You may know someone who’s had a tummy tuck that claims it’s completely changed their life. Yes, plastic surgery is a big deal, and it can greatly alter the way you look. But you may find yourself nodding your head while your friend talks and thinking, “Life-changing? Isn’t that a little dramatic?”
Actually, it may not be. Hear us out: A tummy tuck can change your whole life and make daily activities much more enjoyable. It sounds kind of unbelievable, but it’s true. Not only can you get a flatter stomach with this surgery, but you can also treat medical problems and help your emotional state of mind. Let’s get into the details and talk about the benefits you already know–and the ones that may surprise you.
Main Benefits Of A Tummy Tuck
What we’ll tell you here probably sounds pretty standard to anyone who’s heard of a tummy tuck–though it never hurts to be over-informed. If you’re looking for information on the surgery, here’s a review of the main reasons to have a tummy tuck.
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Removes Extra Stomach Skin
When your body puts on weight, like with pregnancy or due to a medical condition, you will eventually lose those extra pounds through childbirth, diet and exercise, or weight loss surgery. Your skin also stretches to make room as your body changes. The problem comes when the weight goes, but the stretched-out abdominal skin stays put. You can opt for a tummy tuck to help get rid of flabby or apron-like stomach tissue and skin.
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Tightens And Flattens Your Abdomen
Once the extra skin is gone, you won’t have an automatically firm stomach. Your surgeon has to actively tighten the skin that’s left so you get the contoured, toned core you want.
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Improves Your Mobility
This benefit is one you’re probably aware of, but you may not have really thought about it. If you can’t even easily bend over to pick something up or get into a good exercise routine because the middle section of your body is in the way–or even painful–a tummy tuck can give the joy of free and easy body movement back to you.
What Medical Problems Can A Tummy Tuck Help?
Other than mobility, are there any conditions you’re struggling with that may be helped by a tummy tuck? We’ve rounded up the five most common issues a tummy tuck can help.
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Ventral Hernia
A painful thing like a hernia is no laughing matter (in fact, a hernia can make laughter painful when it’s at its worst). Let your surgeon know you have a hernia or suspect you have one. They can combine hernia repair surgery with your tummy tuck to fix the two things with one procedure.
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Abdominal Muscle Repair (Diastasis Recti)
If you went through pregnancy and childbirth, your abdominal muscles probably stretched to make room for your baby. These muscles can also stretch if you lifted weights that were too heavy, had poor lifting techniques, or if you were overweight. A plastic surgeon can fix your stomach muscles by tightening them the same way they tighten your abdominal skin.
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Bad Posture
If you have stretched abdominal muscles, your only symptom may be back pain. This is because your stomach muscles directly affect your ability to support your body, leading to poor posture. With diastasis recti repair during your tummy tuck, your surgeon can help you get rid of annoying back pain.
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Weak Core Strength
Similar to poor posture, diastasis recti can also cause you to have a weak core. When your abdominal muscles have taken a hit, they can’t always bounce back without some help. In this case, your tummy tuck can again play a dual role and fix two (or more) problems.
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Bladder Issues
Your abdominal muscles aren’t the only ones that may get stretched out after you’ve gained and then lost weight. Your bladder muscles can be weak after pregnancy and weight loss, too. You might struggle with an overactive–and unpredictable–bladder that does what it wants when it wants. Your surgeon can do bladder and pelvic wall muscle repair to help you have better control.
Emotional Benefits
A tummy tuck mostly deals with physical repairs, but it can help with your emotional well-being, too. The surgery can have several positive mental effects.
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Raises Self-Esteem
When you’re confident in your appearance, it makes it easier to have more overall self-confidence. If you’re struggling with low self-esteem, a tummy tuck is the way to improve your confidence and feel good about yourself again.
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Decreases Depression
Skin that hangs below your waist, weak core muscles, and back pain can all keep you from being as active as you would like to be. When you have to adopt a relaxed lifestyle–and you can’t do the things you really want to–you might find yourself getting a little down. Depression isn’t an easy thing to overcome, but you can do it by improving your physical health with a tummy tuck.
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Helps Lessen Anxiety
If your extra tummy skin restricts what you can do physically, you might have anxiety. Thinking about things that you are incapable of doing because you can’t move a certain way can be very stressful. You might also be anxious about finding clothes that fit over your excess skin or being judged for the way you look in a swimsuit. Your plastic surgeon can help you get a tighter core with a tummy tuck so you can feel confident in the way you look.
Conclusion
Your excess abdominal skin after weight loss can lead to physical limitations and mental struggles. A tummy tuck can be a great help to your physical and emotional state. You can see many positive effects from a tummy tuck that will help you live a better life and benefit your overall health.
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