bubbles
11-30-2006, 05:31 AM
My neighbor is an Italian. We became friends at our local grocery shop where she saw me poring over all the different types of pasta, and walked over to see if she could help. Singapore has a lot of Italian expatriates, and our condominium is full of them, which means the local grocery store caters to Italian tastes as well!:p
We went shopping last week and realized that the ideal Singaporean image is rail thin, I am usually a small size in other countries, but here I am a large size, and my friend wouldn't fit into even the extra-larges. No wonder she goes to the American brands to get her size, but those are mostly t-shirts...
She is very unhappy about her size now, especially her tummy-- she is a mother of four and the youngest is still a breastfed baby. She doesn't have the time and the energy to do rigorous tummy exercises, and though she goes for a jog, pram in tow, with her gurgling daughter who can't stop smiling at everybody, she hasn't managed to get rid of that bit of excess fat. We have been talking about body shapes a lot, and how fashion looks good only on people who are reasonably skinny, especially in this land of small people, and how it is ok to look curvy in other parts of the world, in Italy for example.
Am not sure what the ideal Italian body shape is, so maybe you guys can help me there. My friend is tinkering around with the idea of getting a tummy tuck done, and I have been looking around, doing research. And once I passed on the info to her, I thought it would be a good idea to share it with everyone on the forum.:)
Abdominoplasty or tummy-tuck is a surgical procedure ideal for post-pregnancy fat accumulation, stretch marks, loose skin in the abdomen, or lack of stomach skin elasticity in the case of older individuals. This procedure involves surgical removal of fat, extra loose skin from the abdominal region; and a tightening of the abdominal walls by stitching the vertical abdominal muscles together in a new position to yield a narrower waist.
Depending on the extent of deposits, a tummy tuck can take from one to five hours. A partial procedure involving only the lower abdomen should require only a small incision and maybe accomplished under sedation and local anesthesia, within two hours, as only the area below the navel is worked upon. A complete tummy tuck takes longer and involves a long incision from one hipbone to another, another one to separate the navel from the surrounding tissue, followed by a third that involves the removal of the skin flap to reveal abdominal muscles. Tightening of the muscles, removal of extra skin, and renewed placement of the navel makes this a complex surgical procedure which might take up to five hours under general anesthesia.
The length of surgery required hinges on the extent of undesirable deposits and the final shape targeted, and a long and sincere consultation with the operating surgeon is essential before making the decision to go under the knife. The recovery period varies according to the extent of surgery: for smaller operations, it is possible to be out of the hospital within a day of the surgery, albeit with a degree of swelling and pain and discomfort in the operated region, which can be addressed by appropriate medication. For more extensive surgery, the recovery period is longer and may take a few days to dispense with hospital facilities. Special instructions for taking a bath and wearing clothes need to be followed, and despite a difficulty in standing straight, walking is advised as soon as it is possible.
The removal of sutures may continue from one week through three, and specialized support garments designed to give adequate support may replace the dressing. Getting back to normal work routine is dependent on pre-surgical fitness and condition of abdominal muscles, and may vary from one or two weeks to a month. Light exercises are recommended for prevention of blood clots and faster recovery. The scars resultant from surgery will take almost a year or more to fade, and though generally indiscernible, will never completely disappear.
As with any other surgery, there are a few risks involved in this procedure, for example, bleeding, blood clots, unfavorable drug or anesthesia reactions, additional surgeries, among others and thus it is very important to choose the surgeon with care. Despite the risks involved, this procedure is increasingly popular due to the qualitative change in life seen to be derived from a thin waistline, and the resultant image change.
Since we have a lot of Americans on the forum, I am giving the American statistics here. Could not find the statistics about Italy, but I guess a bit more research and one can find out about tummy tucks in Italy too, in case they are becoming popular.
The United States is apparently where the maximum percentage of tummy tucks take place. The statistics released by American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) states that abdominoplasty was the sixth most performed cosmetic surgery by ASPS member surgeons in the last two years and that 107,019 tummy tuck procedures were performed, a 6 % increase from 2003.
A successful abdominoplasty can cost anything from $3000 to $8500. It varies largely depending on the extent of work required, the reputation and location of the institution, the surgeon’s fees and a host of other factors like medical tests and anesthologist fees. The national average fees charged by a surgeon or physician for abdominoplasty in America among ASPS member surgeons in 2005 was $4,905, according to the statistics released by the organization.
It is advisable to have a very realistic understanding of the benefits from abdominoplasty, the risks and costs involved, before making a decision to undergo surgery and to achieve the desired body contour through surgical sculpture, proper advice from an experienced surgeon is indispensable.
