It happens every day. Patients grab at their bellies and look up at me helplessly, asking, “I work out literally all the time. Where are my abs?” In most cases, the answer is simple: under a stubborn layer of fat.
Exercise is wonderful, and I encourage it thoroughly. Exercise helps boost your immune system, strengthens your muscles, revs up your cardiovascular system, and makes you look better in the end. There is some evidence that it helps you live longer, improves tissue quality, and may even stave off dementia. The one thing that it seems not able to do is get rid of that stubborn roll of fat that just will not go away. The defeating part of this is that, just when you really got your belly as strong as it ever was, you can’t see anything past that unwanted layer of padding.
The human body holds fat inside fat cells, which are distributed all over the body. The distribution and type of cells varies widely, with some areas gaining and losing fat easily, and others just holding on forever. In places like the belly, the inner thigh, and under the chin, this can be especially resistant. And, no, it is not your imagination. There is some fat that will stay no matter what you try to do about it.
The good news is that these fat problems can be fixed with simple procedures. The most simple is liposuction, which sucks the fat right out from tiny little holes in the skin. It is quick, quite safe, and can be contoured like a sculpture. The best part, however, is that, once removed, those fat cells are completely gone, and with them go the problem. Once the unwanted layer is removed, you can actually see what is under there, which is usually a very obvious strong muscle, and a much more pleasing shape.
As a cosmetic surgeon, I know that there are things that surgery can do that nothing else can. But I do not advocate surgery as a replacement for fitness. Fitness only improves the surgical result, and it also makes the patient’s surgical journey that much safer and better. The ideal place to be in aesthetics is where general health meets well-chosen procedures, an intersection where everything has a role, and each improves the other. But if you are in the gym five days a week, slaving away and feeling your best, and yet somehow your shape does not seem to tell that story, you may be in the category of those who just need a little help showing it all off.
Speak with an experienced plastic surgeon, and find out if you are a candidate for contouring. You would be surprised to know that you are far from alone, and it is not your fault that your sides pouch over your belt. In some cases, there is literally no diet or crunch routine that will remove that thing completely- you need to call in a specialist. But it can probably be fixed, relatively simply; and no fear, no judgments, you are in very good company.
