What is a Waist Tuck?

Posted on by Y. Anthony Nakamura

If you want to put the finishing touches on your weight loss results or simply want to change a feature you’re unhappy with, body contouring is an effective option. The waist tuck is a procedure that can transform your figure with the help of a board-certified plastic surgeon. Here’s what to know about it and what you can expect.

What is a Waist Tuck?

If you’re feeling dissatisfied with the appearance of your waist and are looking for a change, a waist tuck can be a great option to enhance your figure. The surgery is an extension of a tummy tuck procedure that can create a more shapely and defined waist and hip area in addition to the tummy tuck. The waist tuck procedure lengthens the tummy tuck incision and removes excess fat and skin tissue from the back of the waist, an area that some women refer to as the love handles or “muffin top”, resulting in a slimming effect.

Why Get a Waist Tuck?

Those who want to look slimmer in tight or low-rise style jeans may be interested in a waist tuck to further enhance their shape. Candidates who have lost weight and notice excess hanging skin or extending fat tissue around their waist and upper hips may be interested in the procedure to remove extra tissue around the area. Those who have previously had a tummy tuck procedure and enjoyed the tummy-slimming results, and are looking to get similar results for their waist and love-handle area, may be interested in a waist tuck.

See: Waist Tuck Before and Afters

Waist Tuck vs Tummy Tuck

A waist tuck and tummy tuck, while similar, are not the same procedure. A tummy tuck procedure removes excess skin and fat from the tummy area and tightens the muscles of the abdominal wall, resulting in a slimmer and more toned stomach. The incision is horizontal from hipbone to hipbone across the front of the abdomen. The waist tuck is an addition to this procedure that extends the incision around the hips and towards the back of the body, above the buttocks, but will not connect in the back. The procedure consists of extra skin and fat removal from the sides and back of the waist and hip area, resulting in a slimmer figure. Because the incision is positioned above the buttocks, it is also possible to slightly lift the buttocks during the procedure.

How Long is Recovery?

You’ll likely be able to return to work in 7-10 days, though side-to-side movement may be limited. You’ll be given detailed recovery instructions by your plastic surgeon to make sure your recovery goes smoothly and quickly.

Schedule a Consultation

The decision to undergo waist tuck surgery is highly personal. You may desire to complement your tummy tuck procedure with slimmer hips, are looking to shed inches off your waist, or remove excess tissue after losing weight. If you’re interested in seeing a difference in the shape of your figure, a waist tuck may be the change you’re looking for. Feel comfortable and confident in your decision by talking to our team at Accent On You. Contact our office to schedule a consultation with Dr. Nakamura to see if the waist tuck procedure is right for you.

Your Best Body Contouring Options

Posted on by Y. Anthony Nakamura

If you are unhappy with stubborn fat, you might want to consider non-surgical body contouring. There are a variety of options available that can reduce excess fat from your body and leave you with a slimmer, contoured figure. These procedures are non-invasive and rely on different types of technology rather than traditional invasive surgery.

Four Principles of Nonsurgical Body Contouring

Generally, there are four principles of nonsurgical body contouring. These treatments can effectively eliminate stubborn fat once and for all. The principles include the following:

• Cryolipolysis involves the use of controlled cooling, using freezing temperatures to target the fat cells and permanently kill them.
• Laser lipolysis involves the use of controlled heating and laser energy to eliminate fat cells.
• Radiofrequency lipolysis involves the use of controlled heating and ultrasound technology to eliminate stubborn fat cells.
• Injection lipolysis involves the use of injectable deoxycholic acid to eliminate fat cells.

It should be noted that these procedures are not ideal if you are looking to lose weight. Instead, you should be at your desired weight already but have stubborn fat in problem areas that you simply cannot eliminate with dieting and exercise alone. To truly get the most out of nonsurgical body contouring procedures, you also must not have a body mass index (BMI) higher than 30.

Skin-Tightening Body Contouring Treatments

Another body contouring option that you might want to consider is skin-tightening body contouring. As you age, you naturally lose elasticity of the skin, resulting in sagging, droopy areas of the body. Nonsurgical skin-tightening body contouring uses radio frequencies and laser technologies to build collagen under the skin’s deep layers. The end result is tighter, more youthful skin contouring.

This procedure also allows patients to experience a small reduction of fat in their problem areas. Areas treated include the arms, buttocks, abdomen, thighs, and neck. Candidates for this type of nonsurgical body contouring are those who have lost significant amounts of weight or have stretch marks.

