What Non-Surgical Alternatives to Abdominoplasty are there?


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There are a number of alternatives to an Abdominoplasty out there if you do not feel ready to have the surgery yet, or even feel that it is not right for you. They are less invasive than an Abdominoplasty and so therefore are kinder to your body and require less healing time. However, before deciding to go with a non-invasive alternative, you first need to be aware of both the advantages and the disadvantages of each procedure.

Lipodissolve


What is it?

Lipodissolve is a fairly new technique that has been developed. It is the most popular alternative to Abdominoplasty in America; this is because unlike Abdominoplasty, it is not invasive and the results are almost as good as having the actual surgery. It consists of a series of injections which are designed to melt small areas of fat around the injection. While the exact chemicals used in the injections varies between doctors, the general chemicals that are used include multivitamins, alpha lipid acid, enzymes, plant extract, and a chemical known as phosphatidylcholine/deoxycholate. During the treatment, your doctor will inject the mixture into your skin, in the areas where it is needed to dissolve the fat there.

What are the Costs?

The costs vary depending on how much you want to have done, however, on average the cost is around £200. It is therefore, a fraction of the price of Abdominoplasty, but you need to remember that you will need to have several before you can get the full results of anything close to an Abdominoplasty.

What are the Advantages?

One of the main advantages that lipodissolve has against traditional Abdominoplasty, is that it is a non-invasive procedure; the injections are usually so painless that they do not require any kind of anaesthetic. A further advantage is that because it is a non-surgical alternative, there are no scars left behind once you have had the operation done, this is furthered by the fact that (unlike Abdominoplasty which can take up to two years) , the results can be seen after three weeks. It is recommended that you have a number of treatments, around a month apart, to achieve the maximum result of the procedure.

What are the Risks/side-effects and Disadvantages?

The main side effects of lipodissolve include soreness around the area, swelling and some pain. However, these side effects were only temporary and usually are gone after a few days. One of the main risks and problems with the method is that phosphatidylcholine/deoxycholate, while approved by the FDA (the Food and Drug Administration) for use in breaking down fat in the blood, and thus reduce the risk of heart disease, has not been approved for any other kind of use; including its use in lipodissolve. This is an in issue because while it is safe for the particular use given to it by the FDA, we do not yet know what the side effects may be for other uses and therefore, this is a large disadvantage. A further problem is that many of the ingredients that are used in the injections are not approved for use by the FDA for their purpose, and they are not approved for use together, mixed as they are in the injections. Therefore, if you do decide to use lipodissolve, you do so at your own risk, aware that you are using a technique that has not yet been approved like other techniqueshave been. You should remember, though, that there are a number of trials in progress that are assessing the possibility of FDA approval.

A further risk that you MUST be aware of is that the treatment can have serious side effects if it is used when you have other conditions such as cancer or diabetes. Therefore you should always consult your doctor before having the procedure done to make sure that it is safe (relatively) for you to have done.

Lipolaser


What is it?

Lipolaser is a non-surgical alternative to Abdominoplasty and is one of the more advanced solutions that are available on the market today. It is used mainly by people who only need to lose a small amount of fat, or even those who need to lose fat in a specific place. It is also useful because it is completely non-invasive and therefore does not leave any scaring or marks on your body. It works through a paddle that has laser diodes that create light on a very specific wavelength. This specific wavelength passes through the skin and other tissue harmlessly, though it causes a reaction when it comes into contact with the fatty tissue. It works through causing the fat cells to become temporary permeable and so allows the fat to, in essence, drain away. The fat that is lost is either burned up by your body or passes through your lymphatic system and is excreted as urine. The entire procedure takes around thirty minutes, though you are encouraged to drink large amounts of water before and after as this allows your body to break down the fat cells, and then flush them out. You will, however, have to have a number of treatments to see the results, usually having two during the first week. However, it only takes a week to notice the results.

What are the Costs?

Like the lipodissolve above, you will need to have a number of treatments to see any actual results. It is, however, not cheap, costing around £2000 pounds for a treatment depending on how much you are hoping to have done.

What are the Advantages?

The main advantage that lipolaser has over Abdominoplasty is that it is completely non-invasive and so therefore you are left with no scaring or marks. A further advantage is that you will be able to go to work the next day, rather than the month long convalescence that is required of Abdominoplasty.

What are the Disadvantages?

There are two main disadvantages that the technique has; the first is that, in the UK at least, it can be incredibly expensive; not much cheaper than having the actual Abdominoplasty. The second disadvantage is that in a number of studies conducted, there has been no evidence that the wavelength that is used (650nm) nor the strength of the laser (between 7.5 and 14 milliwatts) has any effect on the body; to put this into perspective, most lasers that are used in ablative skin treatments are around 30watts, far more powerful.

Abdominal Etching


What is it?

