San Diego Tummy Tuck: Everything You Need to Know About Belly Fat

Belly fat goes by a lot of names — abdominal fat, visceral fat, and central adiposity. It also has informal names like love handles, spare tire and beer belly.  While, it isn’t important that you bother with such terms, it is important to understand how your belly fat develops and what you can do to battle the bulge. Read below for some quick facts on belly fat — from how it develops, to why it matters, and to tips on how to get rid of it with diet, exercise.  Plus, how a San Diego tummy tuck can help you get rid of that extra fat permanently!

Subcutaneous vs. Visceral Fat

Abdominal fat is stored in two ways — subcutaneously and viscerally. The former, subcutaneous fat, sits between your skin and abdominal wall. This is the part in your belly that you can pinch. Beer belly, anyone?

On the other hand, visceral fat is found deeper into your stomach, covering your abdominal organs. Almost everyone have their own lump of visceral fat. However, visceral fat becomes a dangerous asset when the fat content exceeds normal levels, wherein the organ blanketed with fat starts to get inflamed or clogged up. With the resulting inflammation and clogging of blood flow, nutrient delivery becomes inefficient.

By and large, the aforementioned negative mechanisms will lead to insulin resistance, a condition which often results to diabetes. Also, the visceral fat cells tend to influence and increase the level of hormones which regulate appetite. The more visceral fat you have, the greater the chances of weight gain due to increased feelings of hunger.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio

While the BMI (Body Mass Index) calculator has been used as a reliable source of assessing an individual’s overall health, it has been revealed that the Waist-to-Hip ratio measurement is a better method to measuring belly fat. You can use this Waist-to-Hip ratio calculator.  Ratios that are 0.8 and below are considered healthy while those who have ratios of above 0.8 are often advised to lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle as they are more predisposed to obesity-related diseases.

Battling the Bulge

Fortunately, you can do something about the bulge. Both subcutaneous and visceral fat could be reduced through the following:

• Regular exercise: moderate to vigorous exercises such as sprinting has been shown to effectively reduce love handles rather than core exercises such as plans and crunches

• Balanced diet: a diet low in processed carbohydrates, saturated fat and cholesterol

• Getting enough sleep: to avoid increasing cortisol (stress hormones) levels which seem to influence weight gain

• Reducing stress

• Liposuction suctions out stubborn pockets of fat

• Abdominoplasty, or a tummy tuck could improve the appearance of sagging skin in your stomach and the surrounding tissues once you’ve lost weight

San Diego Tummy Tuck

The best candidates for a tummy tuck are women and men who are in relatively good shape and have fat deposits or loose abdominal skin that has not responded to diet, exercise, or both. This procedure can be used alone or combined with liposuction to achieve the results you are looking for. Dr. Chacon can provide you with more details specific to your individual needs.

Arrange a personal consultation with Dr. Chacon at his San Diego Plastic Surgery office today!  He and his Divino Plastic Surgery team will listen to your  concerns, educate you about what is available for you, and make recommendations. Get in touch with us today to book an appointment. Contact us at (858) 633-7546 or fill out this contact form.