5 medical benefits from having tummy tuck surgery

It’s no secret that a tummy tuck can flatten an abdominal “pooch” and give you a slimmer profile you’ve long desired. Many women seek abdominoplasty after their childbearing years. Men and women alike turn to this surgery to get rid of the stubborn fat, excess skin and to tighten and reposition abdominal muscles – things that diet and exercise alone can’t fix. While a tummy tuck can provide many cosmetic rewards, it also provides medical benefits, including:

1. Reducing chafing. Depending on the skin’s elasticity, excess skin not only causes discomfort, but it can cause chafing that leads to skin infections. Removing the excess skin during a tummy tuck helps alleviate that problem.
2. Improving posture. Many patients enjoy an improved posture after a tummy tuck procedure due to tightened muscles, which provides more support to the spine.
3. Decreasing back pain. Weakened stomach muscles after significant weight loss or giving birth can be a problem for many patients. A tummy tuck tightens the weakened muscle to provide much-needed abdominal support, thus alleviating back pain.
4. Correcting a ventral hernia. Weakened abdominal muscles can lead to a ventral hernia, which forms when the intestine or abdominal tissue breaks through the abdominal wall, creating a pouch. Tightening the abdominal muscles helps correct this problem as well.
5. Improving bladder control. Stress urinary incontinence is a condition in which there is too much pressure on the bladder and urethra. Sudden, forceful actions such as sneezing, coughing and exercising can cause uncontrollable bladder leakage. Studies show that a tummy tuck may help patients who have this incontinence problem.

A tummy tuck provides immediate results that further improve once the swelling goes away after a few months. This surgery provides aesthetic and medical benefits that last for years to come if you follow a healthy lifestyle. If you live in the Washington, D.C., area, call our office at 202-785-4187 to schedule a consultation and learn more about tummy tuck surgery.