You’ve been working on sculpting your abs since the winter but aren’t getting any results. Now that summer’s here, you’re a bit upset that you’re not ready to show off your six-pack abs or flatter stomach on the beach.
There are easier and more effective ways to get a flatter, more toned looking tummy. It might be that doing crunches and working on sculpting your abs with exercise and diet isn’t enough to get rid of the stubborn fat in that area. A number of procedures can help you get a tummy that you can be proud of, no crunches or planks required.
A Tummy Tuck for Excess Skin
The issues you have with your stomach area might not necessarily be purely due to having excess fat in that area. If you’re dealing with a bit of a tummy pooch after having children or after losing a considerable amount of weight, some of the thickness in the abdominal area can be due to extra skin and loose muscles. Gaining weight and pregnancy causes the skin to stretch. As you lose weight or after you’ve given birth, the skin can return to its original size. But a number of factors might keep it from doing so, such as a loss of elasticity or being stretched too quickly.
Abdominoplasty, or a tummy tuck, can often be part of the process of sculpting your abs with surgery. Tummy tucks come in a variety of sizes. The least invasive, a mini tummy tuck, is ideal for patients with only a slight amount of skin sag and a small amount of muscle looseness. Patients with a considerable amount of excess skin can benefit from an extended tummy tuck.
A newer method, known as a floating abdominoplasty, is minimally invasive but suitable for people with considerable stretching and looseness. The surgery requires making a very small incision in the lower area of the abdomen. The surgeon then removes extra skin and repositions the belly button, working from the inside of the body. No incisions are made around the navel, unlike in a traditional tummy tuck. Usually, the surgeon uses an endoscope as he works on tightening the abdominal muscles.
Recovery after a floating abdominoplasty tends to be quicker than recovery after a full tummy tuck. Usually, people need to take about two weeks off from work after a traditional surgery. After a floating procedure, many patients feel well enough to return to work after about a week. They are also able to get back to exercising and other activities more quickly, after just three or four weeks, instead of six.
Sculpting Your Abs with Abdominal Etching
A tummy tuck can lay the groundwork for getting you a flatter stomach. But, if you want to see definition, you’re going to want liposuction, which removes the fat from the area. Liposuction is a type of surgery that involves using small tubes to suction out the unwanted fat.
Abdominal etching is a type of liposuction procedure designed specifically for the abdominal area. The procedure is designed to give the tummy that six-pack appearance by removing localized areas of fat. Usually, a surgeon will ask a patient to contract or suck in the ab muscles beforehand. He’ll then trace around the contour of the muscle with a marker, so that he know where to remove fat to get the most appropriate, sculpted shape.
After the fat is removed, the skin should bounce back into place, creating a toned look. Recovering after the surgery takes about a week, but you should avoid exercise for about a month afterwards. You’ll most likely be asked to wear a compression garment around your abdomen for several weeks after the etching procedure to help the skin settle into place.
After Your Surgery
Now that you’ve got the stomach you’ve always wanted, it’s important to take care of the area to keep it looking great. It’s usually best to wait until you’ve finished having kids or have lost most of the weight before you consider any type of body contouring procedure. Gaining or losing more weight or getting pregnant again will most likely undo the results you’ve enjoyed.
It’s also important to follow your surgeon’s instructions carefully. You might want to throw on a bikini a week after surgery and lounge on the beach. But, it can take several weeks or months before your tummy is ready to be shown off.
Although the removed fat won’t return, it is possible to lose definition in the stomach area if you don’t watch your diet and remaining fat cells have a chance to expand. Remember that liposuction isn’t a magic weight loss solution. You’ll still want to pay attention to what you eat and make sure you get enough exercise once you’ve healed.
Are you ready to get a flatter, more toned looking stomach without the crunches? Schedule a consultation with Dr. Alain Polynice, a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in body contouring procedures, today. Call (800) 742-2797 to book your appointment!