Two Paths to a Tighter Stomach

Body Contouring If there were consensus about one area of most everyone’s body that they are not satisfied with it would probably be the abdomen area. Even if you’re at or near your ideal weight, as you get older the odds are you have a stomach pooch. You may have gained and lost weight through pregnancy or otherwise, or you may simply have the sagging muscles and loose skin that comes with natural aging.

Now, if you watch some late night movies, you’ll run into lots of infomercials touting your ability to get “rock hard abs” with this or that new fitness contraption. Don’t fall for the hype — this area of the body is almost impossible to tighten back down without help.

Dr. Kearney provides that help in the form of liposuction or a tummy tuck. Both invasive procedures have similar goals, but they go about getting them in very different manners.

Liposuction

Liposuction is all about unwanted pockets of fat. Each year, liposuction is usually the top or second-most popular cosmetic surgery in the U.S. Liposuction targets areas where people accumulate fat pockets: the sides of the hips, the area just below the belly button, and the like. People like liposuction because, while it is invasive, it doesn’t demand the recovery periods of full surgery. The ideal liposuction candidate should be within 10% of his or her ideal body weight and have tried both diet and exercise to get rid of stubborn areas of fat. Liposuction is best for patients who also still have good elasticity in their stomach skin.

Tummy tuck

Unlike liposuction, a tummy tuck removes excess skin and tightens the underlying muscles to achieve a tighter stomach. This is particularly the case for women who have had children and others who have gained and lost large amounts of weight. The skin has been overstretched for too long and can’t return to its former degree of tautness.

Maybe some of each will be right for you

If you have issues with both excess fat and skin laxity in the abdominal area, Dr. Kearney combines both liposuction and a tummy tuck as part of your body-contouring plan. Tummy tuck procedures often include some degree of liposuction because liposuction is a more efficient way to remove fat pockets.

Not for weight loss

There is one important note, however. Neither liposuction nor tummy tucks are weight loss procedures. Patients need to be at or near their ideal body weight to qualify for these procedures with Dr. Kearney.

So, don’t fall for the rock hard ab gizmo. Call Dr. Kearney instead, (858) 677-9352.

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