Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. We gladly work with third-party financing through CareCredit and Cherry, which let you spread your payments over time with a fast, simple application. Ask our office and we will point you in the right direction. And remember — every surgery, for every patient, is $500 off.

Because a price without an exam would mislead you. Most patients come in convinced they know which procedure they need — and many discover at their consultation that a different operation is actually right for their body and goals. I quote every patient in person, after a proper discussion and thorough examination, so your quote reflects the actual surgical plan custom tailored to you. That is the only honest way to do it.

One all-inclusive written quote covering everything: my surgeon’s fee, the facility and anesthesia fees (charged by the hour), implants or surgical materials, and incidentals like your compression garments and 45-day complication insurance. You pay our office and the surgery center separately. Your quote is prepared after your in-person exam — never before.

My “Trifecta” is the combination of three advanced technologies I use together for liposuction and body contouring: VASER ultrasound-assisted liposuction, which gently breaks up fat; MicroAire power-assisted liposuction, which removes it smoothly and precisely; and Renuvion helium plasma, which tightens the skin afterward. I am the only plastic surgeon in the area offering all three together — and it is a big reason my tummy tuck and Lipo 360 (liposuction of the abdomen, waist, flanks, back, and back bra rolls) results stand apart.

In my practice, I counsel my patients that a full recovery from a tummy tuck takes about 6 weeks. But I stress the fact that this does not mean that you are bedridden and unable to function for those 6 weeks.

My typical breakdown with a patient is very simple. During week 1 after a tummy tuck, you will need to be off work and taking it easy. You may need to walk bent forward at the waist for about 2-3 days. Your own body will naturally relax and allow you stand up straight or lay flat during this time. You do NOT need to walk bent forward for weeks on end like many patients are told. During this first week you will need to manage your drains (I place 2 of them) and focus on resting, eating good proteins, and drinking plenty of fluids. It is perfectly fine to sleep in your own bed with your back propped up with pillows. You are not allowed to sleep on your belly while you are healing. Be sure to walk around the house or around the block to keep the blood circulating in those legs.

During weeks 2-6 we slowly ramp you back up to normal activity. The drains are usually out by day 7-10. During week 2 I allow my patients to start using a treadmill or elliptical at a slow, walking pace. No sweating or getting dirty while the wounds heal! You see the trend — so during week 3/4/5 you can get more and more active.

I do not allow abdominal exercises (sit ups, crunches) until week 12. We need to allow that muscle plication to heal up nicely.

Patients are typically ready for the beach or bathing suits by week 7-8, but remember it takes 2-3 months to really see final results, no matter what anyone tells you. Wearing a compression garment after week 1 will significantly help you with postoperative swelling. You may feel some tugs or pulling during this time. As long as it is isolated and not constant and extremely painful, this is normal. Eventually everything will settle and look awesome!

There are many opinions on recovery from a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL). Some Plastic Surgeons will forbid you from sitting on your buttocks for 8 weeks. I find this a bit excessive. I tell my patients that they need to avoid any type of prolonged sitting on the buttocks for the first 4 weeks after surgery. This will help prevent fat death and unintentional shifting of the fat. It takes 3-4 weeks for the transferred fat cells to grow their new blood supply, so it is important to treat this fat very delicately. Of course, patients can sit to use the bathroom, etc. Sleeping should be mainly on the belly. When patients do start to sit on their buttocks, I recommend a large soft pillow that is either in the shape of a cigar or donut.

Liposuction is a huge component of this surgery, and I think lots of patients (or their surgeons) downplay this. Although liposuction does not have a large incision(s), there is a significant amount of surface area that needs to heal, it is just under the skin. It can take 2-3 months for the areas treated with liposuction to really smooth out and get rid of their swelling. This is totally normal. Wearing a compression garment as much as possible during the first few months will help this process.

Most patients will be able to return to work within 1 week (at the earliest) or at the 2 week mark. Full recovery (meaning most restrictions are lifted) is at 6-8 weeks. Remember, it will take 6-12 months for you to realize your full results.

The belly button incision is probably the part of a tummy tuck that has the most variation among Plastic Surgeons. Each surgeon has found their own best way of performing this part of the procedure, known as the umbilical transposition. I place a deep layer of dissolvable stitches below the skin, and then I place a very small nonabsorbable stitch externally in the skin, which I remove in my office at 7 days. If you talked to 10 different Plastic Surgeons, you would probably hear 10 different ways of doing this part of the surgery.

