We all want to lose belly fat and have a flat stomach, but the amount of exercise and dieting required to build six pack abs just can’t reasonably be achieved for most of us. As we cross our 30s, our body’s metabolism slows down and it becomes very difficult to reduce belly fat. Those of us who have sedentary jobs that do not involve vigorous physical activity experience laxity in our abdominal muscles, which normally hold our abdominal contents tight to create a flat stomach. As we put on weight and our muscles become loose, we develop a pot belly.
Women who have had children find it very difficult to lose belly fat and get a flat stomach. I have seen hundreds of very fit, health conscious and physically active women in my office who have done everything right and still cannot lose belly fat due to pregnancy. Tummy tuck or mini abdominoplasty has helped many people get a flat stomach, but many people do not want surgery and the scars associated with surgery.
New laser liposuction technology enables me to offer patients who want to reduce belly fat and have a flat stomach an effective, minimally invasive procedure that is in many cases as effective as a tummy tuck.
what causes belly fat and belly fat
There are many factors that lead to a fat belly, pot belly or loose belly. Laser liposuction can remove abdominal fat from under the skin and tighten loose abdominal skin. However laser liposuction cannot tighten your abdominal muscles or abdominal muscles. You will need to do abdominal exercises or abdominal exercises to tighten your abdominal muscles.
Laser liposuction also can’t remove the fat inside your belly—the fat inside your abdomen, called mesenteric fat—that wraps around your intestine. If you are very overweight or obese, only significant dieting will help you reduce the belly fat that is inside your belly.
There are many reasons for belly fat or fat tummy or pot belly:
– intra-abdominal fatFat serves a very important survival function. Fat stores energy to provide nutrition during periods when we don’t have enough food. Thus fat is a survival mechanism during periods of starvation. Fat gets stored inside the abdomen in a structure called the mesentery. The mesentery wraps around our intestines and supports the intestines. When we are overweight or obese, a large amount of fat can be present in the mesentery. When there is excess intra-abdominal fat in the mesentery, the fat actually pushes out and stretches the muscles of our abdominal wall and creates a thicker belly. Only dieting or caloric restriction can cause intra-abdominal fat to be used for energy production and disappear.
– Abdominal wall dysfunction-The abdominal muscles (abdominal wall), called abs, hold our intestines and stomach contents in the abdomen. These muscles can become stretched and lax after extensive weight gain, pregnancy and inactivity. When the abdominal muscles, or abdominal wall, loses tone, stretches or becomes loose, the contents inside the abdomen push the abdominal wall forward and create a distended belly or pot belly. Tightening of the abdominal wall, i.e. restoring the tone of the abdominal or abdominal muscles can only be achieved with ab exercises and abdominal muscle conditioning or with abdominoplasty or tummy tuck surgery.
– subcutaneous fat under the belly skinThe fat just below the skin on the stomach also accumulates fat. This fat is called subcutaneous (under the skin) fat and is normally about 1/2 inch thick in most people. When we gain weight and have excess fat, this subcutaneous fat layer 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 abdominal skinMultiple pregnancies and frequent weight gain cause the abdominal skin to stretch and the abdominal or abdominal skin becomes loose. The major breakthrough in laser liposuction is the laser’s ability to tighten abdominal skin. Previous liposuction techniques removed fat but left loose abdominal or abdominal skin after the fat was removed. With laser liposuction, the heat from the laser tightens the skin during the process of dissolving the laser fat.
Laser liposuction to reduce belly fat and flatten the abdomen
Because the laser liposuction fiber dissolves the fat into a thin liquid, the fat is much easier to remove. This allows the surgeon to use very small tubes or cannulas to suction fat from the abdominal skin. As a result, very small holes, usually placed inside the navel, are all that is needed. This means very small, almost invisible scars. Also, in my experience, the skin after laser liposuction is left smooth without the lumps, bumps, and contour distortion often seen with traditional liposuction.
The tightening of the skin after this new technique has been really 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 contours of the abdominal muscles after treatment. In the words of one of my patients “I got my six pack back.”
My patients seem to be recovering more quickly after this new procedure. Many say that they felt better the day after the procedure. However, I tell 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 want to improve the shape of your stomach, these newer techniques may be right for you.
Source by Brooke R. Seckel, M.D., FACS
