An apron belly can be difficult to live with. It can bring about discomfort, physical and emotional distress, or even lead to other health complications. Type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease are just some of the risks that come with having an apron belly. Let’s talk about how to get rid of it.
Natural methods – such as embracing a healthy diet, physical exercises, and changes in lifestyle and general wellness – may work for some people in getting rid of an apron belly. In situations where a person has gained a significant amount of weight, a surgical procedure can be done to get rid of the pannus and complications that come with it.
According to the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery of Texas, the surgical removal of an apron belly or pannus stomach is the only option left when it fails to respond to exercise and changes in diet.
So, diet and exercise do work for some people. The main determining factor has to do with how much weight was gained and how much was lost because no matter how much fat you lose through diet and exercise, you can’t exercise your skin back to its normal size.
Getting Rid of an Apron Belly Without Surgery
Can you get rid of a panniculus without surgery? This is a common question for people who may want to avoid the surgical procedure. Some people will respond to non-surgical ways of removing the apron belly but in others, the only way to get rid of it could be through surgery. Weight loss through diet and exercise is usually done first, whether or not you end up removing it through surgical means.
Be physically active
If your apron belly developed due to weight gain, you can help reverse that by being physically active. That involves doing physical exercises, taking daily long walks, cycling, and jogging among other activities that get your body moving and help burn excess fat.
Cardio exercise helps reduce belly fat as well as strengthen your heart. Only doing cardiovascular exercise may take some time before you start seeing results, but it is a key ingredient to any healthy lifestyle.
Laser Liposuction Treatment
This process melts fat in your belly and in some other parts of the body as well. It is conducted through a small incision and the melted fat inside your is sucked out. Then the entranceway or the incision point is stitched back.
The process uses a laser light that is set to a certain wavelength with focused powerful beams and that works to melt fat deposits in the skin. Most people who are afraid of surgery, or are not eligible for surgical methods, opt for laser treatment.
CoolSculpting Method
This method uses a cooling applicator to freeze fat underneath your skin. Once the key areas of fat have been frozen, your body handles the fat the same way it handles dead cells, they are eliminated naturally.
The amount of time that it takes for complete freezing to happen depends on the amount of fat in your belly. The method focuses on one area at a time, and it may be more costly than laser treatment.
The CoolSculpting procedure is not ideal for everyone, since it can cause complications for breastfeeding mothers and for people with other health issues.
Eating a Healthy Diet
Diet also plays a role in reshaping your pannus stomach and in enhancing your overall health. The simple approach is to reduce the amount of calories you eat and switch to more nutrient-dense foods instead of calorie-dense foods. Staying properly hydrated on a daily basis is also a key part of this.
Diet can help manage your weight and get off the excess fat, but it may not necessarily help you get rid of your entire belly.
Low-glycemic foods should be eaten to help lose weight and are widely recommended among health professionals. Some foods and drinks to avoid include alcoholic drinks, fried foods, white bread, soda, sugary foods, sweets, and refined grains.
Maintain a Regular and Sufficient Sleep Routine
This works. Studies have revealed that sleeping less than 7 hours may lead to abdominal obesity since sleep deprivation is also correlated with an increase in body mass index. Adequate sleep also helps keep your hormones under control.
Surgical Options for Getting Rid of an Apron Belly
Surgery is a sure way of getting rid of an apron belly. If you have dieted and exercised and now have loose skin that hasn’t come back up to its original shape, then surgery can be looked into as an option. Before surgery is done, a doctor would examine different factors during a consultation to ensure that the method is safe for you. Not everyone is eligible for surgery. Doctors often turn away those with medical concerns, smokers, or those who generally lead unhealthy lifestyles.
Panniculectomy
Panniculectomy is the name of the surgical procedure that is carried out to get rid of the pannus stomach. A panniculectomy is different from a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) in that this procedure only gets rid of the excess skin and fat. The abdominal wall – even though it may be stretched – is not altered in this procedure. A panniculectomy considers the different levels or stages of the panniculus before it is done and the levels considered include:
- Grade 1 – where the apron belly just covers your public hair and goes upwards to the mons pubis.
- Grade 2 – where the belly covers the genitals.
- Grade 3 – where the belly covers the genitals and up to the upper thigh.
- Grade 4 – where the belly has reached the mid of the thighs.
- Grade 5 – where the belly can reach the knees or even goes lower than that.
The above grades help the doctor decide whether or not a panniculectomy is suitable or not. Levels 3, 4, and 5 in that order are the most difficult to manage without surgery and hence panniculectomy is essential if the medical history allows it. In these extreme cases, it is also covered by insurance.
The procedure involves cutting the lower parts of the belly, removal of excess fat and skin, and closing up the incision with stitches. The excess fluid is drained and the wound is dressed with bandages with the tubes remaining to drain out more fluid.
Compression garments are also used since they help in keeping the cut area tight and supported for faster healing.
How Painful Is a Panniculectomy?
With a panniculectomy, you may feel some numbness and slight pain for a few months while recovering. General anesthesia is used during the surgery so that you are unconscious for the duration.
In the first week after surgery, your belly may become sore or even swollen. This is why it may be necessary to stay in the hospital for a few days after the surgery so that the doctors can monitor your belly until you are able to manage it on your own.
Tummy Tuck Surgery
While a panniculectomy is done with the main aim of removing the pannus, a tummy tuck focuses on tightening the abdominal muscles to enhance the shape of the abdomen or the tummy area. This is done by removing fat and extra skin and tightening the abdominal muscles.
If you are looking to get a shapely figure back, then a tummy tuck is the route for you. A panniculectomy will not return your midsection to the same appealing shape that a tummy tuck will.
In some cases, surgical doctors combine the procedure so that the pannus is removed and the abdominal muscles are tightened for a better shape.
Final Thoughts
Most apron belly cases come about from excessive weight gain, which causes the belly to sag towards the genitals or thighs.
If you have a small apron belly, you can probably get rid of it – or at least make great progress – by adopting a healthy diet and an exercise routine that helps burn off the excess fat.