I had a Tummy Tuck and Arm Liposuction: How much was it and was it worth it?

If you’ve been considering a tummy tuck or liposuction, you are not alone! Tummy tuck is the 4th most common cosmetic procedure performed in the United States. According to the American Society of Plastic surgeons, in 2018, more than 152,000 tummy tuck surgeries were performed.

Abdominoplasty, commonly known as a Tummy Tuck, is not a weight loss procedure but it’s very common to lose weight by removing excess skin from the abdominal region. It’s also very common to combine liposuction with a tummy tuck. 

There’s only so much a person can do through diet and exercise, particularly when it comes to excess skin or repairing a diastasis recti. Diastasis Recti can occur during pregnancy, when the abdominal muscles essentially split down the middle. Having a tummy tuck to repair split tummy muscles is an option.

In the case of our customer, Adrianne, she had an Extended Tummy Tuck, which means it went from hip to hip. 

“I was 38 at the time of surgery, and after having my two kiddos I did not like the way my lower abdomen looked.  I knew I was done and was ready to invest in myself and ready for a boost of confidence.” 

Preparing for her tummy tuck, Adrienne first made sure she had care for her kids immediately following her surgery, “My tummy tuck recovery was about 6 weeks, I worked from home about 10 days after surgery and went back to the office two weeks later to my office job.”

Adrienne did have post-op drains, aka JP Drains during her recovery, “Yes I had drains for two horrible weeks, I used the pockets inside my Brobe to hold my drains everyday and I’d also recommend having lidocaine gel on hand for that.”

When packing for surgery, “I packed my Brobe for my tummy tuck surgery, and the undergarments my surgeon provided for me.”

And Adrienne said there really wasn’t anything else she needed at the hospital, “You’re so out of it after surgery I had no idea what was going on. I would have let them roll me out to the car naked if they wanted to!” 

Adrienne also opted for arm liposuction, “My arms are big in proportion to the rest of my body, and it was only an extra $500 to add on the arm lipo, so I went for it!”

When we asked Adrienne if her arm liposuction was worth it, she said she actually wasn’t very happy with it, “I am very happy with my tummy tuck results, but there really is no difference in my arms.”

Adrienne had a tummy tuck and lipo, “The total for my tummy tuck and arm liposuction was $12k, I would not recommend having arm liposuction by itself.” 

We asked Adrienne if either procedure left any scars, “My tummy tuck left scars, but after about a year, my tummy tuck scar has faded.”

Adrienne actually made a Target run in her Brobe, “I had to get out of the house and I got such a kick out of being able to wear my Brobe to shop!”

“Overall recovery really wasn’t horrible, I just watched movies and laid in a recliner. Take it easy and enjoy the couch time!”

Shop the Brobe Tummy Tuck Surgery Recovery, which includes a Brobe Surgery Recovery Robe with interior pockets to hold your post op drains, one of our pocketed pillows that can hold a Brobe hot/cold gel pack, three getl packs, a post op drain belt that you can wear in the shower or under clothing, and a cooling neck wrap which is super helpful after surgery as many patients may experience hot flashes. 

If you need a belly binder for liposuction, you can shop the Brobe Belly Binder, and if you’re having any sort of breast surgery, we definitely recommend using our post-op bra that has adjustable straps and an adjustable band to give you a more custom fit. It can also hold the hot/cold gel packs, which are very soothing during surgery recovery because you will be very sore! 

We even have customers who use their pocketed pillow with a frozen gel pack and place it on other areas that are sore after surgery besides their incision. 

Let us know if you have any questions! Please use the chat feature on our website and a Brobe team member will be with you ASAP.