When excess skin and abdominal wall protrusion cause an unsightly appearance of the lower stomach, cosmetic surgery is the only way to restore normal tension in the abdominal muscles and skin as well as a flat stomach. While exercise is always beneficial for the body, it cannot repair the vertical abdominal muscles when they are stretched and separated (diastasis). Exercise does not affect flabby skin, because the problem is excess skin which has already happened and can only be treated with skin removal techniques.
How tummy tuck restores a toned skin and flatter stomach
How tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, treats abdominal wall protrusion
Tummy tuck surgery is intended to repair the stomach area when aging signs, pregnancy or significant weight fluctuations have taken a toll on the abdominal wall. The procedure typically starts with liposuction (which is often combined with tummy tuck) to remove excess fat in the abdominal region and skin excess removal to restore normal skin tension. When the muscles of the abdominal wall have been stretched (these vertical muscles are called rectus abdominis) and or seperated (a condition called diastasis recti), they can be brought back together with sutures, which decreases protrusion of the abdominal wall and contributes to a flatter stomach.
The size of the scar resulting from this procedure depends on the extent of the work needed, it is located horizontally above the pubic hairline. Tummy tuck is performed under general anesthesia and patients are hospitalized during 24 to 48 hours under medical observation. A compressive garment has to be worn by the patient for a month, night and day. Postoperative care is simple as monitoring wound healing is the most important part of it.
Tummy tuck surgery can achieve a flatter stomach quickly. As soon as two month after surgery, the result can be seen : excess fat and skin are no longer part of the stomach area, the abdominal region and lower stomach more specifically becomes more toned and flat.
Surgical techniques used to perform tummy tuck have considerably improved over the past years in order to offer patients superior results, shorter and almost invisible scars as well as shorter recovery times with no postoperative pain.