Abdominal etching is a form of liposuction, though it differs in that it is a far more complex and difficult operation to perform. Rather than sucking out the fat generally like in normal Abdominoplasty, Abdominal etching is where your surgeon sucks out the fat between the abdominal muscles; this creates a better definition of the muscle than normal liposuction. The main difference between them as well is that while Abdominoplasty and liposuction takes away the excess fat and skin that you have, abdominal etching simply sculpts your abdomen giving you better definition. It is best seen as the last procedure in a process of weight loss. It can also be used as a way of defining your abdominal muscles if you are still thin but are lacking the definition that you wish. Abdominal etching first gained popularity in the early 90s, though since it has become increasingly popular, especially amongst healthy men and women who are looking for better sculpting. The procedure takes about an hour to do, and you are under what is known as twilight anaesthetic; this is where you are under general anaesthetic but you are awake. It is also possible, though, that you will be asked to show the surgeon where your abdominal muscles are as this will help to make the procedure faster. The surgeon will then make a number of incisions, into which they will insert the tube that they will use to take out the fat that you require. However, you also need to know that abdominal etching works best if your body fat is below 18%, if you are above this then you are less likely to see the results.

What are the Costs?

The costs of abdominal etching vary from place to place, and you need to be aware of variations in surgeons (though like with proper Abdominoplasty, you need to make sure that you find the right surgeon for you and not to go for one simply because he or she is the cheapest). You also need to be aware that, like Abdominoplasty, you will not get it on the NHS (because, unlike Abdominoplasty, there is no reason for you to have it that could be considered life threatening), which means you will have to have it done privately. This can make the procedure quite expensive with prices for abdominal etching costing between £2000 and £5000 depending on where you look.

What are the Advantages?

The main advantage of abdominal etching is that, unlike a fully Abdominoplasty, it is not a massively invasive procedure, which means that rather than taking nearly a year to heal, most of the healing process (and therefore the visible results) is finished after about six months. This also means that you will be able to get back to an active lifestyle quicker, which is a bonus if you are naturally fit (though if you are then it is unlikely that you are thinking about going for an Abdominoplasty in the first place and Abdominal etching may be the procedure that you need to give you the six pack that you are just missing). A further advantage is that because it is such a minor surgical procedure, with only a small number of incisions being made rather than one large one, it means that there is less general scarring that is visible.

What are the Disadvantages?

The main disadvantage with abdominal etching is that, unlike Abdominoplasty, it is far less effective at cutting out any stomach you have. If you have excess skin and fat then Abdominal etching is not for you as it does not remove the excess skin, nor does it remove as much fat as a full Abdominoplasty does. This means that it is only effective if you are already at a reasonable level of fitness; this disadvantage is further added to by the fact that during the procedure, unlike Abdominoplasty again, the surgeon will not strengthen your muscles. A second disadvantage is the cost; it is not much cheaper than a fully Abdominoplasty, which means that while it is a good way to finish off large scale weight loss, it is an expensive closing procedure.

Gastric Bypass Surgery


While not technically, an Abdominoplastic operation, it is included here because over time it can help you to lose weight, and any excess abdominal fat that you may have.

What is it?

A Gastric Bypass reduces the size of your stomach, and thus reducing the amount of food that you are in taking. It is part of the family of surgery that is known as briariatric surgery. This means that it is a type of surgery that is designed to help you to lose weight. A Gastric Bypass does two things; first, it makes your stomach smaller by cutting part of it away, and secondly it removes part of your small intestine. Doing this has a twofold effect; it means that you will be full sooner than you would otherwise; it also means that, because part of your small intestine has been cut away, some of the food you eat will not be digested. These two things mean that once you have had a Gastric Bypass your weight loss should be large. You should remember, however, that you should only use a Gastric Bypass when you have tried other methods of weight loss, and you should, ideally, be over 40 on the BMI scale.

What are the Advantages?

There are a few advantages to having a Gastric Bypass; the most important being that because of the alterations made by the surgeon, you will lose a lot of weight very quickly. This, though, is only a minor advantage because you need to remember that loosing too much weight too quickly can be just as unhealthy as putting on too much as well. A further advantage is that, unlike Abdominoplasty, a Gastric Bypass means that it is far harder for you to put the weight you lose back on again; this is because while an Abdominoplasty takes away the fat and skin, unless you start to exercise and eat healthily, you will put the weight back on, therefore rendering the Abdominoplasty pointless. With a Gastric Bypass, however, because part of your stomach has been removed, it is far harder to put the weight back on and therefore you are more likely to stay at a healthy weight.

What are the Disadvantages?

However, despite these advantages, there are numerous disadvantages of having a Gastric Bypass. The first, and most major is that you get the possibility of an effect called 'dumping'. This is where you have eaten too much sugary foods and because the food is passing through your digestive system faster than it would do otherwise, too fast for your body, you experience a drop in blood sugar for a while before your body can compensate. This has many manifestations physically, such as sickness, diarrhoea, and even abdominal pain. If, however, you monitor what you are eating and do not intake too much sugar then you should be okay. This, though, is a large disadvantage as it means that you will need to be much stricter with what you are eating. A further disadvantage is the number of complications that can arise from having the surgery these include getting a blood clot in your lung, known as a pulmonary embolism, getting a chest infection, and, worst of all, leakage where the your stomach is re-joined to the small intestine that has not been cut away. This is especially dangerous and you will need to have emergency surgery to fix it.

Conclusions

Each of the alternatives above has their own advantages and disadvantages; this article can only point them out, it is up to you whether you feel if any of them are a better alternative to Abdominoplasty. For the most part the alternatives are cheaper than Abdominoplasty, though the effects and results are less provable, but this should not discourage you from them. It should be noted, though, that if you do not want to have the surgery (for any reason) then the majority of the procedures above are good alternatives that do not require going under the knife, or require only very minor surgery.

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