What are the best ways to lose belly fat?
Many women hide their tummy under baggy clothes and would like to lose centimetres in this area. While a healthy lifestyle can limit the storage of fat around the abdomen, only medical and cosmetic surgery techniques, including tummy tuckare the only way to get rid of these fatty deposits. Losing belly fat is a real challenge for women, and Clinique du Lac is here to help.
What causes an unsightly tummy?
Weight variations, multiple pregnancies, hormonal imbalances, a sedentary lifestyle and the aging process are all factors responsible for excess fat localized in the abdomen, sagging skin and the appearance of stretch marks. Some women can't stand their bulging tummies, and do everything in their power to make them disappear. Dietary measures and regular exercise are not always enough, and sometimes medical treatment or cosmetic surgery is required.
Anti-puffiness foods and sports exercises to lose belly fat
Eating a healthy, varied diet helps to keep your tummy flat: white meats or fish, vegetables and wholegrain cereals can be on the menu every day. Try to avoid foods that cause bloating and swelling: soft drinks, salt...
Once or twice a week, do at least 45 minutes of cardio-training: power walking, running, cycling, skipping rope... As a complement, adopt disciplines such as yoga or Pilates, which allow you to stretch your muscles in depth by integrating breathing exercises that release tension.
Eliminating abdominal fat with cold
Cryolipolysis is a technique that uses cold to destroy fat cells on the abdomen. The device used cools the area to be treated to below zero degrees. The treatment results in the death of fat cells, which will be naturally evacuated by the body in the weeks that follow.
The benefits: Cryolipolysis requires neither anesthesia nor hospitalization. The session lasts one hour and is painless, so you can use the time to read, listen to music or relax.
After-effects: the treated area is red and numb for a few hours. Some patients may experience aches and pains for a few days.
Results: Cyolipolysis can reduce localized fat deposits by 25-45%. Results are not immediately apparent, as the body must wait until it has eliminated the fat cells, up to about two months after treatment. One session is generally sufficient to achieve satisfactory results, and can be repeated with a 3-month interval between sessions.
Limitations: this method is suitable for people with localized, moderate excess fat (fat fold between 2 and 6 cm).
During your consultation, your practitioner will examine you and take the necessary measurements. He or she will tell you whether cryolipolysis is right for you, or refer you to other options.
Abdominal liposuction to remove rolls of fat
Liposuction is a surgical procedure to remove localized fatty deposits on the abdomen, when the skin has not yet sagged. Fine cannulas are inserted under the skin to suck out the fat cells.
Advantages: abdominal liposuction is a relatively simple outpatient procedure performed under local or general anesthesia.
After-effects: Patients experience tightness and soreness, and must wear a compression garment for 2 to 4 weeks, until the edema has subsided. Return to work takes 2 to 10 days.
Results: results are progressive and can be appreciated definitively between three months and a year, depending on the skin's capacity to retract.
Limitations: liposuction is not a weight-loss method; it only reshapes the figure.
In the case of distended skin and abdominal muscles, abdominoplasty should be considered, a more extensive procedure combining liposuction, abdominal muscle re-tensioning and a skin lift. Umbilicoplasty, on the other hand, improves the appearance of the navel.
Our surgeons carry out a thorough medical examination to check that there are no contraindications, and they take into account the volume of fat to be removed, the tone of the abdominal belt and the condition of the skin to determine the most suitable treatment. Contact the Clinique du Lac to book an appointment.