Abdominoplasty, better known as a tummy tuck, tightens the stomach muscles, permanently removes excess skin and fat and contours the abdomen.

Ideal as a standalone procedure, a tummy tuck continues to be one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries around today.

Most tummy tuck patients have either lost a significant amount of weight or have had children. However, what many patients don’t realise is that there are several other benefits associated with this procedure.

If you’ve been considering a tummy tuck but want to make sure it’s right for you, here are some of the key benefits.

How you can benefit from abdominoplasty

1. Improved posture

Following extreme weight loss and pregnancy, the stomach muscles can weaken and separate, which eventually affects your posture. Unfortunately, this is not something diet and exercise can correct. During a tummy tuck, the abdominal muscles are tightened, helping to improve body contours. Patients who undergo abdominoplasty surgery often report having better posture due to the improvement in core abdominal muscles. What’s more, this improved support also decreases back pain.

2. Exercise is a lot easier

When excess abdominal fat and skin is present, it restricts your range of movement, making exercise difficult. By removing this skin and fat and tightening the core muscles, exercise is a lot easier and more enjoyable. In fact, many patients report finally being able to engage in the exercises and sports activities they found difficult beforehand.

3. Clothing fits and looks better

When you’re self-conscious about your midsection, it’s difficult to find clothing that looks and feels good – never mind wearing tight fitness gear and lingerie. Along with improving your contours, a tummy tuck can also reduce the number of stretch marks. This way, you’re free to finally wear the clothing you’ve always wanted to and feel good doing so.

4. Ventral hernia correction

When the abdominal muscles are weakened by pregnancy or previous surgery (even keyhole surgery), ventral hernias can occur. Basically, a ventral hernia is a protrusion of abdominal cavity content poking through the tummy wall, but beneath the skin. This can be extremely painful and make everyday tasks that much harder. Abdominoplasty surgery strengthens and reinforces the abdominal muscles, repairing the hernia and prevents further hernias from occurring.

Tummy tucks and weight loss

While abdominoplasty surgery will remove some stomach fat, it’s not categorised as weight-loss surgery.

A tummy tuck also won’t improve your cholesterol and blood pressure – this is only possible by achieving a healthy weight. Patients who are obese will not benefit from a tummy tuck. It’s important to first achieve your goal weight and address excess skin and fat, as well as weak muscles, with surgery,

Many patients with diabetes also turn to tummy tucks to complete their weight-loss goals. However, the condition does need to be under control and there can’t be any history of kidney ailments.

Your tummy tuck procedure – The next steps

Whether you’re healthy or have an underlying condition, it’s still important to schedule a consultation with a Specialist Plastic Surgeon. Tests and a personalised evaluation are necessary before you’re cleared for a procedure of this nature.

The surgery is performed in an accredited health facility under general anaesthetic and can take anywhere from one to five hours to complete.

Patients have the option to choose between an extended, a full or a mini tummy tuck. An ‘extended’ abdominoplasty includes liposuction and waist contouring, with a scar extending further than a ‘full’ tummy tuck. A ‘full’ tummy tuck addresses excess skin and fat in the lower and mid-abdomen. A ‘mini’ tummy tuck, on the other hand, only focuses on the skin and muscles of the lower abdomen.

To complete the procedure, an incision is made just above the pubic area. This gives the surgeon access to the tissue, fat and muscles. Once the necessary skin and fat is removed and the muscles are tightened, the skin is sutured and dressings are applied.

After about two weeks, you should be able to resume most of your normal routine. However, strenuous exercise should still be avoided for several more weeks. Unfortunately, there will be some scarring, but it will fade on its own. There are also steps patients can take to keep scarring to a minimum.

Make sure that you do enough research on potential surgeons. The surgeon you choose for your procedure greatly impacts your experience, as well as your results. Refer to before and after photos and reviews to help you make the best decision.