Even individuals of otherwise normal body weight and proportion can develop an abdomen that protrudes or is loose and sagging.
Even individuals of otherwise normal body weight and proportion can develop an abdomen that protrudes or is loose and sagging.
Pregnancy is a frequent culprit, but normal aging or large fluctuations in weight can be to blame as well. You can wrap it, crunch it, starve it, you can even Spanx it, but what really works?
Crunches
98… 99… 100… Try as you might, crunches just won’t get rid of excess stomach fat. Yes, they tighten muscles, but he overlying fat and skin remains.
Liposuction
Ah, here’s a solution. Liposuction must be the answer, right? Wrong. Liposuction will decrease the amount of jiggly fat, but if too much fat is removed you may be left with another problem – saggy, redundant skin.
Tummy Tuck
A sure fire way of removing excess fat and skin is a tummy tuck or in plastic surgery terms abdominoplasty. The procedure repairs weakened or separated muscles (rectus diastasis) and trims away skin to create a smoother, firmer and flatter stomach.
A full tummy tuck procedure requires a horizontally-oriented incision in the area between the pubic hairline and navel. The shape and length of the incision will be determined by the degree of correction necessary.
The abdominal muscles are sewn back together. A second incision around the navel may be necessary to remove excess skin in the upper abdomen. (Some patients opt for a Reverse Abdominoplasty. Read our blog, Skinny Girls Get Tummy Tucks Too.)
For the first few weeks after your tummy tuck, swelling and internal healing will make it difficult for you to stand upright. Not to worry, you’ll be standing tall and confident with your new profile in about 2 weeks. As for those crunches we talked about earlier, you might want to keep those up to maintain your new contours. Just wait for your surgeon’s okay before resuming.
Dr. Gilbert Lee at Changes Plastic Surgery & Spa performs abdominoplasty and liposuction, but he won’t do your crunches for you. Call for a consult at 858-720-1440 or visit us at www.changesplasticsurgery.com.
