Most people desire to have a flatter tummy, which can sometimes be achieved via lifestyle adjustments such as diet and exercising. Unfortunately, factors such as pregnancy, weight loss, and aging can negatively affect the appearance of your midsection. While many people go for an abdominoplasty procedure, it is not the only option for achieving a flatter, firmer, and more desirable abdominal contour.
1. Tummy Tuck
Tummy tuck surgery is ideal for both men and women. It is used to treat the abdominal stretched skin caused by excess fats, and skin. Tummy tuck surgery mainly addresses issues that cause the abdominal walls to protrude, making excess skin sag. These issues include rapid weight loss, tummy stretching due to pregnancy, and aging.
The steps involved during tummy tuck surgery include administration of local, and general anesthesia, making of incisions depending on the amount of excess skin, and fats to be eliminated, stitching of the incisions, and finally waiting for the results of the surgery. Tummy tuck surgery best suits an individual with too much sagging abdominal skin whose abdominal muscles are separated or stretched. The surgeon placed sutures during surgery which helps restore the skin’s normal tension.
2. Liposuction
Liposuction plastic surgery can be used to remove excess, small fat deposits from any part of the body. These include the thighs, stomach, arms, hips, and buttocks. As much as tummy tuck surgery has the best outcome for some individuals, the liposuction technique can be used in conjunction with it depending on your surgeon.
During surgery, the surgeon injects anesthesia medications, and sedatives to numb the pain, then make tiny, unnoticeable incisions. He then inserts a thin hollow tube known as a cannula which loosens the excess abdominal fats through a back and forth motion. This loosened fat is suctioned outside the abdomen by a syringe or surgical vacuum that is attached to the cannula. Liposuction surgery is ideal for individuals with stubborn abdominal fats which can neither be removed through dieting nor exercising. Also, it is not a remedy to weight loss.
3. Cool Sculpting
Cool sculpting is another technique that can work well to regain a flatter tummy appearance. Unlike liposuction and tummy tuck procedures, it has no connection with needles, incisions, or administration of local, and general anesthesia. It can be used at the arms, chin, flanks, inner and outer thighs, beneath the buttocks, and at the back. Cool sculpting technique deals with the subcutaneous fat layer just under the skin.
During this procedure, the surgeon uses a handheld device that has applicators resembling the nozzles of a vacuum cleaner. The applicator provides controlled cooling to the area under treatment, as the provider delivers suction and cooling effects. These activities cause fat cells to crystallize permanently therefore completely destroying them. The surgeon then massages the area to break up the frozen fats which will be absorbed by the body, and eliminated through natural processes. This procedure is best for an individual with moderate amounts of abdominal fat to eliminate.
4. ThermiTight
Thermitight technique heats the abdominal tissues to restore a flatter tummy. It uses a thermi device that applies thermal energy to the abdominal section. This radiation gently heats the abdominal tissues at an optimal temperature to burn down the fat deposits, after which they are eliminated from the body through natural processes. The surgeon wraps the area treated in a compression bandage to improve the skin’s recovery and provide consistent external pressure to the deep abdominal tissues. This procedure is suitable for individuals with minimal abdominal fats to eliminate in order to restore a flat abdominal profile.
5. SculpSure
SculpSure technique can be used to permanently reduce, or remove unwanted fats in the abdomen. It applies to both genders to give a flatter abdominal appearance. Other than the abdomen, sculpsure can be used to burn down excess fats in the thighs, arms, flanks, buttocks, and lower back. It uses a hands-free laser belt that has specific wavelengths, each of different laser energy to heat, and breakdown fats. One session of this procedure averagely takes 25 minutes to perform and does not require any anesthesia injections, nor incisions. It is ideal for persons with a body mass index of 30, and below, and it is not an alternative to weight loss.
6. Thermage
Thermage technique does not involve anesthesia injections. It uses radiofrequency energy to break down excess abdominal fats. This radiation penetrates to the abdominal tissues beneath the skin surface where it causes collagen fibers to contract. Upon contraction of collagen, the skin is lifted and tightened to restore a flat abdominal appearance.
As this radiation contracts collagen to bring back a flatter tummy, it stimulates the production of more collagen, and elastin to maintain the flat tummy appearance. Thermage technique can also be used to reduce excess fats at the thighs, buttocks, arms, chin, neck, eyelids, and face. Since it is a non-invasive procedure, recovery takes no time at all, and a person is able to resume their daily activities immediately. The right person for this procedure is one who is between 30 to 65 years old and has excess skin and fats in the abdomen.
7. Liposonix
Liposonix is another procedure that permanently eliminates excess fats from the abdomen. This device uses a special technology known as the High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) that is specifically focused on the target area to eliminate these unwanted fat deposits. It safely, and effectively kills these fat cells in a range of 4 to 5 cm, which makes one session enough. It is a non-invasive procedure, meaning that it does not need any anesthesia administration, nor incisions to be done. Liposonix technique can be done on both men and women whose BMI is less than 30, and have slight sagging abdominal skin.
Conclusion
A sagging abdominal profile can be rectified to being flat, even, and smooth. It only requires a person to identify the correct procedure for them that would yield the best results. Since each person has a different tummy situation, these procedures may differ with one needing an invasive surgery, while the other will need a non-invasive procedure. Always consult a surgeon certified by the board of plastic surgeons for help on the best procedure to choose.
