If you find it increasingly difficult to maintain a trim, toned belly as the years go by, you’re not alone. Midsection flab and an expanding waistline are two of the most common midlife body changes — and two of the most common complaints — among men and women alike.
While getting regular exercise and eating a healthy diet can help you stay in shape, these reliable strategies can’t reinforce a weak abdominal wall, get rid of stubborn fat, tighten loose skin, or erase conspicuous stretch marks.
Fortunately, there’s still a way to get the firm, flat stomach you’re after. Board-certified plastic surgeon Craig A. Foster, MD, specializes in helping people restore perfectly contoured midsections through tummy tuck surgery, liposuction, or both.
Whether it arrives in the form of a thicker waistline, fleshier abdomen, paunchier belly, or all the above, many adults experience unwanted midsection changes as they get older.
Brought on by shifting hormone levels and decreased muscle tone, this so-called “middle-age spread” can be notoriously stubborn; it can be even harder to tackle following pregnancy and other significant weight loss.
The most common midsection concerns include:
As you get older, changing hormones prompt your midsection to collect and store pockets of persistent fat, or fat that doesn’t respond to diet and exercise. These same hormonal changes are also responsible for muscle loss and increased skin laxity that typically come with age.
Taken all together, these changes can make your stomach look a lot flabbier than it once was, even if your body weight is stable and healthy.
Everyone’s skin gets a bit more relaxed over time, but saggy, loose abdominal skin can be a real concern for anyone who’s lost a considerable amount of weight, including new moms.
When you gain a significant amount of weight, your skin stretches to accommodate it. Besides giving you conspicuous stretch marks, overextended skin tissues may not contract back into place as you lose the extra pounds. This “extra” skin can detract from your slimmer abdominal profile.
During the third trimester of pregnancy, your abdomen expands quickly as your baby grows. In addition to testing the limits of your skin’s elasticity, this period of rapid growth can split and separate the muscles in your abdominal wall, leaving you with a weaker core.
Whether you need to get rid of persistent fat, restore a tighter abdomen, or both, Dr. Foster has an effective midsection solution:
Tummy tuck surgery restores a firm, flat stomach by sculpting away small pockets of stubborn fat, tightening loose skin, eliminating stretch marks, reinforcing separated abdominal muscles, and repositioning your belly button (navel).
Also known as abdominoplasty, a tummy tuck is ideal for anyone who has excess midsection skin and/or unwanted stretch marks along with small areas of persistent fat. It’s also the only solution that can address abdominal wall separation following pregnancy.
If you’re bothered by persistent midsection fat but you don’t have excess skin, stretch marks, or a weak abdominal wall, liposuction may be all it takes to reveal a more toned stomach and a slimmer waistline.
Through tiny incisions, liposuction uses a slender cannula to gently extract areas of excess fat and reshape your midsection. Liposuction can be an ideal solution when skin laxity isn’t a concern — resilient skin contracts tightly against the new contour to create a smooth, firm shape.
Depending on your midsection issues and cosmetic goals, you may be a good candidate for an abdomen-firming tummy tuck along with belly-flattening liposuction. Known as a combined procedure, this approach works best when skin laxity and persistent fat are of equal concern.
If you have unwanted bulges and your skin has a low degree of elasticity, liposuction with a minor tummy tuck can help you attain optimal results. Likewise, if you’d like to shrink your middle but excess skin, stretch marks, and abdominal separation are your primary concerns, a tummy tuck with targeted liposuction may be the way to go.
If you’re ready to unveil a firmer, flatter midsection with tighter, smoother skin, we can help. Call 212-744-5011 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Foster in our Manhattan office today.
