A 46 year old female who had a breast lift, full tummy tuck, and high definition liposuction
How does insulin resistance affect cosmetic surgery of the abdomen? To answer your question, we must consider what is insulin resistance.
Insulin Resistance
Does insulin resistance affect cosmetic surgery? Insulin resistance describes a condition that affects 70% of the population. It is a condition that develops from years of chronic and continuous exposure of your body’s cells to high levels of sugar. Yes, health experts identify foods containing sugar as the culprit to most chronic diseases resulting from insulin resistance. Continuous elevation of blood sugars leads to non-interrupted production of insulin. Insulin is responsible for opening up gates on cell membranes. This way, cells can use glucose as fuel.
Insulin resistance follows when cells become fed up with continuous insulin exposure. As a result, they turn off their insulin receptors, closing their gates, thus making the insulin functionless. The result is a positive feedback loop whereby blood sugars become elevated since they can no longer be taken up by all body cells except the pancreas. Since the pancreas is immune to high sugars, it will continue to increase insulin production, further promoting insulin resistance. This cycle continues until the pancreas wears out and you develop prediabetes or diabetes. The most common symptom of insulin resistance is the overgrowth of your visceral or gut fat, making your belly protrude. The net result of insulin resistance is the distension of your belly, which we often call the beer belly in men or the barrel chest in women.
How Does Insulin Resistance Prevent Abdominal Liposuction and Tummy Tuck
Insulin resistance prevents abdominal contouring since it results in overgrowth of the visceral or gut fat. Once gut fat overgrows to the point of protruding the abdominal muscles, cosmetic surgery of the abdomen is no longer indicated. An increase in gut fat causes a taut abdomen. This is a contraindication to both abdominal liposuction and tummy tuck surgery. Abdominal liposuction can remove all of the fat from above the muscle. However, it will not dramatically affect your abdominal contour, which will still appear like an inflated balloon.
A belly full of gut fat will look taut and feel like a tight drum. Additionally, a tummy tuck is not feasible since your plastic surgeon cannot achieve tightening of the abdominal musculature, called muscle plication. A tight abdominal cavity won’t allow your plastic surgeon to narrow the belly by muscle plication, using a weaving process akin to creating an internal corset.
Insulin Resistance and Abdominal Cosmetic Surgery Conclusion
In summary, insulin resistance results in the overgrowth of gut fat which protrudes from your belly and increases pressure on the muscles. Insulin resistance forbids contour improvement following either abdominal liposuction or a tummy tuck. If abdominal cosmetic surgery interests you and you are suffering from a protruding belly, you can complete a simple laboratory to determine if you are insulin resistant. Moreover, you can actively reverse your insulin resistance and eliminate your gut fat with dietary and lifestyle changes.
