Considering A Male Tummy Tuck?
Have you been thinking about the possibility of having a male tummy tuck performed? There are a few things you'll need to know and understand. There are plenty of good reasons for getting a tummy tuck, and at least one bad one. There are always a few risks involved, and there are even several variations or types of procedures you may be able to choose form.
The male tummy tuck procedure, known as an abdominoplasty, is essentially plastic surgery of the lower abdominal area, the area around the hips and the stomach. The male tummy tuck is usually performed to remove skin, tighten muscles, and perhaps to remove a small amount of fat through liposuction. Abdominoplasty generally leaves the patient looking better and feeling better, at least in terms of self image.
When Not To Have One - Let's start with the wrong reason to get a male tummy tuck. Weight loss. If your stomach looks like a protruding beach ball, and it's been months since you've seen the dial on your bathroom scales, you might think a tummy tuck will be a quick answer to your prayers. It isn't. You have to lose the weight first. A tummy tuck may then be needed to get rid of loose hanging skin, or love handles that simply refuse to leave. The male tummy tuck, just like the female tummy tuck, is a cosmetic procedure, designed to refine and sculpt the abdominal area. As far as the protruding beach ball is concerned, only pregnant women should be allowed to have one of those, and nature eventually takes care of that situation. A very pregnant woman can still be quite attractive, a man with a beer belly seldom is.
Why To Have One - What are the right reasons for a male tummy tuck? Getting rid of a little extra fat that exercise simply won't take care of is a legitimate reason. You'll get a flatter stomach, but will have to take care not to gain weight back later on. Improving the way you look and feel about yourself is another valid reason. It's nice to be trim and younger and perhaps more athletic looking. Slimming down via a tummy tuck isn't being any more narcissistic than buying nice looking clothes. The best reason though, and the reason most have for undergoing the procedure, is to remove sagging skin and folds or flaps which often occur and stay on long after a significant amount of weight has been lost. You may have lost 80 pounds, and now your stomach is reasonably flat. But if you have loose folds of skin and don't dare take your shirt off when on the beach, that's little reward for having successfully completed a weight loss program. Another very good reason is to hide scarring which may occur following gastric bypass surgery.
Costs And Risks - When we think tummy tuck, we usually think of it as a women's "thing". There's truth in that as about 96 per cent of the roughly 100,000 people who have the procedure in a given year will be women. As far as the procedure itself is concerned, it is about the same whether it's a male tummy tuck or a female tummy tuck. The operation can be performed by making rather large incisions in some cases and as an endoscopic procedure, making very small incisions in other cases. The cost of a male tummy tuck will vary according to exactly what needs to be done. $10,000 is in the ball park, with a partial procedure usually costing somewhat less. A tummy tuck is not without risk, but few operations are. Some have reactions to the anesthesia or unfavorable reaction to the drugs or medication used. Infection is always a possibility in any surgical procedure. There are other risks as well, most of them dealing with events which are rather rare.
An Out Of Pocket Expense - A male tummy tuck, normally considered to be cosmetic surgery, is unlikely to be covered under most insurance policies, and there are probably very few instances where the operation would be considered as being in necessary due to a life-threatening condition. The main reason for the procedure usually boils down to one thing, self-esteem. That alone can be worth the cost.