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Will My Insurance Cover My Tummy Tuck? | Beverly Hills Plastic SurgeryTummy tuck is a popular body contouring procedure that can help individuals achieve a tight, flat abdomen. This procedure is most common for those following pregnancy or massive weight loss that are left with excess skin. If you are considering tummy tuck surgery and how to pay for it, speak with your surgeon’s office about insurance and financing options. plastic surgeon Dr. David Kim provides tummy tuck to patients in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA, and surrounding locations.

Procedure

Tummy tuck surgery is an outpatient procedure performed under general anesthesia. Once sedated, your surgeon will create a horizontal incision along the bikini line to tighten and repair the abdominal muscles. Excess skin is trimmed and removed, with the remaining skin pulled tight and sutured closed to create a smooth, flat appearance.

Insurance

Tummy tuck is usually considered a cosmetic procedure that is not medically necessary and therefore not covered by insurance. If you have excessive loose skin that causes rashes or infections, your doctor may deem it medically necessary to have it removed. In this case, your insurance may cover a portion of your tummy tuck. You would still be responsible for paying the costs associated with the muscle tightening portion of your surgery.

Discuss Costs with Your Provider’s Office

If you are wanting to use insurance coverage towards your tummy tuck, it is important to discuss this with your surgeon’s office prior to your consultations and appointments. Some practices do not accept insurance. Most practices offer financing options if you are unable to have your surgery covered. You should also speak with your insurance company to determine what they will be covering should it be deemed medically necessary for you to undergo surgery. During your initial consultation, your surgeon’s office will give you a breakdown of costs as well as discuss financing and payment options to best fit your needs. plastic surgeon Dr. David Kim provides tummy tuck to patients in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA, and surrounding locations.

Schedule a Consultation with Beverly Hills California Plastic Surgeon Dr. Kim

For more information on the surgical and non-surgical procedures and treatments by Cosmetic Plastic Surgeons Dr. David Kim and Dr. Eugene Kim.  Click here to contact us today.

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You’re closer to your ideal weight after practicing healthy eating and exercise habits, but you’re still unhappy with the appearance of your abdomen. You might be frustrated that your belly is still flabbier than you’d like it to be, that it retains a bulge you can’t flatten, or that loose, sagging skin makes you embarrassed to show your midriff. You’re considering treatment to take you that last step to a firm, flat, trim midsection, but you’re not sure which to choose.

In this article, we’ll explain your treatment options and help guide you to the best choice, based on your goals.

It’s Your Body, Your Priorities, and Your Choice

Every body is different and responds in different ways to aging, weight changes, and pregnancy. And every individual has different priorities in life — not just about how they look, but how much time they can take for treatment and how quickly they’d like to see results. Here are the key factors to consider as you weigh your treatment options:

Tummy tuck

A tummy tuck is surgery to tighten loose skin, repair weakened and separated abdominal muscles, and remove excess fat. It’s major surgery, but it’s the most transformative of the procedures to repair a flabby, bulging belly. With a tummy tuck, you’ll get a firm, flat, smooth abdomen and a slimmer waistline. If you have loose, sagging skin on your stomach and your belly bulge is from muscles that no longer hold your midsection flat, a tummy tuck is the only procedure that can restore a youthful appearance.

While a tummy tuck can work wonders to improve your appearance, it does require downtime for recovery. Most patients take at least two weeks off from work, and it can take several more weeks before they feel completely back to normal. For a sense of the results you can expect from a tummy tuck, view our before-and-after photo gallery.

Liposuction

Liposuction is a minimally invasive procedure to remove pockets of excess fat. It’s a body-contouring procedure, not an overall weight-loss treatment, as it targets specific areas of diet- and exercise-resistant fat. In liposuction, a thin tube, or cannula, is inserted through small incisions and used to break up and remove fat deposits. The fat cells removed in liposuction are gone forever and they won’t grow back. If you gain weight after treatment, the remaining fat cells will increase in size, but there are fewer of them in the treated area, so your stomach will remain proportionally slimmer. Liposuction does not work to tighten loose skin or repair weakened abdominal muscles.

