The Health Benefits of a Tummy Tuck
The Health Benefits of a Tummy Tuck
Do you struggle with back pain that comes from poor posture?
As much as you might try to sit or stand up tall and straight, it doesn’t seem to help. Before you opt for back surgery though, you may want to consider a tummy tuck.
It may sound counterintuitive. How could a tummy tuck possibly ease your back pain?
We’ll explore this aspect of the procedure, along with the MANY other health benefits of a tummy tuck.
Benefits of the Drainless Tummy Tuck
- Improves Abdominal Tone
If you’ve experienced a pregnancy or extreme weight loss, your stomach muscles may have become distended. The muscles are no longer able to adequately tighten to pull the belly in and give it that taut appearance. And no amount of diet or exercise is effective.
One of the benefits of a tummy tuck is that it not only removes excess skin and fat to flatten the belly, but it also tightens those weak and distended muscles to improve abdominal tone.
Aside from giving you a flatter stomach, improving your abdominal tone leads to better posture. When the abdominal muscles are weak, they’re not able to give the spine the support it needs. This often results in a curving of the spine called lordosis – more commonly known as “sway back.”
Following a tummy tuck though, it’s common for patients to notice that their posture has significantly improved. And with improved posture comes less strain on the spine and relief from certain types of back pain.
So that’s how a tummy tuck can help relieve back pain. But what about the other health benefits of a tummy tuck?
- Helps with Obesity Recovery
It’s important to note that a tummy tuck is not considered a weight-loss procedure. Typically, only a few pounds of tissue are typically removed. But research shows that having a tummy tuck can help previously obese patients maintain a healthy weight.
According to the medical journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Swiss researchers found that bariatric patients who received surgery to reduce the size of their stomach were more likely to keep the weight off when they combined it with a tummy tuck.
In fact, patients who combined the two procedures regained an average of only a pound per year. By contrast, bariatric patients that didn’t opt for body-contouring procedures gained an average of four pounds per year.
Researchers speculate that the tightening of the abdominal muscles compresses the stomach, thereby reducing its capacity and increasing the ability to feel full after meals.
Managing weight and avoiding weight gain is especially important when it comes to those with diabetes. Since weight has a significant effect on the occurrence of insulin resistance, considerable weight loss renders the body more efficient in utilizing the insulin it produces.
By lowering insulin resistance, some diabetic patients are able to alter and more easily manage their previous medications.
- Reduces Stress Urinary Incontinence
Many women (and some men) experience “leakage.” Especially when they cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise. This bladder control problem is referred to as Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI).
SUI occurs when the pelvic floor gets stretched, weakened or damaged and no longer sufficiently supports the bladder and urethra. Pregnancy and childbirth can cause it, but so too can excessive coughing or nerve injuries to the lower back or pelvic surgery.
Most of the time, SUI is treated without surgery. Several studies have indicated, however, that in more severe cases a tummy tuck can aid in recovery. During the procedure, soft tissue near the pelvic area is used to create a slight bladder obstruction. The result is an obvious reduction in incontinence.
- Increases Exercise Tolerance
While increasing your ability to exercise harder and more frequently isn’t technically a medical benefit, the results of doing so have a direct impact on one’s health.
Removing excess skin and strengthening the abdominal muscles can certainly make exercise easier. You’re able to do exercises you weren’t able to before. But just as importantly, it increases your self-esteem and confidence at the gym.
In fact, it’s not unusual for patients who undergo a body contouring procedure to be more motivated to stick to an exercise regimen. Their clothes fit better and they feel more comfortable in their workout setting with their slimmer waistline and newly contoured shape.
A regular exercise regimen also decreases anxiety and depression. So it’s a win-win all around.
- Corrects an Umbilical or Ventral Hernia
A hernia happens when the muscles inside the abdomen weaken in one spot and allow for a loop of intestine or abdominal tissue to push through the muscle layer.
When a ventral hernia occurs at the site of a surgical scar, it is called an incisional hernia. Some patients who have open abdominal surgery will develop a ventral hernia at their incision.
If the hernia occurs at the navel or belly button, it’s referred to as an umbilical hernia. This can occur with or without a prior incision.
If an umbilical or ventral hernia is encountered during a tummy tuck surgery, it can be repaired. Strengthening and restructuring the abdominal wall also decreases the likelihood of another hernia forming and requiring emergency surgery.
Take Advantage of the Health Benefits of a Tummy Tuck
While getting a tummy tuck is sure to boost your confidence and leave you feeling better about yourself, it could do so much more.
So contact us today to find out if the many health benefits of a tummy tuck apply to you.
And start looking and feeling better!