Muscle-Enhancement Treatments

Emsculpt is a non-surgical body contouring treatment that targets certain muscles to give you a sculpted, toned look. Specifically, it’s used to treat the abs and glutes and uses electromagnetic energy to contract the muscles. Sessions last 20 minutes and eliminate stubborn fat while increasing the density of the muscles.

How Do These Treatments Compare with Liposuction?

Liposuction is a well-known cosmetic surgical procedure that involves eliminating stubborn fat from problem areas of the body such as the hips, buttocks, or abdomen. Although it’s been a popular procedure, liposuction carries certain risks like infection, deep vein thrombosis, fluid accumulation, anesthesia risks, and even cardiac and pulmonary complications. Nonsurgical body contouring is much safer and has fewer risks due to being a non-invasive treatment that doesn’t require patients to go under anesthesia. It is also cheaper than liposuction, which costs around $3,200 on average.

Schedule a Consultation

In addition to these treatments, there are still others that should be coming in the future for nonsurgical body contouring. One, in particular, that people are excited about is a treatment for cellulite involving injectables. If you live in Texas and want to get one of these non-invasive procedures, contact Accent on You to schedule a consultation to discuss your options.

The Best Procedures for a Slim Waist

Posted on by Y. Anthony Nakamura

A slim, contoured waist is a decidedly feminine feature that many women want. This contour can be lost through a variety of factors, from excess fat to loose skin as a result of pregnancy or dramatic weight loss. Dr. Nakamura and the Accent On You team offer a variety of surgical and nonsurgical procedures to enhance or create a slim waist. These include liposuction, waist tuck, tummy tuck, and mini tummy tuck.

Liposuction

Liposuction is one of the most versatile procedures available because it is useful for many areas of the body and can enhance other procedures as well. The procedure manually removes unwanted fat and can use to refine the contour of the waist, creating the slim curve that best meets your aesthetic goals. Liposuction techniques have advanced significantly over the years, and Dr. Nakamura now utilizes the VASER, or suction-assisted, liposuction technique. While this is a surgical procedure and requires some downtime, liposuction may be preferable for some patients over other techniques. For example, if you have more fat to remove or if you wish to undergo a single procedure, Dr. Nakamura may recommend liposuction as the most effective treatment option.

 

Waist Tuck

If loose skin and fat are the reason you’re missing out on the slim waist they want, a waist tuck might be the best procedure for you. A waist tuck removes the excess tissue that can make up a “muffin top” that bulges over the top of lower-rise pants and can create a slight lift to the buttocks as well.

The waist tuck procedure is completed using an incision that begins in the lower abdomen and extends around the waist to above the buttocks. Through this incision, excess skin and fat can be removed. As a more comprehensive procedure, the waist tuck is preferable especially for patients who have lost a significant amount of weight and are left with loose skin. If loose skin is not present, liposuction alone may be preferable to contour the waist.

Tummy Tuck and Mini Tummy Tuck

Tummy tucks and mini tummy tuck procedures are designed to tighten and tone the abdomen and are a common choice among patients dealing with loose skin and stretch marks after pregnancy. Similar to a waist tuck, a tummy tuck removes excess skin and fat through an incision made from hipbone-to-hipbone. Additionally, the abdominal muscles are tightened to create a firm and toned look. A mini tummy tuck, unlike a standard tummy tuck, only addresses loose skin and excess tissue in the lower abdomen below the belly button for those who have less severe skin laxity.

Schedule a Consultation

To see which procedure might be preferable for creating the slim waist you want, schedule a consultation with Dr. Nakamura. Call Accent On You at (817) 417-7200 or fill out our online form to set up your first appointment.

The Hottest Plastic Surgery Trends in Body Sculpting

Posted on by Y. Anthony Nakamura

At Accent On You, our staff likes to stay up to date on the latest updates in the cosmetics and plastic surgery field. New data that was released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has revealed that cosmetic procedures are on the rise. In 2018 there were nearly a quarter-million more cosmetic procedures performed than in 2017. The stats also reveal that more and more people are opting for body-shaping procedures.

Top 5 Cosmetic Procedures

  1. Breast Augmentation
  2. Liposuction
  3. Nose Reshaping
  4. Eyelid Surgery
  5. Tummy Tuck

Body Sculpting

As you can see, three of the top five surgical procedures focus on the body. Over the last couple of years, we have seen a continuous increase in all three. In 2018, there were more than 12,000 more liposuction procedures performed than in 2017. Also, at Accent On You, we have seen surges in other body sculpting procedures like buttock augmentations and thigh lifts.

