In the past 16 month I have managed to shed and keep off 110Lb, (305
down to 195) mainly through diet and lite excersise--10 bike miles
daily, sit-ups and other aerobic excersises. I have gone from a size
50 pants to a 38. My question is, how do I get rid of the excess skin
that is left over round my lower waist area? Its very ugly to see all
the sagging skin in that area of the body. Any suggestions?
Answer:
According to present day plastic surgery lore there are 5 types of
abdomens
1 - requires no treatment
2 - is best treated with liposuction only
3 - is best treated with a combination of liposuction & a mini
abdominoplasty/tummy tuck
4 - is best treated with a combination of liposuction & a modified
abdominoplasty/tummy tuck
5 - is best treated with a combination of liposuction & a standard
abdominoplasty.
Which category you are in depends on the relative amounts of excess
skin/fat
vs. abdominal muscle laxity you have & above vs. below the navel
excess/laxity.
There are some good plastic surgeons who believe 4 should not exist.
Also,
there are probably naturalists, trainers, etc. out there who believe
none
of these should exist except 1. My experience & training in the US &
South
America lead me to believe that all 5 are valid & that diet & exercise
can
be combined with any of the 5. There are a significant number of people
out
there with a condition know as diastasis recti which is never amenable
to
diet or exercise. These people need surgical tightening of the displaced
abdominal muscles. Others have lost significant amounts of weight & may
only require removal of excess skin (lies between type 2 & 3).
Extreme excesses of skin should be removed to prevent skin breakdown,
infection, etc. in which case the procedure may be covered to some
extent by health insurance.
All of these procedures fall under the rubric of body
contouring. To find out which category you fall into you should be
evaluated
by a qualified plastic surgeon.
