The battle of the bulge can be one of the more infuriating endeavors as your belly stubbornly holds onto fat despite your most ardent efforts. And even when you successfully shed the extra pounds, you can be left with loose skin that doesn’t reform itself over your slimmer shape, undoing the effects of your weight loss.
Whatever the issue, we can provide the final piece to your weight loss puzzle with a tummy tuck. Here at Cosmetic Surgery Center, we provide a host of services designed to help our patients in Oklahoma City achieve their cosmetic goals and restore their confidence. And a tummy tuck is a great way to do both.
If you’d like to explore why a tummy tuck is a great way to get to the shape of your dreams, read on.
There are few things more frustrating than doing everything within your power to get to your ideal body shape, only to have your efforts foiled by stubborn belly fat. To better understand why this happens, let’s take a look at the forces that control your fat.
The first thing to note is that where your body distributes fat is largely out of your control. This means that when you hit the gym and cut down on calories, your body chooses where you lose the weight, not you. And this is primarily driven by genetics and gender. For example, if heaviness runs in your family, you may be more prone to carrying extra weight as well.
Your gender also dictates where your body holds onto fat: For women this means around their reproductive systems (abdomen, flanks, buttocks, and thighs), while men tend to carry weight around their midsections.
Often the bigger problem lies in the aftereffects of a considerable drop in weight, whether it’s fat loss or returning to a normal weight after pregnancy. When you gain weight (or become pregnant), your skin expands to accommodate the extra load, sometimes past the point of no return. While your muscles and skin are amazingly flexible, stretching along with your body and bouncing back, there can come a point when they’re stretched too far and there simply isn’t enough collagen and elastin to restore elasticity and tone.
This means that you’re left with extra folds of empty skin that are no longer supported by muscle, leaving them to cling loosely to your body instead.
During our tummy tuck procedure, we tackle all of these issues with one procedure that leaves you with a flatter belly. Depending on your unique situation, we can accomplish several things: First, we can go in and repair your weakened abdominal muscles. This is an important step that provides the foundational support necessary for your flatter belly.
Next, we can use some minor liposuction to remove fat. With everything in place, we perform the final, and most satisfying step, which is removing your excess skin. To do this, we pull your skin taut and remove any excess tissue. After creating a new opening for your belly button, we suture the two ends back together, creating a flatter abdomen.
After your surgery, you should expect to take it easy for a while, and we’ll give you a full list of aftercare instructions. Over the following weeks, your skin heals and settles back into place, leaving you with a tummy you’ll be proud to show off.
If you’d like to explore how a tummy tuck can help you get to your ideal body shape, please give us a call or use the online scheduling tool found on this website to set up an appointment.
