The benefit of the advancement of laser treatments is that what was once considered permanent, like that tattoo you got on a whim years ago, doesn’t have to be anymore. You can erase it, whether you got your tattoo 10 years ago or last week, by undergoing laser tattoo removal treatment. At our Tarola Plastic Surgery offices in Murfreesboro, TN, we can permanently remove your tattoo in just a few sessions.

How Long Does a Tattoo Removal Treatment Take?

Whether you got your tattoo on a whim or you planned it out: you want it gone. However, if you got your tattoo in one sitting, chances are, the removal process may take a little more time. The important thing to remember is that once it’s gone, it will be gone forever. Some tattoos show significant improvement after one treatment, while others require a few sessions for complete removal.

The Factors That Affect How Long Tattoo Removal Takes

Many factors affect how long your tattoo removal treatments take, including the size, surface area of the tattoo, and the colors used. If you want your tattoo removed as quickly as possible, we will help make that happen, but there are some determining factors that play a role in how long the entire treatment takes. This varies from person to person and from one tattoo to the next.

Skin Color

Your skin color is a factor that determines how long tattoo removal takes. Those with lighter to medium skin pigment and tones tend to experience quicker results than those with darker skin tones due to the laser’s ability to work with the stark contrast between the tattoo colors and the skin. Rest assured, if you do have darker skin, your tattoo is still able to be removed, it just may take slightly longer than those with a lighter skin tone since the contrast isn’t as great.

Tattoo Color

The colors of your tattoo also play a role in determining just how quickly the laser can remove your tattoo. Lasers are drawn to pigment and contrast, so naturally, tattoos whose primary colors include darker colors like reds, blacks, and dark blues will respond to the laser removal process faster than tattoos with lighter colors.

Tattoo Size

It’s no secret that someone with a tiny heart tattoo on their arm will experience a faster removal process than someone who is trying to eliminate an entire sleeve-length tattoo. Your tattoo size determines how long it will take to remove the tattoo. If your tattoo is smaller in size, you will experience quicker removal results than if your tattoo is larger in size.

Tattoo Age

If you’ve had your tattoo for years and you’ve never had it redone, chances are, it probably has begun to exhibit some fading. If this describes your tattoo, your removal process will most likely be faster than those with a newer, fresher tattoo. As a general rule of thumb, older tattoos that have begun to fade may be able to be removed faster than those that are newer and darker.

Your Commitment to the Process

You play a role in how quickly your tattoo is removed. When you undergo tattoo removal, you are committing to a process that will bring you, in the end, exactly what you want–the removal of your tattoo. Our staff members can determine the best treatment plan for removing your particular tattoo and pre-schedule your treatments so that you have the proper amount of time between sessions to get the best results. All you need to do is show up.

How Does the Removal Process Work?

During your tattoo removal session, the laser will pass back and forth across the tattoo you want to be removed. The laser’s energy is drawn to the pigment in the tattoo, and when it interacts with that pigment, the particles of ink break up. The body then works to remove the particles, leading to the eventual disappearance of the tattoo from your skin. This process leads to the permanent and complete removal of your once permanent tattoo.

Your Body’s Response

Your body plays a role in determining how quickly your removal process takes because everyone’s body responds to treatments differently. When the laser breaks up the ink particles, your body plays a role in removing those particles. As your immune system works to flush the broken-up particles from the body, the appearance of the tattoo fades and eventually disappears.

Am I a Candidate?

If you want your tattoo removed, laser tattoo removal is the only successful, permanent way to make that happen. You are most likely a candidate if you have a tattoo that you want to be removed and are ready to commit to the removal process. During your initial consultation, our experienced staff will examine your tattoo, review your health history, and discuss the details of the removal process with you so that you know just what to expect during your first visit.

Your Next Step

In the end, no matter what color your skin is or how big or what color your tattoo is, the important thing is that you want it gone, and we can make that happen. If you’re ready to begin the tattoo removal process, don’t wait any longer to get started. Contact us today at Tarola Plastic Surgery in Murfreesboro, TN and schedule your appointment, and ask us about whether you’re a candidate for Botox while you’re here.

