. While some patients may choose to simply reduce the size of their implant, others opt to return to their natural breast size.  

Surgical Revision

When performed by a skilled plastic surgeon, breast augmentation typically produces excellent results. As one of the top plastic surgery practices in Beverly Hills, we see many patients that may have received sub-par results at another practice. Revision surgery can correct errors and abnormalities from a previous breast surgery, but some patients may find the prospect of having to undergo one or more revision surgeries not worth the time or effort and choose to have their implants removed. 

Rupture or Leakage

Like other medical devices, breast implants are not made to last forever. Modern implants last a long time and are less likely to leak than older models, especially if you opt for a cohesive silicone breast implant (aka gummy bear implants). 

If you’re experiencing rupture or leakage of your breast implants, replacement or removal are your options. Breast implant replacement surgery is a straightforward procedure, often offering a shorter and easier recovery than the initial breast augmentation. We also offer implant removal for those patients that no longer want breast implants. 

Capsular Contracture or Illness

While increasingly rare with new implant types, capsular contracture can cause breast hardening, distortion, and discomfort. Treatment for this condition includes removing the breast implant, removing or repairing the capsule of scar tissue that surrounds the implant, and replacing the breast implant. Alternatively, the breast implant can be permanently removed and not replaced. 

Other women may have illnesses or medical conditions that require breast implant removal. Talk with your doctor if this is a concern and explore your options. 

While the reasons behind implant removal can vary, the results of this procedure can sometimes leave women with less than what they had before. In these instances, simultaneous fat transfer is a natural solution for restoring your curves. 

Benefits of Simultaneous Fat Transfer

Also known as reverse liposuction, simultaneous fat transfer leverages extra fat in your body to build breast volume and restore breast shape after implant removal. During the procedure, fat cells are removed from a different part of the patient’s body and injected into the breast tissue. This creates natural volume and can fill in minor gaps left when implants are removed. When combined with implant removal surgery, patients can go from implants to fat transfer-enhanced curves. 

There are many benefits to this procedure including:

Efficient Treatment

Surgery is never fun. For many women considering implant removal, the prospect of more surgery is less than appealing. Breast implant removal surgery with simultaneous fat transfer condenses multiple treatments into one surgery, shortening recovery time. 

Minimize the Risk of Capsular Contracture

Women who’ve had implants removed due to capsular contracture or infection are at a higher risk of recurrence if they decide to replace their implants. Advanced surgical techniques and changing the positioning of the implants may mitigate some of this risk. 

Removing implants and simply augmenting natural breast size with reverse liposuction helps eliminate the possibility of experiencing capsular contracture again without compromising a patient’s overall appearance. 

Permanent Volume and Natural Enhancement

Fat cells are not typically eliminated without surgery. Replacing implants with grafted fat tissue leaves patients with natural, long-lasting augmentation. Implants and prosthetics may require replacement down the road but transferred fat will stick around. 

Am I A Candidate for Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation? Visit our Specialists to Find Out

We want our patients to love their breasts. If yours are no longer sparking joy, let us help you explore other options. In Beverly Hills, our plastic surgeons can help you find solutions to breast implant removal without losing your feminine curves. Call 310-746-5475 today to schedule your consultation with our surgeons today.