The Tummy Tuck: Improvements After Weight Loss

If you’ve spent the last year trying to get in shape, you might be disappointed with what you see in the mirror. Turns out all of those crunches were for nothing. You still can’t see anything resembling abs underneath the loose skin and fat that won’t leave your abdominal area. But there is hope. Many people who have reached this point in their goals have turned to the tummy tuck to take them across the finish line. Known as “abdominoplasty” in the medical world, this procedure can get rid of that excess fat and skin and give you the waistline you were hoping for all along.

The health and fitness industry is perpetually booming. This is in spite of the fact (or perhaps because of the fact) that more Americans are obese and overweight than ever before. While working out and eating right are excellent indicators of improving health, many people go into their fitness regimens with unrealistic expectations. You have to understand what is and isn’t possible with hard work and a good diet. If you are in the obese category, getting down to six pack abs or a flat bikini belly may not be realistic, no matter what the time frame. The reasons for this are several.

For one thing, the older you are and the more weight you have to lose, the better the chances are that you will be left with a great deal of loose skin at the end of your journey. You’ve lost all the fat that pushed the skin out to that diameter, and now there is nothing to fill that void. In time, yes, the skin will eventually shrink back. But, depending on how much weight you lost, it may never be as tight as you might have hoped. A tummy tuck can be used to remove some of that loose skin and give you the tight abdominal section you were waiting on.

Loose skin isn’t the only problem, however. What you have to understand is that you can do three things with fat cells. Grow or multiply them, both of which happen when you gain a lot of excess weight, and shrink them, which happens when you start working out and eating less calories than it takes to maintain your size. But what you can never do is get rid of fat cells. Therefore, all of those fat cells you created through poor lifestyle choices are there forever. The only way to get rid of them is through surgery. Without it, it could be impossible to get down to the flat, firm stomach you might have had as a teenager.

A tummy tuck can be a godsend for anyone who has lost a lot of weight or is looking to put the finishing touches on a flabby stomach. But it is a very invasive surgery that involves manipulating skin, fat, and muscle. Therefore, you should do your research and be sure before you make your decision.