Top 5 Beneficial Procedures For Weight Loss
Plastic surgery should never be considered a replacement for a healthy lifestyle. This is why Dr. Florence Mussat offers medical weight loss programs to help her patients slim down in a safe, manageable way. But, what if you’ve already done the hard work of losing weight? Can plastic surgery help you contour problem areas and improve your weight loss outcomes? Yes, it can—and here’s how:
Liposuction: The Best Solution for Localized Fat Deposits
For many people, getting close to a healthy weight isn’t the hardest part of weight loss. Instead, it’s those last ten or twenty pounds that can seem all but impossible to shift. Factors beyond our control—like genetics, hormones, and natural aging—can create pockets of diet-resistant fat. Women who have had children, for example, often have stores of stubborn fat on their hips, flanks, and thighs. Likewise, most people over 40 have some degree of fat centralization. As we get older, fat leaves our extremities, settling around the midriff instead. Consequently, a person can stay the same weight for decades, but still develop diet-resistant belly fat.
Liposuction is the best way to remove stubborn, localized fat deposits, because it’s both safe and effective. Unlike extreme dieting, it won’t put patients at risk of nutritional deficiencies or energy deficits. Fat is liquefied with a special solution, then extracted through a thin tube (called a cannula). The whole procedure can be performed using just local anesthetic, and the patient usually feels better within five to seven days.
Gynecomastia Surgery: Better Body Confidence for Men
Male breast enlargement—also called gynecomastia—makes it extremely difficult for affected men to adhere to a fitness routine. Men with gynecomastia typically avoid any activity that will draw attention to the chest. Furthermore, research has shown that some men with this condition actually gain weight on purpose, thinking that a large belly will take attention away from their chest area. Fortunately, there’s a much healthier solution: Gynecomastia surgery. This procedure permanently reduces the size of enlarged breasts, giving men the freedom to exercise without embarrassment.
Body Contouring: Key to Long-Term Weight Maintenance
Formerly obese individuals who have lost a large amount of weight (either through diet and exercise or bariatric surgery) are strongly advised to consider plastic surgery. According to a study published in the October 2013 edition of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, formerly obese patients who don’t undergo body contouring regain at least 11% of the weight they lost. Patients who do undergo body contouring, on the other hand, regain just 4% of the weight they lost.
Body contouring can take the form of a full body lift (usually recommended for patients who have lost 100 or more pounds) or a tummy tuck.
The Mommy Makeover: Healing After Pregnancy
For new moms, the biggest barrier to exercise is usually damaged abdominal muscles. During pregnancy, the tissue that joins the lateral halves of the abdominal muscles often tears. Once this happens, the muscles no longer work together properly. As a result, they weaken, and the stomach protrudes outward—even after all of the “baby weight” is gone. During a mommy makeover, sutures are placed in the patient’s damaged abdominal tissue, allowing it to heal properly.
Plastic surgery isn’t a substitute for diet and exercise, but it can be a powerful weapon in your fight against weight gain. To learn more about these procedures, contact Dr. Mussat to schedule a personal consultation.