Among the most popular kinds of a cosmetic surgery is the abdominoplasty, or tummy-tuck. This is an intervention designed to smooth over the effects of loose skin and excess fat around the abdomen. There are a number of potential causes for these problems, including pregnancy and childbearing, but lifestyle factors undoubtedly play a role, too.
Before going under the knife, patients are advised to bring themselves up to speed on exactly what the surgery involves, and what it can and cannot do. Let’s take a look some of the more persistent myths surrounding the tummy tuck.
Tummy tucks are a way to lose weight
Tummy tucks aren’t there to get rid of excess body fat. They’re not considered ‘bariatric’; though some surgeries of this kind might involve liposuction and other techniques, these are not the principle goal of the surgery.
For this reason, you should have reached your desired weight before the operation. You weight should have been stable for several months before enter the operating theatre. If you put on extra weight after the surgery, then you’ll end up reversing the effects, as your skin will begin to stretch again.
Tummy Tucks are for young people
Contrary to popular stereotypes, there’s no reason that older people can’t undergo the procedure. What’s important is expectation management; while the effects of a tummy tuck can be near-miraculous, they cannot halt or reverse the broader effects of old age.
Tummy Tucks are for people who won’t Diet or Exercise
While a healthy diet and a regimen of regular exercise will confer huge benefits, they’re not a panacea. In some cases, patients might suffer from aesthetic problems that can’t be addressed through working out or eating properly. If you have too much skin around your gut as a result of weight you’ve put on previously, then no amount of kettlebell swings is going to correct the problem.
Tummy tucks are for Women
According to polling form the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, around 2,000 abdominoplasties were carried out on women in 2020. For men, the figure is much lower, at just 112. This might be attributed to a range of factors. Men tend to be less likely to undergo plastic surgery in general, and they’re not generally prone to becoming pregnant. With that said, there’s no reason that men can’t benefit from a tummy tuck in the same way as women.
