Mr Waseem Saeed - Consultant Plastic Surgeon
Mr Waseem Saeed is a consultant plastic surgeon at The Alexandra Hospital, Manchester, and offers a range of procedures for the face and body.
www.waseemsaeed.com
Created on 05th September 2011
I had my last child 2 years ago and still have a bit of a spare tyre. I have been looking into tummy tuck ops. Someone recently told me about BodyTite and said it might be suitable. What would be the best procedure for me?
Bodytite is
a technique that combines
radiowaves
with
liposuction. Liposuction is of course well-established as a technique for fat removal – the issue is what happens to the skin after the fat has gone.
We know that skin with good elasticity contracts well, particularly in the flanks and outer thighs. Areas with reduced elasticity and thinner skin do not contract as much and you can be left with
a skin overhang that is unsightly and ageing – these areas are typically the front of the abdomen and the inner upper thighs.
The use of radiowaves to tighten skin is not new. The evidence for its effectiveness reported in the scientific literature is restricted to a few studies and I personally would not call it powerful.
Furthermore, the studies available show at best mild to moderate improvement in the skin.
The effect of pregnancy is to create excess skin, with usually poor elasticity, with or without excess fat, but also a separation of the front abdominal wall muscles (rectus muscles/ six- pack) which contributes to the bulge/overhang.
Any technique to fully correct this should address all three of these. Clearly with a tummy tuck the skin and fat of the overhang are removed and the muscles tightened.
If you have a little bit of
excess skin/fat then it may be worth trying these less invasive treatments, but my experience with the post-pregnancy tummy is that the amount of excess
skin, fat and separation of the muscles almost always requires a tummy tuck.
