May 16, 2023
Body Contouring Procedure
The toned abdomen is a youthful symbol of health, fitness, and beauty. A finely contoured abdominal physique is often difficult to achieve with exercise alone. Factors in our lives such as heredity, child bearing, and physical deconditioning may contribute to a protuberant abdomen. Workplace stresses and the “American Diet” are also partly to blame for unsightly belly bulges.
Abdominal aesthetics are defined by a number of factors. The skin of a fit abdomen is tight, muscles are toned, and there is minimal excess fat. Child bearing and weight fluctuations are common challenges to the ideal abdominal physique leading to stretch marks, excess fat, and muscle laxity. The solution to these symptoms depends on their severity.
A modest amount of excess fat should respond favorably to a healthy diet and vigorous exercise. Areas of excess fat that fail to respond to these measures may be effectively treated with liposuction. When excess skin or stretch marks are apparent, exercise alone may prove ineffective. An abdominoplasty, when well executed, is capable to producing dramatic improvement in the contour and aesthetics of the abdomen when applied to the appropriate candidate.
View Tummy Tuck Before & After Pic.
Am I a Candidate for Abdominoplasty?
The ideal candidates for abdominoplasty are men or women who are otherwise in good health and have skin laxity of the abdomen, women who have finished child bearing, or men or women who have undergone dramatic fluctuations in their weight, but are weight stable at the time of surgery. After bariatric surgery, many men and women have plateaued in their weight loss and choose to undergo an abdominoplasty to address the unfavorable excess skin.
Who Should Not Consider a Tummy Tuck?
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Smoking is a relative contraindication to abdominoplasty. This means that an abdominoplasty can still be performed in an otherwise healthy individual, but resection of excess skin and fat must be more conservative due to the high risk of wound healing complications in smokers. Women who are considering future children should generally wait until they have finished child bearing.
Abdominoplasty tightens the rectus fascia, a layer enveloping the abdominal muscles. This muscle is stretched by massive weight gain or future pregnancy. Abdominoplasty is not a weight loss procedure. Most patients lose between four and ten pounds with abdomnioplasty depending on preoperative body habitus. Clothing size may decrease, but abdominoplasty is not a cure for obesity. Bariatric surgery is often preceded by abdominoplasty.
Patients should consider abdominoplasty only when they are weight stable. This means that if an individual is losing weight from diet, exercise, or bariatric surgery, this weight loss should reach its plateau prior to surgery.
Diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, nutritional deficiencies, and prior abdominal surgeries may adversely affect wound healing. These issues must be carefully evaluated at the time of surgical consultation.
How is a Tummy Tuck Surgery Performed?
Abdominoplasty, also known as tummy tuck surgery, is a procedure designed to remove excess skin and fat from the abdomen and flanks. Abdominoplasty is one of the highest satisfaction of plastic surgical procedures. This surgery is often confused with liposuction, but there are dramatic differences between tummy tuck surgery and liposuction alone.