Most patients need a few days to a week of downtime after liposuction and may have some short-term swelling and bruising. The slimming effects are visible immediately, and final results appear after about three weeks. You can see examples of these results in our before-and-after photo gallery.

CoolScultping

CoolSculpting is a remarkable new treatment that uses precisely controlled cold temperatures to destroy fat cells where excess fat lingers in pinchable bulges. The technology uses a cooling device that surrounds the area to be treated, chilling the fat to the point where it is damaged, without hurting skin, muscle, and other surrounding tissue. In the weeks following treatment, these damaged fat cells are naturally processed out of the body as waste.

You’ll have no downtime after a CoolSculpting session. You can walk out of treatment and go straight back to work or resume your normal activities. Final results appear about three months after treatment, and it can take more than one session to achieve optimal results.

Learn More About Abdominal Treatments in Beverly Hills

Dr. David Kim and Dr. Eugene Kim at Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery have developed an impeccable reputation for stunning, natural-looking cosmetic treatment and plastic surgery results, attracting patients from all over the world. Contact our practice today at (310) 746-5475 or send an online request to schedule a consultation and a recommendation on the abdominal treatment — or treatments — best suited to your needs. For many patients, a combination of procedures is the ideal solution.

 

Body contouring is the term for the set of cosmetic treatments that sculpt and shape your body to improve your appearance. Some trim excess fat that can remain in stubborn bulges after you’ve lost weight with diet and exercise or that may form as you age. Some tighten loose skin and weakened muscles that have stretched with weight changes or pregnancy. Some reshape parts of your body to improve your figure.

If you’re unhappy with the shape or appearance of some part of your body and aren’t getting the results you want through healthy eating and exercise habits, you might be a good candidate for body contouring. And if you’ve considered body contouring, you probably have questions about the many options.

Here are answers to some common questions about body contouring:

Can Body Contouring Help Me Lose Weight?

This may be the most common question about body contouring, and the simple answer is: not directly. Body contouring treatments are intended to sculpt and shape your body when you are reasonably close to your ideal weight. They aren’t a weight-loss method and don’t work to remove significant amounts of fat over large areas of your body. That said, many body-contouring procedures do remove fat in specific parts of your body, which can eliminate a pound or two — even several pounds — of excess flab and a half-inch to three inches from your waistline. The results can also make you feel better about your body and yourself, which, for some people, is a motivation to put on exercise clothes and be more active. In that way, body contouring can have an indirect effect on weight loss.

How do I decide which body contouring procedure is right for me?

The choice of body contouring procedure will depend on your body and your goals, as well as your willingness to have surgery with its resulting downtime.

A consultation with a skilled and experienced plastic surgeon is the best way to understand your body contouring choices and find out which will best address your needs. A combination of procedures might be the best solution for you.

How long do the results of body contouring last?

The results of body contouring are long-lasting if you maintain a steady weight. The fat cells removed with CoolSculpting or liposuction are gone from that part of your body forever, and new cells will not grow there. But fat cells in the treated area and elsewhere on your body will increase in size if you gain weight, which can undo some of the positive effects of your treatment. In much the same way, you can lose the smooth, firm abdomen you get with a tummy tuck if you gain significant weight or have more children.

To maintain your results, make healthy eating and exercise habits part of your normal routine and avoid the cycles of weight gain and loss that can result from extreme dieting.

Learn More About Body Contouring in Beverly Hills

Dr. David Kim and Dr. Eugene Kim at Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery have developed an impeccable reputation for stunning, natural-looking cosmetic treatment and plastic surgery results, attracting patients from all over the world. Contact our practice today at (310) 746-5475 or send an online request to schedule a consultation.