Abdominoplasty, colloquially known as a tummy tuck, is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the world. If you’re at your wits’ end after trying everything to improve the appearance of your abdomen, abdominoplasty at Tarola Plastic Surgery in Murfreesboro, TN may be just the solution you’ve needed all along. Today, we’re looking at what you can expect during this procedure.

What to Expect During a Tummy Tuck

What occurs during your tummy tuck depends on why you are seeking the procedure and the variation of the procedure needed. If you are only concerned about loose, sagging skin and excess fat beneath your navel, you may benefit from a mini-tuck.

If you are suffering from medical conditions affecting your abdominal region, such as a ventral hernia or stress urinary incontinence, you need a full tuck. If you are also concerned about other areas within your core, you need an extended tuck.

Excess Skin Removal

Regardless of whether you need a mini-tuck, full tuck, or extended tuck, you can expect excess skin to be removed. The location of the excess skin removal is determined by the type of tuck performed. If you are only concerned about the appearance of your lower abdomen, only excess skin below the navel is removed.

If you are concerned about the appearance of your entire abdomen, Dr. Tarola will remove excess skin from both above and below the navel. Finally, if you need an extended tuck, excess skin will be removed from your entire abdomen as well as your lower back and flanks and hips.

Skin Tightening

Whether you have excess skin that needs to be removed or not, you can expect loose skin to be tightened. If you only need a mini-abdominoplasty, the loose skin beneath your navel will be tightened. If you are receiving a full abdominoplasty, the skin above and below your belly button will be tightened.

Finally, you can expect loose skin to be tightened around your entire lower core and upper abdomen if you receive an extended tuck. Keep in mind, you may not be considered a good candidate for this procedure if your skin is perfectly taut. There has to be a little “give” for the incisions to be made.

Whether your loose skin bothers you so much that you want it to be addressed or you’ve recently lost a lot of weight and want to give your skin time to tighten on its own will be discussed during your initial consultation.

Excess Fat Removal

During a tummy tuck, you can also expect the removal of excess fat. How much fat you can expect to lose depends on several factors, including the type of abdominoplasty you undergo, how much excess fat is in your abdominal region, and whether you simultaneously undergo liposuction.

It is crucial to understand that abdominoplasty is not a fat removal procedure. In fact, significant fat loss is beyond the scope of the procedure and requires simultaneous liposuction. Without liposuction, you can expect to lose a pound or two of fat through excision.

With liposuction, you can expect to lose between 10 and 11 pounds safely. However, the final results of such a body contouring procedure are not visible until four to months post-op.

Muscle Tightening

It’s commonly thought that the scope of abdominoplasty is to re-contour the abdominal skin by removing excess skin and tightening the remaining skin. While the appearance of your skin plays a significant role in your abdominal contours, it is certainly not the only important factor.

A full abdominoplasty is also used to tighten the abdominal muscles above and below the belly button.

The Correction of Stress Urinary Incontinence

While many people find the fact that they suffer from stress urinary incontinence embarrassing, we strongly encourage you to bring it up during your initial consultation if it is a concern. Stress urinary incontinence is a condition that affects men and women alike, but most often affects older women or women who have given vaginal birth.

If you suffer from this condition and have tried medications and lifestyle changes to no avail, you may benefit greatly from a full tuck. During your full tuck, Dr. Tarola will tighten the soft tissues that support the pelvic floor, bladder, and urethra.

The extra tension caused by this tightening will help to keep your bladder closed and mitigate the risk of leaks when you cough, sneeze, run, jump, laugh, or drive over a pothole.

The Correction of Ventral Hernias

You can also expect the correction of ventral hernias during your full tuck if you have not already undergone a procedure to address the issue. Even better, the tightening of the abdominal walls that occurs during every full tuck mitigates the risk that tissues will penetrate the wall of your abdomen in the future.

This is crucial for your future quality of life because one of the risk factors of future ventral hernias is a history of ventral hernias.

Learn More About This Procedure Now

Do you lead a fairly healthy lifestyle including a healthy diet and regular exercise? Are you sick and tired of loose abdominal skin and excess belly fat? If so, you may be the perfect candidate for a tummy tuck. To learn more about this procedure or find out how it can benefit you, contact us now at Tarola Plastic Surgery in Murfreesboro, TN to schedule your initial consultation.

And if worrying about the appearance of your abdomen has caused deep frown lines on your forehead, let Dr. Nicholas A. Tarola, MD know during your initial consultation. Botox can relax your tense muscles and smooth out the deepest lines with ease.

