For men and women who have lost a significant amount of weight, or simply experienced a change in physique due to the natural progression of aging, a cosmetic surgery procedure known as abdominoplasty is becoming increasingly more common.

Abdominoplasty, also known as the “tummy tuck”, is a surgical procedure which serves to rectify the appearance of sagging skin in the abdominal area. This sagging skin, sometimes referred to as the pannus, can lead to self consciousness and low self esteem, especially when the formation of this sagging skin is the result of a long hard battle to lose weight.

The tummy tuck procedure is a surgical option to remedy the creation of a pannus, or sagging skin, to the extent that he appearance of sagging skin may no longer be evident when clothes are on. However, when undressed, the appearance of sagging skin may still be present, ever so slightly. As a result, if you are seeking a buffed or perfect physique, abdominoplasty will not provide those results.

When considering a tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, there are some individuals who will find this cosmetic surgery procedure is not ideal for their particular needs. For example, women who have never had children may want to avoid the abdominoplasty as the procedure, itself, removes a great amount of tissue that one day may be necessary to a growing abdomen during pregnancy.

In addition to pregnancy, individuals who are nervous about scarring, or those who have undergone prior abdominal surgeries, may not be candidates for abdominoplasty due to the complications associated with pre-existing medical and psychological complications.

Patients who can not afford to be out of work for as long as four weeks should also re-consider abdominoplasty as the surgery, even the best of healing processes, will require that you be off work for this length of time to have better enhancement after the tummy tuck, can help slim and tone treatment which is painless. When complications arise from tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, the length of time off work could be much longer.

If you are currently overweight, have diabetes or smoke excessively, abdominoplasty will only lead to further complications and should be avoided. Abdominoplasty will not resolve obesity, and can lead to a greater incidence of infection in those who smoke or suffer from abnormal blood glucose levels.

As with any cosmetic procedure, the key to making the right decision for your health lies in your personal education of the process by which the procedure is done, how effective the cosmetic surgical procedure will be and what, if any, risks or health complications may result in your delay in healing or achieving less than optimal results. If you’ve never had children, or if you have unrealistic expectations about surgery, then reconsider abdominoplasty and consider, instead a liposuction or simple diet and exercise routines.