In recent years, CoolSculpting has experienced a boom among cosmetic procedures. Increasing numbers of men and women looking for a way to get rid of stubborn fat pockets without surgery have turned to this non-invasive option. Proponents of CoolSculpting describe transformative results with virtually no discomfort or downtime after the procedure.  After reading glowing testimonials and maybe even looking at before-and-after pictures, you may find yourself wondering if CoolSculpting is just too good to be true. It’s natural to be skeptical, so we recommend turning to the science to determine whether this is a procedure you’d like to pursue.

How Does CoolSculpting Work?

An understanding of how CoolSculpting works must first begin with a few important facts you should know about fat cells.  When you gain weight, fat is deposited in areas of your body through the expansion of existing fat cells and the creation of new cells. Unfortunately, once a new fat cell has been added, it won’t go away or die on its own.  

Weight loss allows the fat cells of the body to shrink, but they won’t decrease in number. This explains how some areas can be “stubborn” and tend to hang on to unwanted bulges despite your best exercise and dietary habits.  It is precisely these problem areas that cause patients to seek options such as CoolSculpting, or cryolipolysis.

Cryolipolysis is among the few non-surgical fat reduction procedures available to patients. Initially discovered by Harvard professors, this treatment uses extremely cold temperatures to target, freeze and kill excess fat cells in different parts of the body. Once destroyed, the cellular remains are metabolized and flushed from the area, reducing bulk to reveal a more toned and sleek appearance. More importantly, the results of this procedure are permanent and these fat cells won’t return as long as you are able to maintain a relatively stable weight.

The Verdict on CoolSculpting

While popular sites like RealSelf can offer insight from fellow patients who’ve undergone the procedure, the indisputable proof is best found in the review of scientific and clinical studies. For many patients, the decision to pursue CoolSculpting often comes down to two key questions: How well does it work and how long will it last? In the case of CoolSculpting, results from patients, physicians, and unbiased third parties all point to the same conclusion – CoolSculpting works and you can count on long-lasting results. 

During clinical trials, studies performed by various researches showcased the efficacy of cryolipolysis as a safe treatment for decreasing fat content in targeted areas of the body. A comprehensive review of the scientific research on cryolipolysis revealed that fat cells can be reduced up to 25% after a single treatment, and the vast majority of patients that undergo this procedure can see visible results.

CoolSculpting’s growing popularity among patients has made additional research and new insights into the long-term effects possible. These additional studies have demonstrated the long-term impacts of the treatment, showing that this non-surgical approach to fat reduction offers lasting results for patients who do not experience weight gain after the procedure. 

Another review of the literature examined the side effects of the procedure and found them to be minimal.  Patients express extremely high satisfaction with their CoolSculpting experience and outcomes, and the vast majority of them would recommend the procedure to their friends. From this and additional research, physicians and research scientists have concluded that cryolipolysis is a safe, comfortable, and effective treatment for patients.

Enhance Your Figure with CoolSculping Today

At Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery, our experts specialize in transforming figures and lives. When it comes to non-invasive procedures like CoolSculpting, Dr. David Kim and Dr. Eugene Kim focus on using the latest and most effective techniques to ensure that patients are satisfied with their results long after their procedures. To learn more about the benefits of CoolSculpting, call 310-746-5475 today and schedule your consultation at Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery today!

There’s no doubt that being a mom is a rewarding experience. But all too often, we forget the toll that pregnancy and childbirth can take on woman’s body. Hips become wider while skin and muscles in the abdomen stretch out. After giving birth, post-partum bodies can continue to change, especially if a woman decides to breastfeed. Combined with shifting priorities, physical changes to a woman’s figure can easily take a toll on their self-confidence. 

