After birth and weight loss, many deformations occur in the abdomen and waist area. Regional lubrication, loosening and cambering in the abdominal muscles, sagging of the abdominal skin are some of them. Body shaping operations, which we can call abdominal aesthetics and waist aesthetics, are used to eliminate these aesthetic problems.
At the beginning of these are abdominoplasty and waist aesthetics, and liposuction. Before moving on to these surgeries, I would like to focus on non-surgical solutions that can be done.
Non-Surgical Abdominal and Waist Aesthetics
Weight Loss: Do not forget that the healthiest and cheapest aesthetic method is to lose weight. If your body mass index is above normal, none of the surgical or non-surgical methods that I will talk about below are suitable for you. Plastic surgery such as tummy tuck or liposuction is not a weight loss method. In such aesthetic operations performed in obese people, the risk of complications is high and it is difficult to obtain a successful aesthetic result.
Although your body mass index is within normal limits, there may be regional fat accumulation in the belly and waist parts. In this case, you can consider other regional slimming methods.
Sports: Regular sports and exercise programs such as pilates, which will be done under the supervision of experts in the subject, are very useful. Sports will both help regional weakening, tighten the abdominal muscles and will take you to higher levels psychologically.
Regional Slimming Tools: Hot, cold, ultrasonic waves, radiofrequency waves or laser beams can be applied only through the skin without any subcutaneous penetration. In this way, there are devices for breaking down the fat cells under the skin (lipolysis) and tightening the connective tissue of the skin. Devices such as cold lipolysis, “Exilis Elite” or “SculpSure” are examples.
In mild cases, some weakening and tightening is possible when it is performed under the supervision of a doctor who has full knowledge of the features of the device. However, the efficacy of such devices and the persistence of their effect are very controversial, and different results have been suggested. On the other hand, in people with loose abdominal skin, skin sagging may become more evident as the skin will not shrink enough as the subcutaneous fat melts.
Chemical Lipolysis- Mesotherapy: Phosphatidylcholine or deoxycholate etc. to the subcutaneous adipose tissue. It is a method that targets the breakdown of fat cells by injecting substances and their removal by absorption by the body.
Laser Lipolysis: As I mentioned above, the lipolysis method, which is done by giving a laser beam by a device applied only on the skin, is called “Noninvasive laser lipolysis”. “Minimally invasive laser lipolysis”, on the other hand, is the method of inserting a thin laser probe into the subcutaneous adipose tissue region through a 1-2 mm incision made on the skin under local anesthesia, and controlled heating and melting of the fat cells with the laser beam given through this probe.
In this method, heated melted fat cells are not taken out, they are expected to be absorbed and excreted by the body. The area that can be treated in one session is quite limited.
Aesthetic Surgery Methods
The most effective and permanent results in removing regional fat deposits in the abdomen and waist area, tightening loosened abdominal muscles and removing skin sagging are obtained with aesthetic surgery for abdominal aesthetics and waist aesthetics such as tummy tuck and liposuction.
I would like to emphasize again that such surgical interventions are not a method of weight loss. Before such surgeries, weight should be lost and body weight should be reduced to normal limits. In addition, candidates should not have any physical or mental health problems.
In the pre-interview with the aesthetic plastic surgeon before the abdominal and waist aesthetic surgery, the most suitable method for you is determined while evaluating whether you are a suitable candidate for aesthetic surgery methods.
Which Surgery Is Most Appropriate for Abdominal and Waist Aesthetics?
Many factors are taken into account when determining which aesthetic operation is more suitable. The character of the fat accumulation in the abdomen and waist area is examined and the correct surgical method for abdominal and waist aesthetics is determined. The tightness (elasticity) of the skin of this area and the degree and location of skin sagging are evaluated. The degree of laxity of the abdominal muscles is taken into account.
There is no sagging in the abdominal skin, there is a regional fat accumulation: In cases where the skin in the abdomen and waist area is not too loose and saggy, but there are regional fat accumulations in these areas, the first preferred method is liposuction. In this method, also known as oil pulling, excess fat tissue is taken out of the body with the help of vacuum by using thin cannulas inserted under the skin through small incisions made on the skin. Thus, the number of fat cells in these areas is permanently reduced. Even if weight is gained again in the future, the number of cells does not increase.
Compared to non-surgical lipolysis methods, with the liposuction method, more areas can be treated and more fat is removed in one session. With the help of the corset used after the procedure, skin tightening and regional tightening occur. In addition to the classical liposuction method, there are different liposuction methods in which laser or ultrasonic waves are used. You can find detailed information about the liposuction method under the body aesthetics title in the main menu of our site.
Sagging of the Abdominal Skin and Relaxation of the Abdominal Muscles are in the Foreground: With the abdominoplasty, the abdominal muscles are tightened and a flatter abdomen is obtained by removing the excess skin. If the laxity and sagging of the abdominal skin are both in the upper and lower umbilical region, a full tummy tuck operation is performed.
In this operation, the belly button is reconstructed. If the excess of the abdominal skin is especially limited to the underbelly region, mini tummy tuck surgery will be a more accurate solution. Abdominal and waist aesthetics is not a standard surgery; Different surgical techniques are applied according to the size and location of the deformation.
In this method, only the muscles under the navel are tightened by making a shorter incision and the excess skin is removed. You can find detailed information about tummy tuck surgery under the body aesthetics title in the main menu of my site.
Sagging of the Abdominal Skin and Regional Fat Accumulation Together: If there are localized fat accumulations in the waist regions as well as sagging in the abdominal muscles, liposuction is applied to the waist parts together with the abdominoplasty. If the excess skin is only in the lower part of the belly, liposuction can be applied to the upper part of the belly while performing a mini tummy tuck.
There is both sagging and fat accumulation in the abdominal skin: In this case, two different ways can be followed. One of them is the removal of excess skin, that is, tummy tuck surgery and further thinning of the remaining abdominal skin by liposuction in the same session. The other approach is to perform only a tummy tuck first, and then liposuction to this area with a second operation after the abdominal skin has healed.
Since the risk of complications is higher when both liposuction and stretching are performed on the abdominal skin at the same time, the experience and personal preference of the aesthetic plastic surgeon are decisive.
What is the best season for abdominoplasty and liposuction?
After both surgeries, there is a 4-6 week corset use and recovery period. Because the corset sweats in hot weather and summer is an intense period for sports activities, it is generally recommended to perform these surgeries before the summer season. However, there is no harm in performing these surgeries in the summer, if desired.