For many women, aging and motherhood change the way their midsection looks. As hard as they try, they may struggle to get the flat tummy they once had. We are commonly led to believe that diet and exercise will work against age-related and pregnancy-related stomach laxity. For a woman to continually use these methods can be incredibly frustrating. If you can relate, and nothing you do seems to be making the difference you want, know there is a good reason.
Failing to reach an ideal shape doesn’t mean a woman hasn’t done her best, or that she hasn’t done the right things. When a woman’s body weight changes, whether through pregnancy or otherwise, her abdominal wall is affected. A woman’s body has midline muscles that can loosen and stretch to accommodate pregnancy. These muscles can stretch so much that they can’t bounce back fully. They can also separate.
When the midline abdominal muscles separate (diastasis recti), the overall support of abdominal tissue decreases. Fat and muscle tissue call “spill out” similarly to the way that breast tissue does when the bra is unsnapped. This is because the abdominal muscles are a type of internal corset that prevents distention. As you may have guessed, exercise can tighten abdominal muscles under normal circumstances, but not when extreme weakening or separation has occurred.
Abdominoplasty to the Rescue
Weak, loose abdominal tissue can be righted through the tummy tuck procedure. The techniques that are available differ slightly, but all do one thing: they tighten the abdominal wall. Tummy tuck surgery also trims loose skin, which may eliminate some stretch marks. To maximize the outcome, a surgeon may also include liposuction into the treatment plan. The reason this is done that liposuction does what a tummy tuck can’t, it can remove small pockets of excess fat that may still be visible after the abdomen is tightened.
A tummy tuck does require some downtime, but patients rarely encounter difficulty with their healing. Many are surprised that they notice changes right away (unlike what nonsurgical body-contouring achieves). To find out what a tummy tuck can do for you, schedule a consultation at our Austin office. Call (512) 450-1077.