To help support a woman’s ongoing efforts to achieve their pre-baby body, certain cosmetic treatment plans like a mommy makeover are designed to help women restore their figures and self-confidence.  Here’s how:

Targets the Impacts of Pregnancy

As no two pregnancies are exactly alike, mommy makeovers are highly customized to help target the areas affected by each woman’s pregnancy. For some, this can mean their mommy makeover is a combination of abdominoplasty and breast lift. For others, the perfect mommy makeover includes tummy tuck plus non-invasive facial treatments. At Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery, our goal in crafting highly personalized surgical strategies is to ensure that the results comprehensively address each woman’s concerns. 

Enhance Current Efforts 

For countless post-partum women, diet and exercise are important first steps in restoring pre-baby bodies. While these efforts can certainly make a difference, they may not be enough to fully address all of changes caused by childbirth. Mommy makeover procedures like liposuction and abdominoplasty can help women achieve their desired goals faster as well as accentuate their hard work in the gym.   

Feel Comfortable in All Clothes 

For many women, mommy makeover isn’t just about restoring their pre-baby figure – it’s also about being able to feel comfortable in your body regardless of what you’re wearing. Depending on the degree of skin or muscles stretching, mommy makeover strategies can be developed to include different body contouring procedures that ensure clothes fit just as well if not better than before. 

Feel Sexy Again

Self-confidence plays a large role in any person’s ability to feel sexy and attractive. For post-partum women struggling to feel comfortable in their new bodies, feeling attractive can seem even more unattainable. Mommy makeovers are designed to target unwanted sagging or stretched skin, help women achieve their pre-baby bodies and pre-baby levels of self-confidence. 

Invest in Yourself

Being a mom is a full-time job, starting before your baby is even born For many women, life after children takes on a new focus where hours spent at the gym are now spent at Mommy and Me classes or shuttling kids off to extracurricular activities. In that time, it can become easy for women to lose their identity as someone beyond a mother. For some women, investing in a mommy makeover is viewed as the first step toward redefining themselves and regaining their sense of self. The resulting decision can be a serious confidence booster that leads to more choices that benefit not only the individual, but their entire family. 

Rebuild Self-Confidence at Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery

From consultation through recovery and follow-up, the plastic surgeons at BHPS are committed to helping all individuals feel confident in their appearance. Learn how a mommy makeover can help you regain confidence in your appearance by scheduling your consultation with our experienced specialists today!

From the classical era to classic film legends, the hourglass figure is a timeless one that celebrates femininity. Not everyone is born with this classic figure though. While yesteryears ladies may have tried to accentuate their assets with corsets and restrictive diets, new innovations in plastic surgery techniques have made it easier for the modern woman to achieve this classic look while still looking natural.

Creating the Iconic Waist

When it comes to creating the iconic hourglass figure, the bust to waist to hips ratios plays an important role. Unless you’re naturally born with a tiny waist and larger hips and bust, this ratio can be difficult to achieve with diet and exercise alone. However, the following plastic surgeries around the waistline can be completed to help bring in the waistline and accentuate the body’s natural curves.

Liposuction

Perhaps one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures, liposuction is a minimally invasive treatment used to remove excess fat tissue from specific areas. For patients looking to create the iconic hourglass figure, liposuction can be used to remove unwanted fat pockets from the abdomen and hips, creating a smaller looking waist. Part of the advantage of using liposuction to remove this excess fat is that so long as patients maintain a healthy diet and do not put on substantial weight, fat will not accumulate again in the treated area.

Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

Popular after pregnancy or substantial weight loss, tummy tucks can tighten the underlying abdominal muscles and narrow the waistline, ultimately creating the iconic hourglass waist. As this procedure is more invasive than liposuction, recovery can be slightly longer. However, the comprehensive nature of treatment makes it a permanent solution to weakened muscles and eliminates the risk of excess skin marring final results.

Beginning with the Bust

In some instances, creating the hourglass figure isn’t so much about creating a smaller waistline as it is about enhancing the bust or bottom. For individuals with more rectangular body shapes as well as those with smaller chests, breast augmentation or lift may be the ideal solution for reaching their dream physique.

