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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.

Rhinoplasty has become one of the most common cosmetic surgeries of the modern age. By reshaping the structure and proportions of your nose, this procedure nose surgerychanges your appearance to give you the facial aesthetics you’ve always wanted. The surgery can even sometimes be used to correct other problems, such as breathing impairment and damage caused by an injury.

If you’re considering rhinoplasty as an option, there are several things that you should give thoughtful consideration to. The search for the right surgeon to help you achieve your goals can be overwhelming at times, but by knowing what to look for and which questions to ask, you’ll be able to make the most informed choice.

Make sure to go over these topics with the doctor you consult with.

Certifications, Training, and Experience

Most surgeons will happily tell you about their education and experience in the field. To make sure that the surgeon’s experience is what you’re looking for, though, it’s important to gather as much information as you can.

What kind of certifications and ongoing training have they received? There are several certifications that plastic surgeons can acquire, as well as a variety of techniques and methods that are continuously evolving. Perform independent research on these credentials after your consultation to better familiarize yourself with your surgeon’s education and specialties.

Experience is also a vital factor in which doctor you choose — not only experience with plastic surgery as a whole but specifically their experience in rhinoplasty. Many plastic surgeons, rather than offering every cosmetic procedure available, focus on a small number of surgeries as their specialization. A surgeon whose primary focus is breast augmentation may not be the best fit for your goals.

Ask your surgeon how many years they’ve been performing nose jobs, and how many they’ve completed in that time. Be as specific as you like; how many have they performed that month? That week? What would they say their success rate is? How many patients have been satisfied with their rhinoplasty and how many have required revisions?

Discuss Your Goals

One of the most important factors in finding the right surgeon is being clear about your goals. It’s vital that your doctor knows what you want, and that you’re open with any information that may be asked of you. Any recent surgeries, medications, and use of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco are disclosed to your doctor to avoid any potential complications.

This can also be a chance to ensure that your expectations are realistic. Your goals may not be likely or even possible to achieve. Have a frank discussion about these subjects and adjust your expectations before committing to the procedure.

Techniques Used

There are a variety of techniques and methods used in rhinoplasty, depending on your specific needs and the surgeon’s preference. Do they use minimally-invasive techniques to reduce the chance of noticeable scarring? Do they perform closed rhinoplasty – a method in which incisions are only made on the inside of the nose – or open – where an incision is made on the soft tissue between nostrils?

Some noses are better suited to one technique or the other. Be sure to ask your surgeon which would work best for yours, and which method they use most often.

Testimonials, Before-and-After Photos

Don’t settle for a doctor’s word alone. Their work should speak for itself through satisfied customers and beautiful results.

Ask to see the testimonials of previous patients, as well as before-and-after pictures of successful procedures. These should give you a better idea of the surgeon’s skills and the kind of results they can produce. If a friend referred you to a doctor, they’ve been to before, be sure to ask them about the process and their experience.

Cost

The cost of the surgery can be a critical factor when deciding on the right plastic surgeon. Make sure to discuss the exact cost of the procedure and exactly what that cost includes. Are lab work and post-op checkups covered in the quote, or will they cost extra? If you’re unsatisfied with the results, will the surgeon perform revisions for free or at a discounted price? Is financing a possibility? Make sure that the doctor you choose is the right fit for you and your budget.

To learn more about rhinoplasty, contact our office today to schedule a consultation.

So, your plastic surgery consultation is coming up—think you’re ready for it? Your plastic surgery consultation is your first opportunity to meet your surgeon and learn all about plastic surgery, so it goes without saying that the more prepared you are, the more you’ll get out of your consultation. Your surgeon is a wealth of information, and if you ask the right questions, you’ll be able to leave educated, informed, and with peace of mind. So, let’s get started—here are five tips for preparing for your plastic surgery consultation.

First Up—What Happens During My Consultation

Before we go over some extremely useful tips, let’s talk about what happens in a consultation. Once you’ve started to consider plastic surgery, then your initial consultation is the very first step towards possibly committing to your procedure. Your consultation is your first appointment with your plastic surgeon, and it can very well set the tone for the rest of your plastic surgery journey. Think of it this way: your consultation is more than just an opportunity for you to learn about plastic surgery; it’s a chance for you to get to know your surgeon, a chance to find out what your options are, and it’s a chance for you to come to a conclusion on whether plastic surgery is the right choice for you. You get what you bring into it, and if you answer questions honestly and come prepared, then your experience will be truly worthwhile.

1. Do Your Research

Before your consultation, take some time to research basic details about the procedure you’re considering. The more well-informed you are, the faster you’ll be able to get the basics out of the way and delve into the important details. At the very least, here are some things you should learn about your procedure:

Of course, a lot of what you’ll find will be basic information; thankfully, your surgeon can go into detail during your consultation.

2. Bring Questions

After you’ve done your research, you should have several questions to bring to the consultation. Having questions at hand during your consultation will help you address your most pressing concerns about the procedure. It’s also an excellent way to find out about your surgeon’s qualifications; remember, this is your chance to get to know your surgeon, and before you commit to any plastic surgery procedure you should trust your surgeon completely.

To get you started, here are some questions you could ask your surgeon:

3. Look at Before and After Photos

If you’re still not sure about what your aesthetic goals are, looking at the surgeon’s before and after photos can help you articulate what you want to achieve. Many surgeons try to include a diverse range of patients in their before and after photo galleries, so you should also try to look for patients with the same issues, frame, body type, and skin tone.

4. Your Medical Record

Unfortunately, certain medical conditions and medications increase the risk of complications during and after plastic surgery, so it’s essential that you be honest and forthright about your medical history with your surgeon. Prepare a detailed record of your medical history before your consultation; include any medications you’re taking and conditions you have or have had in the past. You should also be honest about your history of drug and alcohol use.

5. Know Your Motivations

Finally, before your consultation, take some to think everything over and make sure you’re getting plastic surgery for the right reasons. Only you can decide whether plastic surgery is right for you—no one should ever get plastic surgery based on what someone else wants. It’s also crucial that you understand what plastic surgery can do for you and that you have realistic expectations for what it can do.

There you have it: 5 things to do before your plastic surgery consultation. The next step is scheduling a consultation with a renowned plastic surgery practice like Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery. For your first consultation, contact them now or call (310) 746-5439.