Tummy Tuck in San Francisco, CA | Abdominoplasty
We’ve all seen diet and fitness magazines with attention-grabbing headlines like “Get Rock-Hard Abs in Three Weeks” and “Superfoods That Burn Belly Fat.” Unfortunately, achieving a tighter midsection may seem unattainable if you’re genetically predisposed to a certain body shape, or if your body has changed after pregnancy or significant weight loss. These celebrated life milestones can sometimes result in undesired stretching or loosening of the abdominal skin, which no amount of exercise can actually fix.
Pregnancy can further change your abdominal wall’s internal structure by separating and weakening the muscles – a condition called rectus diastasis. Often, targeted ab exercises like planks and crunches aren’t enough to correct these cosmetic and functional issues with your midsection. That’s where tummy tuck surgery comes in.
Dr. Ginger Xu is a Harvard-educated female plastic surgeon with a heartfelt desire to use her skills, training, and meticulous attention to detail to improve her patients’ lives. With her personalized San Francisco abdominoplasty surgery, Dr. Xu can repair rectus diastasis, remove excess skin and fat, and ultimately create a tighter and more toned abdominal appearance.
Arrange a consultation by reaching out online or calling (415) 506-4300. Dr. Xu will gladly answer your questions and ensure you know what this surgery entails.
What Is Abdominoplasty?
Abdominoplasty, colloquially known as a tummy tuck, is a surgery designed to create a flatter, firmer abdomen by removing lax, excess skin that can accumulate after pregnancy or weight fluctuations. As a board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Xu can help you achieve the muscle tone and thinner waistline you may have wished for but couldn’t attain through diet and exercise alone. The abdominoplasty procedure can also help strengthen your core, decrease back pain, and improve your posture.
Some people are good candidates for a modified, less invasive form of tummy tuck surgery that leaves the navel and all the tissue above it untouched. A mini-abdominoplasty (mini tummy tuck) is an excellent option for patients who do not have excess skin above their belly button. It offers a shorter, more comfortable recovery period with no scarring around the navel.
Why Choose Dr. Ginger Xu for Your San Francisco Tummy Tuck?
Dr. Xu has used her Ivy League education and specialized training to become one of the best tummy tuck surgeons in San Francisco. She has a genuine desire to enrich her patients’ lives with outstanding results and a high-touch approach.
When creating your customized surgical plan, Dr. Xu will work closely with you to ensure you feel heard and valued. As a female plastic surgeon, she appreciates that many people struggle with their body image due to societal influences. Her compassionate approach focuses on educating patients about their choices for looking and feeling their best.
Meet Dr. Ginger Xu
Dr. Xu embraces the responsibility and transformative opportunity to alter a patient’s appearance in a way that is congruent with their own values and matches a more cohesive sense of self; to realign the external with the internal; to create an improved emotional landscape and a better life. These ideals captivate and inspire her every day.
Dr. Xu’s “Bay Area” Tummy Tuck Aesthetic
Some people hesitate to pursue a tummy tuck procedure because they worry about unnatural-looking results. Dr. Xu’s artistic vision, technical expertise, and precision all converge to create a natural “Bay Area” tummy tuck aesthetic. This approach aligns with Dr. Xu’s overall philosophy of “bay area beauty,” which values natural, subtle, and understated results.
When performing abdominoplasty surgery, Dr. Xu carefully removes unwanted skin to create a flat contour and a natural transition from the front to the sides of the body. She particularly avoids creating a result that looks too pulled or artificial, which is a common pitfall of this surgery. She also uses a special technique to make a hidden scar inside the navel for a discreet appearance. Additionally, Dr. Xu doesn’t use extra incisions for drains.
Are You a Candidate for San Francisco Tummy Tuck?
Ideal tummy tuck candidates do not smoke, are in excellent overall health, are within their ideal weight range, and have a positive outlook about what this surgery can help them do. They are also willing to prolong their surgical results by adhering to a consistent diet and exercise regimen.
If you are ready to learn more about what a tummy tuck can do for you, make an appointment to meet with Dr. Xu in person. You should arrive at your consultation ready to candidly discuss your goals for this surgery, your full health history, and any supplements or medications you currently use. Dr. Xu needs this information to ensure you do not have any underlying tummy tuck risk factors that could cause issues during your surgery or healing period.
Dr. Xu has seen firsthand how abdominoplasty procedures can improve her patients’ self-esteem and quality of life. She believes this transformative surgery is best for people who can commit to living a healthy lifestyle, are not planning future pregnancies, and do not have chronic health issues such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
What to Expect During and After a Tummy Tuck
Abdominoplasty is an outpatient surgery, so you can return home the same day to start your recovery. You’ll need someone available to drive you home and help you with household chores while you recuperate. Make the necessary arrangements in advance so you and those who depend on you can fully prepare for your healing period.
Though abdominoplasty requires incisions, Dr. Xu will carefully place them in areas where you can conceal them with clothing. The length of your scars will depend on how much extra skin and tissue you want to remove.
If you are only concerned about undesirable fat and skin below your navel, Dr. Xu may recommend a mini-tummy tuck. However, if you have extensive unwanted skin or muscle laxity throughout your abdominal region, you’ll see more comprehensive results by choosing a full tummy tuck.