Breast Augmentation

Aging, weight fluctuation and even genetics can all result in smaller breast size, leading to a disproportionate figure. Breast augmentation can be completed to enhance cup size and restore volume and symmetry to a patient’s chest. Depending on the patient’s preference and end goals implants can be made from saline, silicone or gummy silicon.

Breast Lift

In some instances, breasts may be better enhanced with a lift rather than an implant. For these patients, breast lifts may be included as part of your journey to an hour glass figure. Rather than increasing the size of the breast with an implant, excess skin is removed while the nipple and areola are moved higher up on the chest. For women looking for a subtler hourglass figure, mastopexy can be the perfect enhancement.

Enhancing the Ends

What is an hourglass figure without a generous, curvy lower half? While some patients may have been gifted with a naturally generous lower rear, others may need surgical assistance to achieve this component of their desired hourglass figure. For these individuals, Brazilian butt lifts have become popular solutions.

Brazilian Butt Lift

While traditional butt implant procedures use synthetic implants to enhance the curve of the derriere, Brazilian butt lifts use the body’s own fat cells to add volume to the buttocks and hips. For women working toward the hourglass figure, this treatment offers the benefits of two treatments for one procedure as the excess fat tissues are taken from other parts of the body, such as the abdomen then reinjected into the buttocks. As the donated tissue is from your own body, there is less likelihood that the body will reject the injected fat cells.

Achieve Your Perfect Figure at BHPS

At BHPS, our goal is to help you achieve your dream figure without compromising your natural beauty or figure. We offer a wide range of plastic surgery procedures designed to emphasize your best assets and address your concerns. Together, we’ll help you create the treatment plan that helps you feel confident in your appearance. To learn more about plastic surgery procedures, call (310) 746-5475 today and schedule your consultation with our surgeons today!

 

CoolSculpting is an innovative procedure that offers patients the opportunity to achieve a beautifully toned, slender figure without surgery. For many, the procedure has been the final step in tackling stubborn fat pockets along the midsection – but what about other parts of the body? Explore some of the top treatment areas where CoolSculpting has been used that aren’t your midsection

Chin and Neck

Tired of looking in the mirror and seeing an unfortunate double chin? You’re not alone. Submental fullness, or the commonly referred to as a double chin, affects men and women of all ages and weights. This stubborn collection of fat cells can also be especially challenging to remove, even with a tough workout routine. While traditional treatments may have involved liposuction and then a neck lift, CoolSculpting offers a non-invasive, non-surgical alternative. In recent years, the company developed the CoolMini, an ultra-slim applicator that allows patients to target unwanted fat below the chin. With this treatment option, patients can take years off their appearance and feel a bit more confident in their looks.

Arms

Sagging skin and increased fat deposits along the triceps and biceps can be a source of concern for many patients as they age. Even if your arms are toned and muscular, the aging process can contribute to skin laxity and fat development in the upper arms, hiding away your hard work. Rather than resort to a future filled with long-sleeve shirts and sweaters, consider CoolSculpting for your arms. Specific applicators can be used to target unwanted fat deposits that accumulate along the triceps while stimulating skin elasticity. While treating this area may require several sessions, the intervening time between office visits gives your skin enough time to recover and return to a more aesthetic position.

Chest

For men who’ve lost significant weight, losing the final fat pockets from the chest can be especially challenging. However, not every case of gynecomastia requires surgical intervention to treat. CoolSculpting offers a non-invasive alternative that can help individuals finally achieve their ideal figure discreetly.

Love handles

A flat, smooth stomach doesn’t always mean the elimination of love handles. Like the abdomen and arms, fat deposits and sagging skin that are characteristic of aging can contribute to the development of these unflattering pockets. While the adipose tissue within love handles can be shrunken, patients will always run the risk of fluctuating size unless the cells are permanently removed. CoolSculpting for love handles can help enhance a toned figure, giving it the final push necessary toward an individual’s long-desired look.

