We all want to lose belly fat and have a flat stomach, but the amount of exercise and diet that is required to have firm abs is beyond what most of us can reasonably achieve. As we age, past 30, our body’s metabolism slows down and it becomes much more difficult to lose belly fat. Those of us who have sedentary jobs that don’t involve vigorous physical activity experience laxity of our abdominal muscles that normally hold our stomach contents tight to create a flat stomach. As we gain weight and our muscles relax, we develop a protruding abdomen, or potbelly.
Women who have had babies find it very difficult to lose belly fat and have a flat stomach. I’ve seen hundreds of very fit, health-conscious, physically active women in my practice who have done everything right and just can’t lose the belly fat caused by pregnancy. Tummy tuck surgery or mini tummy tuck has helped many people to have a flat stomach, but many do not want the surgery and the scars associated with the surgery.
The new technology of laser liposuction allows me to offer patients who want to lose abdominal fat and have a flat abdomen an effective and minimally invasive procedure that, in many cases, is as effective as a tummy tuck.
What causes belly fat and stomach fat?
There are several components that cause a fat stomach, tummy, or slack belly. Laser liposuction can remove abdominal fat under the skin and achieve tightening of loose skin on the abdomen. However, laser liposuction cannot tighten the stomach muscles or the abdominal muscles. To tighten your stomach muscles, you will need to do stomach exercises or abdominal exercises.
Laser liposuction also cannot remove the fat inside your abdomen, the intra-abdominal fat, called mesenteric fat, which wraps around your intestine. If you are very overweight or obese, only a significant diet will help you lose the abdominal fat that is inside your abdomen.
The various causes of fat belly or a fat tummy or belly are:
– Intra-abdominal fat-Fat plays a very important survival function. Fat stores energy to provide nutrition during periods when we do not have adequate food intake. Thus, fat is a survival mechanism during periods of starvation. Fat is stored within the abdomen in a structure called the mesentery. The mesentery wraps around our intestines and supports the intestines. Huge amounts of fat can be present in the mesentery when we are overweight or obese. When there is excess intra-abdominal fat in the mesentery, the fat actually pushes and stretches the muscles of the abdominal wall and creates a fat belly. Only diet or calorie restriction can cause intra-abdominal fat to be used for energy production and disappear.
– Abdominal wall laxity-The abdominal muscles (abdominal wall), called abdominals, support our intestines and abdominal contents in the abdomen. These muscles can stretch and loosen after heavy weight gain, pregnancy, and inactivity. When the abdominal muscles, or the abdominal wall, lose tone, stretch, or relax, the contents inside the abdomen push the abdominal wall forward, creating a fat belly or bulge. Tightening of the abdominal wall, that is, restoring the tone of the abdominal or tummy muscles, can only be achieved with abdominal exercises and conditioning of the tummy muscles or with tummy tuck or tummy tuck surgery.
– Subcutaneous fat under the skin of the belly– The fat directly under the skin of the belly also stores fat. This fat is called subcutaneous fat (under the skin) and is normally about 1/2 inch thick in most people. When we gain weight and have excess fat, this layer of subcutaneous fat becomes thicker, sometimes up to 4 or 5 inches thick. Laser liposuction is a very effective technique for removing subcutaneous fat. The heat from the laser melts the fat into a thin liquid that is easily removed by suction through very small tubes called cannulas.
– loose belly skin-Multiple pregnancies and repeated weight gain stretch the abdominal skin and create loose skin on the belly or tummy. The biggest advance in laser liposuction is the ability of the laser to tighten the skin on the stomach. Previous liposuction techniques removed fat, but left loose skin on the abdomen or tummy after fat removal. With laser liposuction, the heat from the laser tightens the skin during the laser fat dissolving process.
Laser liposuction to lose abdominal fat and flatten the stomach
Because fiber laser liposuction dissolves fat into a thin liquid, fat removal is much easier. This allows the surgeon to use very small tubes or cannulas to suction the fat from the skin of the abdomen. As a result, all that is required are very small holes, usually placed within the navel. This means very small, almost invisible scars. Also, in my experience, after laser liposuction, the skin is smooth, with no lumps, bumps, or contour deformities often seen with traditional liposuction.
The skin tightening following this new technique has been truly remarkable in my experience. In patients who are fit and not overweight, I have been able to perform laser body sculpting to really reveal the contour of the abdominal muscles after healing. In the words of one of my patients “I got my abs back.”
My patients seem to recover faster after this new procedure. Many say they felt fine the day after the procedure. However, I ask my patients not to return to vigorous or strenuous activity or exercise for at least two weeks.
If you are not obese or very overweight and you want to improve the contour of your abdomen, then these new techniques may be what you are looking for.