In short, no, the age of 18 is not too young to have a breast augmentation. In the United States, 18 is the age of consent, so patients do not need parental permission for any type of surgery once they reach that age.

As far as your personal decision, it is important that you have given legitimate thought to surgery. If you are mentally, socially, and financially ready and able to have surgery, then go for it! In the United States, you are restricted to saline implants until the age of 22.

It is critically important that you select a true Plastic Surgeon who will sit down with you and explain the entire surgical process to you, including the fact that you will likely need future surgeries on your breasts if you elect to have a breast augmentation at the age of 18. Breast implants are permanent devices that don’t last permanently.

Yes, it is very normal to be a bit up in weight especially after liposuction. The surgery itself involves injecting a large amount of fluid into the liposuction areas, and not all of it is suctioned out with the fat during surgery. Plus the body’s normal response to surgery is to retain fluid and swell up in the very early stages of wound healing. Most of this fluid will go down within a few weeks after liposuction, but I always tell my patients that they MUST be patient when waiting for final results. No matter what anyone tells you, it takes anywhere from 2-3 months to really start to see your final results from liposuction (during this time you may have instances when you swell up and down and you may feel some hard spots or bumps below the skin — don’t worry, it will go away, your body is healing!).

Remember, liposuction is NOT a weight loss surgery. I tell my liposuction patients to never step on a scale at any time after liposuction. You will likely not lose any significant amount of weight. Liposuction is a “look better” surgery. As long as you look better in the mirror, fit in smaller clothes, and people notice that you look great, surgery was a success!

I tell my patients that at about 6 weeks they are clear to perform basically all activities, such as running, lifting light weights, etc. I tell them to wait a full 12 weeks before they do any type of abdominal activities, such as sit ups. At this point you should be able to lift over 20 pounds. You need to let that muscle repair really heal and you don’t want to risk it coming back by breaking a suture from intense abdominal activity.

It takes a full year for the healing process to be complete, so for the first 4-6 months you should always be aware of your tummy tuck and be sure you protect yourself from any injuries, trauma, or extreme over-exertion.

Remember — healthy people “feel better” after surgery quickly and it is easy to assume that you are completely healed. Don’t overdo it. Closely follow the postoperative instructions.

This is an excellent question, as many weight loss patients are not sure where to start with body contouring after they have lost their weight.

It is important to come up with a game plan for body contouring surgeries after massive weight loss. In massive weight loss patients, the most common procedures will be body lift, arm lift, thigh lift, and breast lift (in women) or possibly breast skin reduction (in men). There are other procedures, but these are the most common.

In my opinion, it is important to start with a good foundation in the core of the body, so I always recommend the body lift first. Once the core is complete, we will start to work our way outward.

Once these surgeries have had time to heal over at least 3 months, I will discuss the remainder of the surgeries with the patient.

Too much surgery at once puts you at risk of adverse complications and poor outcomes. Don’t be in too much of a rush.

A tummy tuck and Brazilian Butt Lift can be safely done at the same time. Some surgeons are against this combination because they think it is impossible to avoid putting pressure on either the buttocks or belly when you sleep, but this is not true. I will have you lay on your back with pillows under your back and thighs, which will elevate your buttocks off the bed.

If you do not want to tackle both procedures at once, then you should wait 3-6 months between procedures to allow the first one to heal appropriately. However, if you are truly interested in a BBL, then make sure you speak with your Plastic Surgeon about the amount of fat you have on your abdomen that he or she will need to use to transfer into your buttocks. If you have a tummy tuck first and most of this skin and fat is removed, then you will certainly decrease the amount of fat available for transfer into your buttocks during the BBL.

Nutrition is a critical component of successful wound healing after surgery. Far too many surgeons overlook this, resulting in infections and wound healing complications.