Thighs

Not all fat pockets are created equal. On the inner and outer thighs, lumps and bulges may not be what most consider “fat pockets” but are still unwanted deposits keeping patients from feeling comfortable in their appearance. With CoolSculpting, our Beverly Hills specialists can destroy fat in these hard-to-reach places, helping patients achieve their desired appearance.

Start Your CoolSculpting Journey Today

At BHPS, we know how overwhelming it can be to find the right procedure for your body and goals. By offering a wide array of treatment options as well as personalized care in a state-of-the-art environment, our Beverly Hills plastic surgeons are your partners in self-care. To learn more about how CoolSculpting and other non-surgical body sculpting procedures can be adapted to your needs and goals, call our office today to schedule a consultation. We look forward to seeing you!

 

With the holidays just around the corner, many of our patients are already looking ahead to the new year for self-improvement goals and opportunities. Most of these goals include looking for ways to improve our physiques and boost our confidence.

While a better diet and increased exercise are always options, these resolutions may not be enough to help you get the body of your dreams. If you’re just a few stubborn lumps and bumps away from achieving the perfectly sculpted physique you’ve been looking for, consider CoolSculpting. With this non-surgical fat-removal solution, you can look forward to knowing you’ve met your new year’s goal ahead of schedule. Additionally, since results are gradual, it’s best to start treatment now.

Why Diet and Exercise Aren’t Enough

A healthy, balanced diet and comprehensive workout routine are important to both weight loss and better health. Consuming fewer calories than you’re outputting and swapping carb-heavy, processed foods for nutrient-rich vegetables, fruits and meats has been the standard solution for individuals looking to lose weight.

To better understand the benefits of CoolSculpting, it’s important to look at how fat cells work. Unlike other cells in the body, fat cells grow and shrink in response to an individual’s diet and workout routine. When individuals put on weight, fat cells expand and more develop while weight loss results in shrinking cell tissue. However, weight loss does not mean fat cells are removed. Even with a vigorous workout routine and restrictive diet, it is almost impossible to eliminate accumulated fat cells (adipose tissue) without some form of physical intervention. For patients looking to eliminate the last stubborn pockets of fat and sculpt their perfect body, this challenge can be especially frustrating.

How CoolSculpting is Revolutionizing Body Sculpting

In the past, traditional body contouring procedures to remove stubborn fat cells have traditionally relied on invasive surgeries. Tummy tucks and liposuction, in particular, have been popular surgical options for patients comfortable with surgical intervention. While these procedures are very effective, the preparation and recovery timeline may not appeal to every patient. For individuals looking to avoid the lengthy recovery time of traditional plastic surgery, CoolSculpting is the ideal alternative.

Rather than relying on surgery to physically remove fat cells, CoolSculpting uses the process of cryolipolysis – the elimination of fall cells via extremely cold temperatures identified by Harvard University scientists. Through this process, stubborn pockets of fat are placed between two panels. These panels emit controlled cooling that directly targets and freezes stubborn fat cells. After treatment, your body naturally processes and eliminates the dead fat cells, leaving you with a more contoured, sculpted appearance.

Start 2019 with Your Best Foot Forward – Schedule an Appointment

If your 2019 goals include self-improvement and self-care, consider the advantages cosmetic treatments like CoolSculpting as a way of helping you achieve your ultimate dream body. To learn more about this innovative approach to body sculpting that doesn’t require surgery, call Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery and schedule your consultation with our experienced team.

 

 

You exercise regularly and count your caloric intake, but you still can’t seem to banish your bulging belly. You’re not alone. Tummy fat, especially the type called visceral fat, becomes increasingly troublesome as we age.