Liposuction has always been and continues to be the gold standard in body contouring. It is versatile, efficient, and effective. Plus, now there are so many liposuction techniques that can fit anyone’s needs and concerns. Dr. Nakamura can treat larger areas and numerous areas in one procedure.

Since body sculpting procedures have been on the rise, more and more techniques have been innovated to address each patient and their needs. At Accent On You, we offer many different options for patients who have problem areas that they want to address. The body sculpting procedures we offer are:

We don’t just offer surgical options. We also offer non-surgical methods to help patients reach their goals without a complex procedure.

How Surgical and Non-Surgical Methods Work Together

Whether you want a surgical procedure or are looking for a non-surgical option, at Accent On You, we can help you to explore all of the available options. Often, we can combine surgical and non-surgical options for you to give you amazing results. For example, performing liposuction with fat grafting.  A lot of our patients choose methods like these to get optimal results.

About the ASPS Statistics

You may be wondering how ASPS get their information. Well, members of ASPS report their procedural information through a national database. Then they find trends in the latest procedures. At Accent On You, we are able to do the same. We watch the trends of procedures that our patients are getting. This helps us to know what our patients are looking for in terms of cosmetic change.

Schedule a Consultation

Body sculpting procedures are on the rise and have been for years. At Accent On You, we help patients get their ideal contours through our body sculpting methods. If you are looking for an improvement in any area, then talk to Dr. Nakamura during an in-person consultation. To make an appointment, contact by calling or filling out an online form.

Body Contouring 101

Posted on by Y. Anthony Nakamura

If you’ve tried dieting and exercising, but you’re still not getting the results you want in terms of fat reduction, cellulite reduction, and skin tightening, you may want to consider body contouring.

Body contouring is an umbrella term for a variety of cosmetic procedures designed to help you achieve the sculpted and toned body you desire.

Body contouring can include procedures such as a tummy tuck, liposuction, or an arm or thigh lift. It can be a simple, single procedure to tighten weak abdominal muscles and fix a stomach pooch, or it can be several procedures that completely reshape the body by lifting saggy skin and removing fat from several locations.

If you’re considering body contouring, keep in mind that it should not be considered a first step in improving health or the look of one’s body. Body contouring should begin after you alter your lifestyle to eat a healthy diet and exercise on a regular basis.

The following is a summary of some typical body contouring procedures that you can undergo singularly, or in combination, at Dr. Nakamura’s plastic surgery office:

Liposuction

Liposuction is a body contouring procedure that can remove fat from several areas around the body. During a liposuction procedure, Dr. Nakamura makes a small incision in the area where the liposuction is to be performed, and then he inserts a small hollow tube that suctions out excess fat. Recovery time for liposuction is minimal.

Vaser Liposuction

Vaser Liposuction uses ultrasound energy to target and break apart fat cells in almost any part of the body. This procedure is available on larger areas of the body such as the thighs and buttocks, and it’s safe and effective for smaller areas such as the neck and arms. Vaser Liposuction only targets fat cells, so it leaves surrounding healthy tissue untouched. Recovery time is quicker with Vaser Liposuction than with regular liposuction.

Tummy Tuck

Dr. Nakamura can perform a tummy tuck as part of body contouring to remove unwanted excess tissue in the abdominal area and to tighten the abdominal muscles. A tummy tuck gives patients a smoother and flatter stomach.

Mini Tummy Tuck

A mini tummy tuck is a medical procedure similar to a tummy tuck, but it differs in a couple of ways. Typically, the surgery and recovery time are shorter for patients who undergo a mini tummy tuck. Also, a mini tummy tuck does not require that the patient’s belly button be repositioned. When diet and exercise have not worked to remove stubborn fat and give you a flatter stomach, you may want to consider a mini tummy tuck.

Dr. Nakamura’s Accent on You cosmetic surgery office is available to consult with you about body contouring and other cosmetic surgery procedures. Dr. Nakamura offers a professional approach to cosmetic surgery and he is ready to answer any and all of your questions.

Body Contouring and Sculpting: Restore Your Youthful Appearance

Posted on by Y. Anthony Nakamura

Want to take years off your face or get back the body you had in your 20s or 30s?  Body contouring and sculpting may be right for you.  When many people hear the term “body contouring”, they automatically think of liposuction. However, body contouring can involve much more than just the removal of fat.  Continue reading “Body Contouring and Sculpting: Restore Your Youthful Appearance” →