Tummy Tucks vs. Thermage

After having three kids, my body doesn’t look and feel the same way as it used to be.

Oh, I Wish!

Before the kids, I was in size 8, I had six-packs, my thighs didn’t rub against each other, and definitely did not have excess belly skin – I used to wear two piece bathing suits!

 I wouldn’t trade any of my children to get my body back; however, I want to feel sexy and young again. 

I have done extensive research on body enhancement surgeries and procedures, but I am still torn between getting a tummy tuck or take advantage of Thermage procedure.

Most of you already know what’s involved in tummy tucks, but you might not know about Thermage.

Thermage

Before we get into the juicy part here is my problem.

I do have belly issues (after pregnancies), but it isn’t that BAD (but bad enough to wear a tummy control underwear).

I have three children so I don’t want to be bed-ridden for weeks to recover from the procedure, but I want to see the results and have the results for a long time.

Okay … my problems are on the table; so we’ll discuss both procedures.

With a tummy tuck and a liposuction the cosmetic and pastic surgeon removes excess skin to give you a tighter, flatter, and firmer belly (often times they also fix your abdominal muscles by stitching it back to its original position).

Another major benefit of TT is removing stretched mark skin (and flabby skin) when the surgeon pulls down your upper abdominal skin before stitching you back – I am not going to get into details since most of you are already aware of the procedure.

On the other hand, there are many side effects or cons of TT. 

For instance, it is a major surgery (and an expensive surgery – average cost $6,200), you need to find a qualified doctors (you have seen or heard horror stories of women getting butchered by some surgeons), there will be a serious scarring, and the procedures involves lengthy recovery time.

Now … let’s talk about Thermage.

Thermage is a non-invasive procedure using capacitive radiofrequency (RF) technology to stimulate existing collagen to promote new collagen to grow (up to six months following a single treatment), and average cost of this procedure is about $3,200.

The procedure takes about couple of hours to complete, and involves deep but brief heating sensation on your skin. 

Patient Receiving Thermage

The procedure is FDA cleared for non-invasive treatment (most patients return to their normal activities immediately after the procedure), and the results can last for years (depending on your skin condition and natural aging process).

It sounds all honky dory (and I was really excited about the procedure), but out of 132 reviews in realself.com 37% say it was worth it, and 63% said it was not worth it.

Generally, people said it can hurt as heck, and either didn’t see the result (within couple of months or so) or the results didn’t last long enough.

In some instances, the results were so minimal that they were told they might need to come in for another procedure/treatment – some patients come in every year to get the treatment done (so, the cost will accumulate eventually). 

All-in-all, 63% of the women said to save your money, and it was a waste of money! 

Patient education is important; so, what shall I do … what shall I do?