Visceral fat is a type of fat found deep within your abdominal cavity, surrounding internal organs such as your intestines. Doctors have linked higher levels of visceral fat with health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some types of cancer. Even if you work out most days of the week, you might still be fighting an uphill battle with your belly fat. What makes belly fat so difficult to conquer?

You might assume all fat cells are created equal, but in fact, you have two different kinds of fat cells: alpha and beta cells. Different areas of your body have a higher proportion of one type or the other. When it comes to body composition and fat loss, alpha cells are the enemy. It’s harder to lose body fat from areas that have more alpha cells. In contrast, you can burn stored fat more easily in areas of your body with a higher concentration of beta cells.

Alpha cells are associated with areas of stubborn body fat, which are often the waist and belly. As we age, both women and men tend to develop a higher ratio of alpha to beta fat cells in the abdominal region. That’s the reason for the “spare tire,” “love handles,” and “muffin top” that can be so hard to shed.

Aging is one factor associated with the concentration of alpha and beta cells in different areas of the body, but heredity is another influence. If you’ve noticed a tendency toward a specific body composition runs in your family, you can chalk it up to an inherited predisposition to have a higher ratio of alpha to beta cells in certain areas.

Why Exercise Helps You Get Rid of Belly Fat

If you exercise regularly and still find yourself with a roll of belly fat, the first thing to try is to increase the difficulty level of your workouts. Intense exercise leads your body to release more adrenaline, which helps stimulate fat burning. That’s why vigorous exercise, including high-intensity resistance training, is a powerful weapon in your ongoing battle with belly fat.

Exercise also helps you have more energy throughout the day, and both cardio and weight training offer considerable benefits across the board. If you’re trying to shed stubborn belly fat, your fitness regimen should include a balance of aerobic activity and weightlifting exercises. However, keep in mind that overtraining can cause you to reach a weight-loss plateau or even gain weight, so make sure to build rest days into your workout schedule.

You Are What You Eat

Unsurprisingly, diet is another factor influencing stubborn belly fat, especially the amounts and types of protein, fiber, and carbs you consume.

Protein

Lean protein helps you feel fuller longer, which reduces your urge to consume empty calories during the day. It also helps your body build muscle, which burns more calories even when you’re sitting still. Most people are getting the right amount of protein in their diet, but not necessarily from lean sources like fish, chicken, turkey, beans, and legumes. Instead, we’re putting red meat and cheese on our plates.

Fiber

Currently, Americans eat an average of 16 grams of fiber – the parts of plants our bodies can’t digest – daily. That’s about half the recommended amount of fiber. Like protein, fiber gives you a feeling of satiety, and it also leads to less insulin secretion and more short-chain fatty acids. All these factors add up to help you lose weight. Good sources of fiber include raw, unprocessed fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains.

Carbohydrates

Contrary to what you may have heard, not all carbohydrates are bad. In fact, carbs fuel your body and brain throughout the day. However, refined carbs, such as those found in processed foods like white bread, make it harder for you to lose weight. Instead, eat healthy carbs like fresh fruits and vegetables.

The Role of Stress in Belly Fat

Anything that elevates your levels of cortisol – also known as the “stress hormone” – will make it harder to conquer stubborn belly fat. If you let stress get out of hand, including failing to get the right amount of sleep, you may have chronically elevated cortisol levels that are contributing to your inability to lose belly fat.

A healthy amount of exercise can be an effective form of stress release, helping lower cortisol levels naturally. However, be careful not to overdo it. Exercising too much, especially if you are also limiting your calorie intake, raises your baseline cortisol level and makes it harder to lose body fat. In fact, when your cortisol levels are high, fat tends to redistribute from other areas of the body, like your hips and thighs, to your belly. So, both mental and physical stress can increase stubborn belly fat.

Post-menopausal women also experience higher cortisol levels. That’s one reason so many older women have problems losing weight and experience an expanding waistline.

Manage stress using a method that works for you. Yoga and meditation are two of the most effective stress-relief tools. Also, be sure to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep per night.