I am now going with my friend for moral support as she checks in with a specialist this week, and for any of the ladies also considering getting themselves a new waistline, I think this might help.:)
We went shopping last week and realized that the ideal Singaporean image is rail thin, I am usually a small size in other countries, but here I am a large size, and my friend wouldn't fit into even the extra-larges. No wonder she goes to the American brands to get her size, but those are mostly t-shirts...
She is very unhappy about her size now, especially her tummy-- she is a mother of four and the youngest is still a breastfed baby. She doesn't have the time and the energy to do rigorous tummy exercises, and though she goes for a jog, pram in tow, with her gurgling daughter who can't stop smiling at everybody, she hasn't managed to get rid of that bit of excess fat. We have been talking about body shapes a lot, and how fashion looks good only on people who are reasonably skinny, especially in this land of small people, and how it is ok to look curvy in other parts of the world, in Italy for example.
Am not sure what the ideal Italian body shape is, so maybe you guys can help me there. My friend is tinkering around with the idea of getting a tummy tuck done, and I have been looking around, doing research. And once I passed on the info to her, I thought it would be a good idea to share it with everyone on the forum.:)
Abdominoplasty or tummy-tuck is a surgical procedure ideal for post-pregnancy fat accumulation, stretch marks, loose skin in the abdomen, or lack of stomach skin elasticity in the case of older individuals. This procedure involves surgical removal of fat, extra loose skin from the abdominal region; and a tightening of the abdominal walls by stitching the vertical abdominal muscles together in a new position to yield a narrower waist.
Depending on the extent of deposits, a tummy tuck can take from one to five hours. A partial procedure involving only the lower abdomen should require only a small incision and maybe accomplished under sedation and local anesthesia, within two hours, as only the area below the navel is worked upon. A complete tummy tuck takes longer and involves a long incision from one hipbone to another, another one to separate the navel from the surrounding tissue, followed by a third that involves the removal of the skin flap to reveal abdominal muscles. Tightening of the muscles, removal of extra skin, and renewed placement of the navel makes this a complex surgical procedure which might take up to five hours under general anesthesia.
The length of surgery required hinges on the extent of undesirable deposits and the final shape targeted, and a long and sincere consultation with the operating surgeon is essential before making the decision to go under the knife. The recovery period varies according to the extent of surgery: for smaller operations, it is possible to be out of the hospital within a day of the surgery, albeit with a degree of swelling and pain and discomfort in the operated region, which can be addressed by appropriate medication. For more extensive surgery, the recovery period is longer and may take a few days to dispense with hospital facilities. Special instructions for taking a bath and wearing clothes need to be followed, and despite a difficulty in standing straight, walking is advised as soon as it is possible.
The removal of sutures may continue from one week through three, and specialized support garments designed to give adequate support may replace the dressing. Getting back to normal work routine is dependent on pre-surgical fitness and condition of abdominal muscles, and may vary from one or two weeks to a month. Light exercises are recommended for prevention of blood clots and faster recovery. The scars resultant from surgery will take almost a year or more to fade, and though generally indiscernible, will never completely disappear.
As with any other surgery, there are a few risks involved in this procedure, for example, bleeding, blood clots, unfavorable drug or anesthesia reactions, additional surgeries, among others and thus it is very important to choose the surgeon with care. Despite the risks involved, this procedure is increasingly popular due to the qualitative change in life seen to be derived from a thin waistline, and the resultant image change.
Since we have a lot of Americans on the forum, I am giving the American statistics here. Could not find the statistics about Italy, but I guess a bit more research and one can find out about tummy tucks in Italy too, in case they are becoming popular.
The United States is apparently where the maximum percentage of tummy tucks take place. The statistics released by American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) states that abdominoplasty was the sixth most performed cosmetic surgery by ASPS member surgeons in the last two years and that 107,019 tummy tuck procedures were performed, a 6 % increase from 2003.
A successful abdominoplasty can cost anything from $3000 to $8500. It varies largely depending on the extent of work required, the reputation and location of the institution, the surgeon’s fees and a host of other factors like medical tests and anesthologist fees. The national average fees charged by a surgeon or physician for abdominoplasty in America among ASPS member surgeons in 2005 was $4,905, according to the statistics released by the organization.
It is advisable to have a very realistic understanding of the benefits from abdominoplasty, the risks and costs involved, before making a decision to undergo surgery and to achieve the desired body contour through surgical sculpture, proper advice from an experienced surgeon is indispensable.
I am now going with my friend for moral support as she checks in with a specialist this week, and for any of the ladies also considering getting themselves a new waistline, I think this might help.:)