Here at Tarola Plastic Surgery in Murfreesboro, TN, our aesthetic experts have years of experience performing cosmetic procedures and treatments to improve the symmetry and overall aesthetic of the face. Today, we’re discussing six questions about rhinoplasty you should ask during your initial evaluation to determine if it is the ideal procedure for you.

6 Questions to Ask About Rhinoplasty

1. Is This Procedure Right for Me? 

If you are concerned about the functionality of your nose, there is an excellent chance that you’re a good candidate for rhinoplasty. For example, you’re probably a good candidate if you have difficulty breathing while lying on your back, you snore, or you feel like you’re suffocating when you breathe while wind is blowing in your face.

To be a good candidate for this procedure, you must be in fairly good health and have realistic expectations about the preparation for the procedure, the procedure itself, and what recovery will be like. It’s also important to have a good understanding of what results you can realistically expect. Depending on your aesthetic goals, a different procedure or treatment may be right for you.

2. What if I’m Not Healthy Enough for Rhinoplasty? 

If you’re not healthy enough for rhinoplasty, you have a couple of options. The path of least resistance is to opt for a non-invasive aesthetic treatment, like Botox, to improve the appearance of your nose. When injected into the depressor septi nasi muscle, this muscle relaxant restricts the wings of the nose, anchoring it and pulling it down naturally.

Your other option is to get healthy enough to undergo rhinoplasty. Some medical conditions that preclude you from being a good candidate for a nose job, like high blood pressure, are temporary. Other medical conditions, such as a congenital heart defect, permanently preclude you from the procedure and you have no choice but to seek a non-invasive alternative.

3. How Should I Prepare for This Procedure?  

Remember, for this procedure to be right for you, it’s important that you have realistic expectations about how you need to prepare. It’s also important that you’re completely committed to the preparation process. If you’re not confident that you can commit to any of the pre-op steps, this procedure is not right for you at this time.

During your initial evaluation, we will provide you with a comprehensive guide to preparing for the procedure. To summarize succinctly, you should avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, and consuming other things that can elevate your blood pressure or thin your blood, like NSAIDs, spicy foods, and multivitamins. You should also protect your skin from the sun, stay hydrated, and eat foods that are dense in protein and fiber.

4. What Can I Expect From the Results of the Procedure? 

This is a great question to ask during your initial evaluation because a nose that is cute on your girlfriend may not look good on your face due to your unique facial contours. We encourage our clients to describe the look they think they want. From there, we help them understand what results are realistic and discuss the way a given change of nose size or shape affects the symmetry of the rest of the face.

5. What Can I Expect From the Recovery Process? 

Recovering this procedure lasts a year. You will not see the final results of your procedure until this time because it takes this long for your skin to settle into its final position. However, it’s important to note that while your skin takes a year to heal and reveal the final results of the procedure, you will only spend a week or two recovering from the procedure.

You can engage in most of your usual routine within a week or two post-op. Within three to four weeks post-op, you are free to return to cardiovascular activities, like swimming, running, or spinning. You just have to hold off on resistance training until you have rested for six weeks after your procedure. When you think about how quickly restrictions are lifted during recovery, you’ll realize that it is not very long.

6. What Can I Do to Make My Recovery Go Faster? 

This is a question we get a lot because nobody wants to be sitting around recovering. They want to see their results improve as their skin heals quickly, and they want to be back to their normal schedule. There’s not really a lot you can do to see your final results sooner, however, there are several things you can do to help the rest of your body heal faster so you’re back to normal life as quickly as possible.

We will provide you with a complete list of post-op care instructions during your initial evaluation. However, the bottom line is you need to listen to your body. If you feel tired, take a nap. If you feel thirsty, drink at least eight ounces of water or eat soup. Be as in tune with your body as possible, because it knows what it needs.

Learn How to Improve the Structure of Your Face Today

If you’re looking to improve the function of your nose, rhinoplasty is probably right for you. However, if you’re just looking to enhance your appearance, a liquid nose job with Botox may be just the solution you’re looking for. To learn more about options for enhancing your aesthetic, contact us today at Tarola Plastic Surgery in Murfreesboro, TN to book your initial evaluation.