Redefining the abdominal wall with plastic surgery

Redefining the abdominal wall with plastic surgery

 

Introduction

The abdomen is among the most significant aesthetic areas of the human body. Women are notably more sensitive when it comes to the aesthetics of the abdomen because it defines their overall beauty. Cosmetic flaws in the abdomen can lead to lower self-esteem. The abdominal wall plays an essential role in establishing the aesthetic features of the abdomen. However, many factors affect the abdominal wall, hence changing your aesthetic appearance. The abdominal wall is made of muscles called abdominal wall muscles.

Factors like pregnancy, genetics, massive weight gain, and weight loss can separate your abdominal wall muscles and weaken them. The consequences will transpire in the form of saggy and droopy abdomen that looks aesthetically unpleasant. Many patients who experience this condition wonder whether they can treat the condition and restore their firmer and youthful abdomen. The good news is that there are plastic surgery treatments available to address the abdominal wall, which can in turn make your abdomen firmer, smooth, and toned again.

 

Aesthetic importance of the abdominal wall

The abdominal wall holds immense importance in defining the contour and aesthetic features of your abdomen. The abdomen is one of the most critical aesthetic areas of the human body. It not only plays an essential part in setting the aesthetic contours and features of the abdomen itself but also defines your overall body outline and features.

Women are particularly image-conscious, and aesthetic shortcomings or flaws in the abdomen can affect their appearance and hence their self-esteem. It has been found that most women with saggy abdomen experience self-esteem issues, which in turn affects their quality of life.

There is no doubt that saggy abdomen looks aesthetically unpleasant. This is the reason why most women who get saggy abdomen desire to restore their firmer, youthful, and smooth abdomen. The abdominal wall muscles play a significant role in keeping your belly firmer. However, pregnancy and massive weight gain can affect the muscles, making them weaker and separated. During pregnancy and weight gain, your abdomen increases in size. The continuous expansions affect the abdominal wall muscles. When the muscles become weaker or separate from each other, it results in a saggy abdomen.

 

How to improve the abdominal wall

If your abdomen has become saggy due to weakness and separation of the abdominal wall muscles, you may consult with an experienced and board-certified plastic surgeon to explore your treatment options. Fortunately, there are plastic surgery options available to restore your firmer and tighter abdomen.

 

The standard tummy tuck

The tummy tuck is one of the most sought-after plastic surgery procedure in the US. This procedure is recommended for patients who have saggy abdomen and the condition is affecting their self-esteem. The standard tummy tuck is performed under general anesthesia and involves incisions on the belly. After the anesthesia administration, the plastic surgeon will make incisions on the abdomen and the access the weak and separated tummy wall muscles through the incisions.

In the next step, the plastic surgeon will tighten and repair the weak and separated abdominal wall muscles. He will then remove the excess skin that may have developed on the abdomen. If your belly button is loose and droopy, the doctor will remove it and then implant it higher on the stomach where it appears firmer and youthful.

In the last step, the surgeon will suture and close the incisions after re-draping the remaining skin. The results of the procedure will slowly become noticeable after the surgery. Your abdomen will be swollen and bruised as a result of the surgical trauma. It will take many weeks and even months for the swelling to disappear and the incision to heal.

The results will emerge when the swelling had disappeared and the incisions have healed. You will see that your abdomen has become firmer, toned, and smooth when the outcomes emerge. To maintain the results, you must avoid massive weight loss and weight gain because that will affect the abdominal wall muscles and reverse the results. You must also prevent pregnancy after the surgery because it will damage the abdominal muscles again, making your abdomen saggy and aesthetically unwelcoming.

 

Tummy tuck and liposuction

The combined surgery of tummy tuck and liposuction is yet another effective solution for a saggy abdomen that may also have developed stubborn fat pockets. During the pre-operative consultation, the plastic surgeon will examine your abdomen and identify the aesthetic flaws. If it turns out that the cause of your saggy belly is a weakness of the abdominal wall muscles and stubborn fat pockets have also developed on the abdomen, then the surgeon may recommend you to get the combo of tummy tuck and liposuction.

The combined surgery is also performed under general anesthesia because it is a highly invasive and traumatic surgery. The surgeon will begin the operation by making incisions on the abdomen. After making the incisions, the doctor will tighten the abdominal wall muscles. Next, he will perform liposuction on the stomach and remove the stubborn fat pockets. Liposuction involves tiny incisions on the target areas. After the liposuction, the doctor will remove the excess skin from the abdomen and then suture and close the incisions.

As a result of this procedure, your abdomen will become smooth, firmer, and youthful. It will also be contoured as a result of the liposuction. The fat pockets will no longer exist in your abdomen. The results will also gradually emerge over the weeks and months following the operation. To sustain the results, you must maintain a stable weight and avoid massive weight gain or weight loss.

 

Hourglass tummy tuck

The hourglass tummy tuck is an advanced and more effective version of the tummy tuck. This procedure is best for women who desire to get firmer and youthful abdomen. However, this procedure comes with a significant benefit: it helps you achieve the most revered female body shape called the hourglass body.

The hourglass body is a favorite body type that features wider hips and a smaller waist. The wider hips and smaller waist signify the femininity of women. Women with wider hips look more fertile, beautiful, and sexy. If your abdomen has become saggy due to a weaker abdominal wall, your hips are narrow, and your waist is smaller, and you want to get firmer abdomen, wider hips, and smaller waist, then you should consider getting the hourglass tummy tuck.

The hourglass tummy tuck is also performed under general anesthesia. A board-certified anesthesiologist will administer the anesthesia, after which you be fully asleep and not feel any pain or discomfort during the surgery. The surgeon will start the operation by first fixing the abdominal wall issues. For that, the surgeon will make incisions on the abdomen and then tighten the abdominal wall muscle. Any excess skin on the stomach will also be removed. Furthermore, if there are stubborn fat pockets in and around the abdomen, the surgeon will use liposuction to remove those excess fat deposits. The incision is then sutured and closed.

After correcting the saggy abdomen, the surgeon will then use liposuction to remove the excess fat from different areas of the body, specifically the sides, flanks, love handles, and upper back. Liposuction involves tiny incisions on the fat donor sites. The surgeon will then insert the cannula inside the target areas and then move the cannula back and forth with the goal to dislodge the fat from the fat donor sites. After the fat is released, the surgeon will use a suction pump to remove the fat from the target area. The doctor will then suture and close the incisions.

After removing the fat cells from all the fat donor areas, there will be enough fat for collection to the hips. Now, the surgeon will process and purify the fat in a centrifuge and then carefully inject the fat into the hips. This is one of the most critical steps in the whole surgery and calls for attention to detail.

The results will gradually transpire in the weeks and months following the procedure. When the outcomes become noticeable, your hips will widen, your waist will become smaller, and your abdomen will become firmer, smooth, and youthful.

 

Conclusion

The abdomen has many functions, and one of the most critical functions of the abdomen is to set your overall body outline and definition. When the abdominal wall muscles become weak or separated, the stomach becomes saggy and aesthetically unpleasant. Women with saggy abdomen experience self-esteem issues because they look aged and do not identify with the modern beauty trends of firmer, smoother, and toned abdomen. As such, they seek treatment for the condition. In this article, I have discussed how and why the abdominal wall becomes weaker and what are the consequences of the condition, besides addressing the different plastic surgery solutions available to treat the abdominal wall muscle and enhance your aesthetic appearance.