Don’t overthink things too much. As long as your weight was stable prior to surgery and you weren’t actively losing any weight, you should be in a good place in terms of nutrition during your recovery. I don’t typically assign a specific number as far as calories that my patients must consume after surgery. A better way of looking at your nutrition is to make sure you are eating 2-3 good meals a day that are full of good protein (chicken, lean meat), healthy fat (such as nuts like almonds), and some carbohydrates. Don’t be afraid to snack a few times each day. Colorful vegetables are good to make sure you get your vitamins and minerals, and I absolutely recommend that my patients take a daily multivitamin. Good nutrition = good wound healing and better looking scars.

It is difficult to say if all silicone used for scar treatment is equal, but if you use the silicone treatments that I have personally chosen, you will achieve the best possible results from your scar therapy.

Silicone scar therapy can take many forms. The main choices are sticky silicone sheets and silicone gel/ointment. There are multiple theories on how the silicone works, and one of the theories is via pressure. Other theories state that it may alter water content of scars, and some even think it alters the electric charge of the scar.

Realize that you might not even need silicone therapy, but I will always recommend it if I start to see some aggressive or stubborn scar tissue starting to form.

This is an extremely important issue and one that has our society working diligently to educate the public to always choose a Plastic Surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). As the others have said, ABPS certification means that your Plastic Surgeon is trained to expertly take care of you before, during, and after your surgery. We are trained to make the proper decisions and to know not only HOW to operate but WHEN to operate, and we are trained to take care of any complications that may arise after your surgery.

Other “cosmetic surgeons” have not completed a formal residency program in Plastic Surgery. No matter what they may say, they were never trained by other ABPS certified Plastic Surgeons in the surgeries they perform, and unfortunately they lack the expertise to deal with any problems after your surgery, which might require you to seek out a board certified Plastic Surgeon to fix the problem. Which may end up costing you a LOT of money…

Most patients feel good enough to return to a desk job 3-5 days out from a breast augmentation. That being said, I always recommend taking a full week off work if at all possible. It’s just a good idea to be able to really rest and relax after surgery and concentrate on eating well and avoiding too much exertion during that first 5-7 days.

If you are traveling for your surgery, be sure to speak with your surgeon to determine their requirements. My rule is that anyone who travels to me for surgery out of state MUST stay in town for a minimum of 1 week. I will want to see my patient a few times after surgery, and I certainly will need to see the patient at the 1 week point before clearing a flight back home. In my opinion, staying close to home for any elective cosmetic surgery is always the safest and best idea. Having access to your surgeon is very important in the postoperative period, especially if a complication occurs.

Yes, you can safely have children years after a tummy tuck. However, during a pregnancy your baby grows which in turn stretches out your belly, specifically the abdominal muscles and the skin. That is why many women have a bit of a “poochy” belly and stretch marks after pregnancy. If you have a tummy tuck and follow that with another pregnancy, you will likely stretch out, or “undo”, your tummy tuck results. Some patients will be affected more than others. Some women will even need a repeat or revision tummy tuck.

The main advice I always give my patients is to wait until you are done having children before you start any type of body contouring surgeries. You want your surgical results to last, so don’t do anything that risks compromising the very expensive surgery you had!

I highly advise against traveling to Mexico for cosmetic procedures. No matter what surgery or surgeries you want done, it is imperative that you choose a board certified Plastic Surgeon here in the United States. By traveling out of the country for surgery, you have no guarantees of the level of training of your surgeon (is he or she even trained in Plastic Surgery?), no guarantees of the safety or cleanliness of the surgery center or hospital you are in, no guarantees of adequate postoperative care, no guarantees of personal safety, and no guarantees of proper surgical results. If you have complications from your surgery, believe me, the surgeon in Mexico isn’t going to be there for you. And once you return to the United States, you will have an extremely difficult time finding a US Plastic Surgeon to assume your care. If you do need something done because of a complication, it will end up costing you thousands of dollars.

At the end of the day, yes, it will be more expensive to have surgery here in the United States close to home. You are paying for piece of mind and guaranteed surgical training and safety when you choose a board certified Plastic Surgeon.

The answer is yes! A full tummy tuck will remove the majority of the stretch marks on your belly.

A tummy tuck will NOT remove stretch marks that are above your belly button. But stretch marks below the belly button (where the majority of stretch marks occur) should all be included in the skin that is removed from your belly during your tummy tuck.

So in other words, a full tummy tuck gets rid of most or all stretch marks, but if you have any above the belly button, those will remain after surgery.