If our goal is to reduce abdominal fat, it is important to understand that the key lies in adopting healthy lifestyle habits, including:
- An appropriate nutritional plan, tailored to your metabolism and personal goals.
- Regular physical exercise, combining both cardiovascular and strength training, preferably under the guidance of a personal trainer.
However, many people have stubborn fat deposits that are resistant to diet and exercise, requiring surgical or aesthetic medical solutions to achieve the desired flat stomach. In this article, we discuss abdominoplasty, a surgical procedure designed to remove both excess fat and excess skin from the abdominal area. Keep reading!
Abdominal Fat at Different Stages of Life
Fat tends to accumulate in different areas of the body depending on factors such as sex and genetics. There is a third factor that also influences fat distribution: age. Broadly speaking, we can categorise the behaviour of body fat during the following stages of life:
Between 15 and 25 Years of Age
During this early stage of adulthood, fat is most commonly localised in the periumbilical area — around the navel — and in the flanks.
Between 25 and 35 Years of Age
From the age of 25 onwards, different fat deposits begin to appear, with their location varying according to sex:
- In men, the so-called “love handles” commonly develop. These are fat deposits located on the flanks that tend to be highly resistant to both diet and exercise.
- In women, fat is more commonly concentrated on the inner thighs and the saddlebags area.
Between 35 and 50 Years of Age
During this period, it is essential to consider the impact of pregnancy on changes in a woman’s body.
- In women who have a protruding abdomen after pregnancy, the issue is often not excess fat but abdominal diastasis (separation of the main abdominal muscles). In these cases, abdominoplasty rather than liposuction is usually the most appropriate procedure.
- In men of this age group, the accumulation of intra-abdominal or visceral fat (the fat surrounding the internal organs) is common. For this reason, a proper diagnosis is essential to determine whether liposuction or another type of treatment is most appropriate.
From the Age of 50 Onwards
At this stage of life, skin laxity becomes more common than excess fat. The skin gradually loses quality and elasticity. In these cases, the most suitable treatment is often a procedure aimed at correcting skin laxity, either through minimally invasive techniques (such as Renuvion) or, in more severe cases, abdominoplasty.
How to Achieve a Flat Abdomen: Abdominoplasty
Adopting healthy lifestyle habits, including a balanced diet and regular exercise routine, is essential for achieving an aesthetically pleasing abdomen and maintaining good physical condition.
However, in many cases these measures are not enough to eliminate abdominal fat, skin laxity, or post-pregnancy abdominal diastasis. For these situations, abdominoplasty surgery may be the ideal solution.
Abdominal lipectomy, commonly known as abdominoplasty, is one of the most sought-after cosmetic surgery procedures. This operation is indicated for individuals who, following pregnancy, significant weight loss, or the natural ageing process, present with excess skin or localised fat deposits in the abdominal area.
The procedure involves removing excess skin and fat through an incision placed within the suprapubic crease — just above the pubic area — allowing the scar to remain hidden beneath underwear or swimwear.
In addition, abdominoplasty allows surgeons to repair and tighten the abdominal wall muscles, creating a flatter, firmer, and more defined abdomen.
Beyond its aesthetic benefits, this procedure can also contribute to overall wellbeing and self-confidence by improving posture, reducing the sensation of heaviness, and creating a more balanced body contour.
Technology for Treating Abdominal Skin Laxity
In cases of mild to moderate skin laxity that do not require skin removal surgery, there are minimally invasive or non-invasive alternatives that can be performed either on their own or in combination with surgery:
- VASER Liposuction: removes excess fat.
- Renuvion: tightens the skin from its deeper layers.
- Morpheus8: tightens the skin from the outside in, acting on the more superficial layers.
RECOMMENDED TREATMENTS
Abdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty helps restore a flatter abdomen by removing excess skin and fat deposits while repairing the abdominal wall muscles.
Nutrition and Diet
Metabolic testing at rest and during exercise is the only technology that enables the creation of a personalised nutrition and exercise programme tailored to each individual’s needs.
VASER Liposuction
Advanced ultrasound technology that allows the body to be sculpted and localised fat to be removed from virtually any area with minimal postoperative discomfort.