The Bottom Line

Now that you understand why stubborn belly fat is so difficult to lose, you can develop a more strategic way to address it – including exercise, diet, and lifestyle changes. And, if you find even your concentrated efforts aren’t helping whittle down your middle, you can explore our surgical and non-surgical techniques for addressing belly fat, including a tummy tuck, liposuction, or CoolSculpting.

 

As the colder weather approaches, you might be breathing a sigh of relief at the prospect of cozying up with a big sweater and no longer having to count every calorie that enters your mouth. But just because your beach days are temporarily over, it doesn’t mean you have to let your figure go.

With cosmetic treatments like CoolSculpting and liposuction, you can still maintain an ideally contoured figure and let your curves show with confidence – even during the colder months. Read on to discover how these versatile treatments will have you reaching for a clingy sweater-dress instead of a bulky pullover when winter comes around this year.

Body Contouring Treatments: Your Winter Guide

CoolSculpting

For those who want to maintain an ideal shape during winter but would prefer to avoid the surgical route, CoolSculpting is the perfect option. This innovative fat reduction treatment works by freezing fat cells and destroying them in the process. CoolSculpting is completely safe and has been cleared by the FDA for non-invasive fat reduction. Ideal candidates for CoolSculpting include men and women who are at a healthy weight, but who still have a slight tummy pooch, love handles, or unwanted fat on the back, arms, and thighs.

Benefits of CoolSculpting include:

What to Expect from a CoolSculpting Treatment

During treatment, a device will be placed over the area where you’d like to reduce fat. The device includes an applicator cup between cooling panels. Once it’s activated, CoolSculpting uses a vacuum-like mechanism to draw your tissue into the applicator cup, where cold temperatures are applied in a highly targeted fashion. When the device is started, you may feel a tugging or pulling sensation. For ultimate safety, the device has an emergency shut-off response just in case the skin ever gets too cold. And since this treatment is non-invasive, the surrounding skin, nerves, and blood vessels will not be injured.

After treatment, your body will start to eliminate the dead fat cells that were destroyed. This cycle will take place over the first 30 to 90 days following your first CoolSculpting session, gradually revealing a more slim and sculpted body. For best results, you should aim to have two or three treatments of CoolSculpting spaced out about four weeks apart. Side effects are minor and usually include stinging, tingling, or cramping, but these sensations should subside within about 10 minutes.

Liposuction

Due to factors like aging and significant weight fluctuations, you may be left with pockets of fat that don’t respond to traditional methods of weight loss. And just because you may have traded in your bikini for a scarf and sweater, it doesn’t mean you want to give up looking good during winter. After all, the colder months bring plenty of parties and holiday gatherings to attend.

For people who struggle with exercise-resistant fat, liposuction remains the ultimate body contouring method. Ideal candidates for liposuction include those who are at a fairly stable weight and have good skin elasticity, but who have stubborn pockets of fat on the body.

Patients can expect to enjoy the following benefits from liposuction:

How Liposuction Works

There are many liposuction techniques available, but in general, your surgeon will insert a small tube or cannula through an incision, and then fat will be suctioned out. But it’s not just about removing fat. During liposuction, your surgeon will work to contour the body with every pass of the cannula to make sure that there’s an even distribution of fat. This results in ideal contours that complement your natural body shape.

After liposuction, most patients feel ready to return to work within a week, but strenuous exercise should be avoided for at least a few weeks. Since summer is often spent vacationing or spending time outdoors, many people find the colder months to be the perfect time to undergo cosmetic treatments like liposuction. This way you can take time off to recover without it affecting your summer plans.

With cosmetic treatments like CoolSculpting and liposuction, you can look your best for all of those holiday parties and end-of-the-year celebrations you have planned this winter. Ready to take the next step? Contact the specialists at Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery to schedule a consultation for liposuction or CoolSculpting in Beverly Hills.