Tummy tuck surgery can offer a lot of benefits to the right patients, so there are a lot of motivating factors that bring men and women to choose this procedure.
Maybe you’ve lost a lot of weight but you’re struggling with a few leftover pockets of stubborn fat. Maybe you’ve had a pregnancy or four and you’re hoping to get your old body contours back again.
There are many different reasons to seek tummy tuck surgery. If you’re not sure if this procedure could be right for you, read on to see for yourself.
When Diet and Exercise Just Aren’t Enough
Living a healthy lifestyle is essential to maintain your body tone and contour, but sometimes diet and exercise can’t handle every problem. This gets especially tricky around the abdomen, where your body likes to store pockets of fat. You might also find that the skin and muscles in the abdomen stretch out, loosening and becoming lax over time. Whether this is a result of aging, past pregnancy, or a dramatic weight loss, your body can’t make up for the damage without some external help. When your skin loses elasticity, it won’t come back on its own. The small muscles in the abdomen are just as difficult to regain. Surgical damage, like that caused by a c-section delivery, can render these small muscles useless, but other factors can strain or tear them as well.
The abdomen is a central part of the body and it can take a lot of damage, but once you’ve tried it out, it’s going to need some help. A tummy tuck surgery is your second chance to have the smooth, svelte abdomen of your youth, or perhaps even better than the one you had during your youth. While it is not a substitute for diet and exercise, this surgery can work together with your healthy regimen to tone, contour, and maintain that great new look.
When You’re All Done With Pregnancies
Having that first baby can do a number on your abdomen. The muscles and ligaments stretch themselves to capacity, so much so that it often causes physical pain during those first few months. The skin is stretched, the organs get moved around, and then there’s childbirth. Traditional deliveries are tough on the abdomen but Cesareans are the worst. Especially if your C-section is an emergency, not a lot of time will be spent preserving your small muscles, ligaments, and skin. After all of that, plus an extensive recovery time that atrophies some of your muscle groups, bouncing back from having a baby is tough.
Most women are surprised to discover how things have shifted and how hard it is to get back into those pre-baby jeans. If you’ve had more than one pregnancy, the toll on your body is even higher. A tummy tuck can help you reclaim some of the definition and strength lost from those child-bearing years. It’s important to note, however, that you should only schedule a major plastic surgery like this if you do not plan to have any children. Your results are unlikely to hold up if you have a child following your tummy tuck surgery, so hold off until you’re sure you’re finished.
When Old Scars Are Getting In Your Way
It might not be the first reason a patient has for learning more about abdominoplasty, but correcting scars is definitely on the list of things it can do. Old scars from accidents, injuries, and even old surgeries can cause a lot of emotional problems and self-conscious thinking. If a scar is getting in the way of you enjoying your fit, toned body or just wearing a bikini to the beach, a tummy tuck surgery can help you to take control again. Every person and every scar is unique, so it’s best to schedule a consultation with your trusted plastic surgeon to evaluate your situation. Depending on where your scar is located, a tummy tuck surgery, complete with a skin excision, could be the answer you’ve been looking for.
When Your Abdomen Is Hurting Your Self-Esteem
Speaking of self-consciousness, a lumpy or uneven abdomen, too much loose skin, and other troubles around the belly can really chip away at a person’s self-esteem. Your abdomen could be influencing how you dress, how you feel about yourself and even how you walk into a room. If you’re frustrated by loose skin, lots of stretch marks, strange pooches here and there, or something else, a consultation can help you decide if a tummy tuck is the right choice for you. Achieve the sleeker, smoother abdomen that your self-esteem needs to get a good boost.
When Aging Brings You Down
Despite our focus on the face and neck, those aren’t the only places that aging can wreak its havoc. The abdomen is a key area that can suffer from aging, with loosened skin, stray pockets of fat, and weak muscles all a result. Skin elasticity happens gradually, all over the body, and it can cause sagging around the stomach over time. The body’s history can also start to take its toll, especially if you’ve had children, lost and gained weight, or had abdominal surgeries in the past. Clean up this area and turn back the clock with an abdominoplasty.
When You’ve Taken Off a Lot of Weight
Losing 10 pounds or so won’t make a huge impact on the body, even if it does help you drop down a size or two. When you’ve just lost 40, 60, 100 pounds, however, the changes are incredible and they might not all be what you expected. Dramatic weight loss like this can leave behind the stretched-out, sagging skin behind. Many such patients end up with a “skirt” like layer of overhanging skin that won’t budge. This inelastic skin won’t respond to diet or exercise and it must be removed. Many patients, who have experienced such significant weight loss, whether from traditional methods or surgical means, are encouraged to keep off the weight for several months or even beyond a year before having a tummy tuck. In some cases, this procedure will also be paired up with an arm lift or other procedure to trim and tone various parts of the body.
Where to Start Your Tummy Tuck Journey
If it sounds like a tummy tuck could help you address your own body contouring concerns, you’ll need to start by scheduling a consultation with Dr. Robert Kessler, a board certified general and facial plastic surgeon, to learn more about what this surgery can do for you. Dr. Kessler completed his medical degree with honors from Tufts University in Boston as well as a distinguished General Surgical Residency with North Short/NYU in New York. Prior to that, he completed a Plastic Surgery residency with the U.S. Air Force and the University of Texas.
Today, Dr. Kessler operates his surgical practice in California, has worked as a surgical consultant and surgical assistant on ABC’s Extreme Makeover, and has lectured nationally and internationally on topics including facial rejuvenation, plastic surgery, and body contouring. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kessler, contact his office, located at 2121 E Pacific Coast Hwy #200, in Newport Beach, CA, by calling 949.644.6544.