The tummy tuck recovery process is different for every patient, depending on factors such as age, health, and body weight. It will also vary depending on whether you get a full or mini-abdominoplasty. While you heal, you will need to take time off from work and social responsibilities to allow yourself plenty of time to rest. Dr. Xu will advise you on which activities you will need to avoid and how long it will take you to feel 100% recovered.
Your Tummy Tuck Consultation with Dr. Xu
A tummy tuck can be an ideal solution for people who have experienced the weight fluctuations of pregnancy or those who have recently shed a significant amount of weight and realized their stretched skin has lost the elasticity to snap back into place.
To find a surgeon who can deliver your desired tummy tuck results, you must first schedule a consultation with Dr. Xu. Her warm, welcoming personality and aesthetic philosophy of soft, gentle beauty will put you at ease.
Learn More About Bay Area Abdominoplasty Surgery with Dr. Ginger Xu
Dr. Xu has used her Ivy League education and specialized training to become the best tummy tuck surgeon in San Francisco. She has a genuine desire to enrich her patients’ lives with outstanding results and a high-touch approach.
To work with a board-certified, Harvard-trained San Francisco tummy tuck surgeon, contact us online or call (415) 506-4300. Dr. Xu will listen to all your questions and concerns to help you decide if this surgery can provide the life-changing benefits you deserve.
FAQs
Tummy Tuck
Dr. Xu’s abdominoplasty techniques are versatile enough to stand alone or pair with other procedures, such as a breast augmentation or liposuction, for even more comprehensive results. During your consultation, you can discuss the possibility of multiple procedures, including a “mommy makeover“, with Dr. Xu. A “mommy makeover” is a popular cosmetic surgery procedure that combines multiple procedures, such as a tummy tuck, breast augmentation, and/or liposuction, to help restore a woman’s body after pregnancy, breastfeeding, or weight fluctuations.
Dr. Xu takes care to make the necessary incisions in areas where they will heal discreetly and can be hidden with clothing like undergarments and swimwear. Dr. Xu takes the time and care to perform a multilayered closure, which reduces tension on the skin closure and allows for optimal healing and a less noticeable scar.
If you are thinking about adding to your family, you should wait to get a tummy tuck. Since pregnancy strains abdominal muscles and stretches the skin, it can reverse your abdominoplasty results, causing you to need additional procedures later to restore your abdomen and waistline to their former shape. However, if you have an unexpected pregnancy, your previous tummy tuck will not prevent you from being able to carry a child to full term, nor will it adversely affect your or your baby’s health.
Your total price will depend on your surgical plan’s specifics, including whether you decide to combine procedures. Dr. Xu will give you a more accurate estimate after meeting with you and learning about your goals.
Tummy tuck surgery is becoming increasingly sought-after by men who are seeking a tighter abdominal region and wish to address loose skin. This issue can be a concern, especially after significant weight loss that results in stretched-out skin, preventing you from seeing all the hard-earned results underneath. If you’re a man struggling to get rid of excess tissue – particularly in your lower abdomen – this procedure can significantly improve your appearance by making your midsection look tighter and flatter.
- Yes, Dr. Xu’s surgical approach is to use drains, as they help create suction on the tissues to help promote faster healing. In addition, it wicks away excess fluid that would otherwise accumulate inside your body and that your body would have to reabsorb on its own.
- Drains are usually removed at 5-7 days after surgery, depending on the output being adequately low.
A muscle repair is a standard component of a tummy tuck. However, in some patients, it is not necessary because the tone of their abdominal wall is adequate. In other patients, they may opt out of this component of the surgery to minimize their pain and recovery time. This is a customizable procedure that can be tailored to the patient’s particular goals and needs.
It depends! It’s possible to reveal abs underneath an otherwise thin, fit patient whose ab muscles are just covered by loose redundant skin. However, you must have an adequately thin layer of skin and fat in order for the underlying ab muscles to show through.
You will see a decrease in your weight, which correlates to the weight of the tissue removed. However, a tummy tuck in itself does not change your body metabolically to promote weight loss, nor does it work like a bariatric procedure to shrink your stomache or re-route your intestines to reduce food intake or absorption. However, a beautiful tummy tuck result may help jump start a patient who then becomes motivated to hit the gym and change their diet and lifestyle in ways that promote weight loss.
There are usually very small sutures around the belly button that are removed at 1 week after surgery. The longer incision across the lower abdomen is closed with internal, invisible sutured that dissolve on their own.
- A natural looking abdomen that doesn’t appear drum tight or artificially pulled
- An elegantly hidden belly button scar
- A well-designed incision that does not ride up too high on the abdomen or create dog ear folds on the sides
You can have liposuction in several areas at the same time as a tummy tuck, but it’s important for the surgeon not to be too aggressive when suctioning the front of the abdomen, as this areas needs to be gently handled in order to preserve sturdy blood flow for healing the abdominal incisions
- Wait 6 weeks before really using your core.
- You could tear the sutures or tissues along the muscle repair if you strain too heavily before it has healed. Wait 6 weeks before doing any core straining / workouts.
- Your skin closure will also be a little tight right after surgery and you will thus need to be a little flexed at the hips and “hunched ove,r” but you should be able to slowly straighten out over 2 weeks. However, if you suddenly extend backward and put too much tension on the incision, you could risk tearing open the wound. It’s important to listen to your body after a tummy tuck and not push it beyond what feels comfortably too quickly.