The desire of men for a trim and sculpted abdominal area exists regardless of age. It is a concern for many men throughout their entire lives. More so than bulging muscles and exercise endurance, a reasonably flat stomach and smooth waistline has more practical lifelong benefits for clothing wear and self-esteem. For men the stomach and flanks are the main fat depository areas so there remains a continued battle throughout life to achieve this goal.
While a consistent long-term diet and exercise program is an integral part to a successful fight against unsightly fat deposits, many men’s genetic body types and will power work against this campaign. Thus enters the consideration of liposuction…should I do it to help or are these ill-gotten gains that will be short-lived?
When considering liposuction, men should ask themselves three important questions. First, have I made some type of commitment to optimize the surgical results and maintain them afterwards? This, of course, refers to a lifestyle change in diet and exercise. There is no sense in spending thousands of dollars if a year from the surgery you are back to where you started. Second, at what weight and shape do I want to be in for the surgery? For some, losing as much weight as possible and then having the surgery is best. For others, liposuction may be considered a jumpstart or a front end approach to beginning the process. Contrary to popular perception, either method is acceptable and that consideration must be individualized and thought through with good counseling and education at the time of the plastic surgery consultation. In my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice, I have seen both approaches work…as well as fail. Lastly, how much recovery can I afford to go through? Liposuction of the mid-section, where every body movement affects, is always more difficult and prolonged than most men assume. Your work and lifestyle schedule must have a realistic amount of time built in to accommodate this issue.
While numerous types liposuction exist, I currently prefer Smartlipo or laser liposuction for abdominal contouring. Some plastic surgeons use the term abdominal sculpting but for most men undergoing the procedure that term is overstated. Abdominal sculpting is for the already thin male who is getting muscular etching and waistline indention. Most male liposuction strives to get the abdomen flatter and not having waistline hangovers around the beltline. Smartlipo, in my experience, appears to be better as more fat can be eliminated due to the collateral damage from the heat of the laser. Laser liposuction is more than just zapping fat that the end of the probe hits. (traditional liposuction only sucks out fat that the tip of the cannula touches) The overall heat build-up that occurs in the treated area from the use of the laser damages fat cells that the end of the probe never touches.
Successful abdominal shaping in men is a combination of integrating liposuction into a long-term plan, having a realistic expectation of outcome, and allowing enough time for a satisfactory recovery.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana