7 Health Benefits of a Tummy Tuck

Tummy tuck has proved to be a boon for all those struggling with loose and saggy abdominal fat. This cosmetic surgery is known as Abdominoplasty. This procedure is more common with people who have lost extreme amounts of weight in a short span of time and with women who want to restore their figures after pregnancy. The year 2022 saw an 87% increase in tummy tuck procedures in America alone. There are many physical, emotional, and medical health benefits of this cosmetic surgery. The question is……Is it worth it.

Here Are the Health Benefits of a Tummy Tuck

1. Improvement in Urinary Incontinence

Some women develop Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) after vaginal birth. It is a condition in which the valve of the urinary bladder becomes weak, resulting in uncontrollable leakage brought on by sneezing, exercising, coughing, or laughing. Women undergoing urinary incontinence often suffer from public embarrassment because of such leaking episodes.

In some case SUI can be treated without surgery except when the condition is quite severe. A tummy tuck surgery can aid in recovery in such patients who have had a normal vaginal birth. While performing a tummy tuck, a small bladder incision is made using the soft tissue near the pelvic area to reduce incontinence.

1. Better Posture and Back Pain Relief

Extreme weight loss or multiple pregnancies can sometimes lead to distended stomach muscles. Such patients find it difficult to correct their posture with exercise or diet alone. Weak abdominal muscles lead to sway back, a condition called lordosis in medical terms.

A tummy tuck surgery tightens the weak muscles of the abdomen, removes the sagging skin and fat, and flattens the abdomen. Tightened stomach muscles also support the spine better. In most cases, back pain symptoms are also relieved. This gives the patients relief from annoying back pain and an improved body posture.

1. Ventral Hernia Correction

A ventral hernia is a medical condition in which some tissues of the abdomen or intestine break through the abdominal wall and form a protruding pocket or sack. Abdominal weakness caused by excessive weight loss, multiple pregnancies or surgeries like appendectomies may lead to a ventral hernia.

The underlying symptoms requiring ventral hernia correction surgery or abdominoplasty are quite similar. Both surgeries tighten weakened abdominal muscles. A weak abdominal wall may lead to the formation of a hernia repeatedly. Often, surgeons perform abdominoplasty along with a hernia correction surgery to repair the abdominal wall and tighten the weakened muscles to prevent future occurrences. Combining both procedures does not only work out to be economically cheaper but also reduces recovery time.

1. Improves Mobility

Excess skin and fat on your abdomen can interfere with your ability to exercise and your mobility, especially after extreme weight loss. Abdominoplasty can remove the excess skin and fat to give you firmer and more toned muscles. One must continue exercising even after surgery to maintain a healthy and fit body profile.

Once the excess skin has been removed the physical discomfort will be reduced. You can easily perform all types of exercises that you could not earlier. A tummy tuck procedure makes you feel physically more active.

5. Better Hygiene and Healthier Skin

People with large bellies or excess skin must be incredibly careful when it comes to hygiene. They need to lift the skin to remove lent, dirt and sweat. Some individuals may carry a foul body odour from having sweaty excess skin and large bellies. Sweat and dirt is a place that breeds bacteria and makes a person more susceptible to infections and skin damage and the excess and saggy skin on the abdomen can easily get infected or irritated. These layers of skin are burdensome parts of your body. These often subjected to chafing and rashes. A tummy tuck procedure eliminates these hard-to-clean folds of skin. Once the excess layers are removed, you will find firmer and toned abdomen skin.

1. Better Confidence and Improved Physical Appearance

Once all the excess fat and saggy skin layers are removed, the person feels more confident. They feel their physical appearance has improved. They do not have to hide their saggy stomach beneath huge or oversized clothes. They can dress up smartly, have more confidence and walk with their head held high.

1. Removal of C-Section Scars

Many women are left with nasty scars on their lower abdomen after getting a C-section during delivery. If the scars bother you or prevent you from wearing certain outfits, you can consider getting tummy tuck surgery to remove the scars. The old scars from the caesarean section can be removed during the removal of the excess skin or they can be merged with the new scars of the tummy tuck (which are lesser in comparison). As the old scars are incorporated into the incisions of the abdominoplasty, the chances of them healing and disappearing altogether increase.

There are many benefits of a tummy tuck procedure but before deciding to get an abdominoplasty, remember that it is a major operation that may last up to five hours in the operation room. It is performed under general anaesthesia. A tummy tuck procedure can remove up to 10 pounds of abdominal fat by disconnecting the excess skin from the underlying tissue and then cutting away this extra skin. A full recovery may take several weeks. There are also some risks of infection in the recovery phase.

After weighing all the health benefits of a tummy tuck procedure and the possible risks, it is apparent that the benefits can outweigh the risks. Interested patients should discuss the details of this surgery with their doctor before making their decision.