Abdominoplasty – Health Benefits Revealed

Abdominoplasty, AKA a tummy tuck, is performed to flatten the appearance of the stomach through the removal of excess fat and skin as well as abdominal muscle tightening. It is often performed on patients who are looking to address changes to their body after pregnancy or have extra skin located on the body after they lost a large amount of weight. In addition to improving the look and contour of the stomach, there are also some health benefits associated with the treatment as shown in this informative article.

Abdominoplasty – How Does it Benefit the Health of a Patient?

While a loss of excess weight from the body can help to reduce the risk of chronic disease, the main goal of a tummy tuck is removing excess skin instead of excess fat. There might be some fat removed during the procedure, but the surgery is meant to contour the body by flattening the area of the stomach instead of removing a large amount of fat. Having said that, abdominoplasty is still able to provide other benefits to the health of a person.

For example, the abdominal muscles can start to become weaker or even pull apart after a large amount of weight loss or a pregnancy. A surgeon can work to restore abdominal muscles that are separated or weaker in order to provide additional back support by strengthening the core. This information is supported by a study from 2018 that found patients who had a tummy tuck showed significant improvements regarding their back pain in a period of six weeks to six months after their surgery.

The tightening of the abdominal muscles, which can also give the back a stronger core, will work to stabilize the spine, and even keep the back straighter. In turn, this can lead to a person enjoying better posture.

The correction of a vertical hernia can be helped by a tummy tuck as it can reduce the amount of pressure on the wall of the abdomen and also strengthen abdominal muscles that have grown weaker.

Abdominoplasty – Can It Help a Person Feel Better About Their Appearance?

Besides the physical benefits of abdominoplasty, there are also mental benefits to gaining an improvement to the look of the abdomen.

A person who has undergone a tummy tuck often gains greater enjoyment in their appearance and develops an increased amount of self-confidence in their new look along with an improved self-image.

It is important to remember that these physical and mental benefits are not the main reason a person has the procedure. It is up to a plastic surgeon to make sure the potential patient is an ideal candidate to gain an improved contour and appearance to the body through abdominoplasty.

Abdominoplasty – Possible Risks

Even though abdominoplasty is considered to be a safe surgical procedure, there are some risks that patients need to know about in advance:

• Bleeding
• Extended recovery time
• Infection
• Accumulation of fluid
• Swelling
• Discoloration to the skin
• Scarring
• Loss of skin

There are some additional factors that can play a part in possible complications during, or after, a tummy tuck and they include the patient having a high body mass index (BMI), other health conditions being present at the time of the surgery, and someone without a good amount of skin elasticity wanting to have the treatment.

Abdominoplasty – How is It Performed?

The procedure begins with the surgeon creating an incision that runs throughout the pubic area and goes from one hip bone to the other hip bone. The surgeon will then repair any abdominal muscles that are either stretched or separated by suturing them in order to reduce their level of weakness. The surgeon will then pull them tighter together. The next step is stretching the excess skin in a downward direction in order to eliminate any excess fat and skin. Finally, liposuction can also be performed so the desired area or amount of excess fat can be removed from the body.

The results gained from the performance of a tummy tuck can be considered to be permanent as the excess skin and fat will not grow back once they are removed from the body. Having said that, a significant amount of weight loss or weight gain can impact the results and even negate them. In addition, the aging process can also make changes to the results gained by abdominoplasty.

Patients who are interested in undergoing abdominoplasty need to schedule a consultation appointment with an experienced and board-certified surgeon who has the skills needed to perform the surgery. The doctor can also examine the body of the patient to make sure the person is healthy enough to have the treatment. The doctor will also set realistic expectations about the final results that can be expected so the patient will be able to make an informed and educated final decision about having a tummy tuck to flatten the stomach and improve the contour of the treated area.

- MA