Tummy Tuck

You cut your calorie and fat intake and practically live at the gym. But despite doing hundreds, if not thousands, of abdominal exercises every week, you can not control your protruding belly. Your midsection is a blight on your otherwise trim figure, and it bothers you to no end.

You may be a candidate for an abdominoplasty, or "tummy tuck". For a growing number of Americans, this surgical procedure which offers to tighten and thin the stomach may be worth the risks, discomfort, time off from work and associated scarring.

According to the most recent data available from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of tummy tucks performed annually in the United States rose 36 percent between 1996 to 1998, to 46,597 procedures.

Once healed from surgery, your tummy will be flat and tight. You may lose up to several inches from your waistline and your clothes will often fit better. You may also be a few pounds lighter, depending on how much skin and fat were removed.

Any stretch marks and old scars that you had below the level of your belly button may be gone after the operation.

The aesthetic results of your operation should be permanent, as long as you avoid gaining weight and pregnancy. Weight gain or pregnancy will cause your abdomen to protrude again, but to a lesser extent than before your tummy tuck.