For those of you who are as addicted to Jersey Shore as I am, you know it well. The secret formula to getting the ladies is as simple as GTL: Gym, tan, laundry. And judging from "The Situation's", well, abdominal "situation"... he spends quite a few hours on the gym part of the equation.
And while his flawless six-pack doesn't always land him the ladies--it's definitely the envy of many men around the country. Whether inspired by TV abs or not, many are going to great lengths to get their own abs up to snuff, going beyond the gym and under the knife instead, choosing procedures such as liposuction and abdominoplasty--aka, the tummy tuck. It's a trend that's been building. In fact, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of men who have undergone tummy tucks in the last decade has doubled.
But what can surgery really do for your physique? We asked New York City based cosmetic surgeon Dr. Robert Grant . "It can remove loose, hanging excess skin," he explains. "If there are loose abdominal muscles, they, too, can be tightened. Addressing love handles may require the addition of liposuction to enhance the contour result."
Sound good? Well, before you run to make an appointment, you should know the surgery isn't for everyone. "Men tend to accumulate excess fat inside their abdominal cavities--where it cannot be removed by surface procedures like liposuction or a tummy tuck," Dr. Grant points out.
And don't expect results to last if you go right back to your old lifestyle. "A man who thinks this is a quick-fix who may not realize that they will get heavy again if they don’t decide to continue to make healthier choices surrounding how they eat or exercise post-op is a set-up for disappointment," warns the doctor.
Instead, a good candidate, Dr. Grant suggests, is someone committed to ongoing health and wellness pre and post surgery. Because once you're out of recovery, you're still going to need to do the work to achieve that perfect "situation"--with core strengthening exercises like sit-ups, Pilates or Yoga.
"Progress is made toward a ‘ two-pack’ then a ‘ four-pack’ in stages, as overall weight declines and fitness improves," says Dr. Grant. "On occasion some adjunct techniques like liposuction can accentuate the abdominal contour and facilitate that ‘ six-pack’ appearance. But this kind of liposuction really only works in patients who have gotten themselves as fit as they can be-and need just a little more help to get the contour result they desire."
