Ab Implants - a Solution for Enhancing the Abdominal Muscles

Abdominal Implants are a fairly recent development in cosmetic surgery, allowing patients to get the six-pack abs that they want, without the need for regular attendance at the gym.

Six-Pack Abs are becoming ever more desirable to men (and many women). However, the exercise regime required in order to achieve them naturally is punishing and needs more time and discipline than many of us have.

One surgical method of enhancing the abdominal muscles, Abdominal Etching, has been available from some plastic surgeons for over a decade. This is a technique using a combination of Liposuction and Liposculpture, to remove fat and also create a subtle rippling effect, and can be very effective on the right body-type. However, since this method is not appropriate for everybody, and because some people want an even more defined appearance to their abdomen, a demand has arisen for Abdominal Implants.

Cosmetic surgery abroad is one way of reducing the costs of this expensive procedure, as countries such as Poland, Czech Republic, India, Thailand, Argentina, Brazil and the Dominican Republic are all known to have lower prices for this, and many other kinds of elective procedures.

FAQs About Abdominal Implants

Am I a Suitable Candidate for Ab Implants?

What are the Benefits of Abdominal Implants?

What are the Risks I Should Know About Before Getting Ab Implants?

How Long Does it Take to Recover After Abdominal Implant Surgery?

Will I Be Able to Bend and Move As Normal After Getting Ab Implants?

What Alternatives Are There to Ab Implants?

How Much Does Ab Implant Surgery Cost?

Am I a Suitable Candidate for Ab Implants?

Whereas Abdominal Etching is really only effective when the patient has a small, but only a small, amount of body fat, Abdominal Implants can be used in many more cases. However, the patient should be aware that although Ab Implants probably are a possibility, they do not appear as convincing when the patient does not already possess a fairly athletic physique. When an overweight or unfit person gets Ab Implants, the results can get attention, but not in the way intended.

The ideal patient will be fit and healthy, and will already have at least a basic level of muscle tone and definition. They should also make sure they have realistic expectations, and are aware that in some instances things can go wrong, even with the best cosmetic surgeons.

What are the Benefits of Abdominal Implants?

Ab Implant patients should understand that muscle implants are not a substitute for a healthy diet and appropriate levels of exercise. Nonetheless, for people who are unable to develop the abdominal muscles that the would like, Ab Implants can increase self-confidence.

It is also often found that with those people who do follow a grueling fitness regime in order to get that six-pack, the stresses caused to the lower-back and spine, if the regime is not followed correctly, can result in back injuries and pain. Since there is no real need for well-developed abs, some men feel that their time in the gym may be better spent concentrating on other areas of the body, and general strangth and fitness, and decide to leave the creation of a washboard stomach to a plastic surgeon. 

What are the Risks I Should Know About Before Getting Ab Implants?

As with all cosmetic surgery procedures, there are risks that you need to be aware of when getting Abdominal Implants. Complications can sometimes arise, due to anaesthesia. Infection, excessive bleeding, and shifting implants are all possible realities with all implant procedures.

Finally, there is also always the possibility that you will not be satisfied with the results of the Ab Implant procedure.

Since Abdominal Implant surgery is relatively uncommon, many surgeons will have less experience with it than with other more popular procedures. Getting this kind of surgery with a less-experienced surgeon may result in an unnatural appearance.

As a patient, you should take it upon yourself to find a surgeon with plenty of experience in this specific area, and who has photos to show you of his previous successes. You should not assume that, because a surgeon has significant knowledge and experience when it comes to other types of cosmetic surgery, he will be able to get the same quality results with a procedure he is not so familiar with.

How Long Does it Take to Recover After Abdominal Implant Surgery?

The operation itself is a fairly lengthy one, as several implants need to be carefully placed in the stomach area. Nonetheless, recovery does not take as long as you may expect, and the bruising and swelling should mostly have subsided after a week.

You should be okay to return to work after two weeks, although a support garment will likely be necessary.

After six weeks, you should be able able to resume all normal activities, including exercise.

Will I Be Able to Bend and Move As Normal After Getting Ab Implants?

Ab Implant surgery is performed by introducing either six or eight individual implants, which should be made from soft, pliable, but solid silicone. This means that they will look and feel "normal"; the patient will not have any restrictions upon his movement, and once recovery is complete will be able to resume normal sporting and everyday activities.

What Alternatives Are There to Ab Implants?

The most obvious alternative to Abdominal Implants is to work out, concentrating on the abdominal area. Sit ups are not especially recommended, as these can actually cause a number of stresses to the lower back, which can be damaging in the long run. Abdominal crunches are a better idea, and can have better results.

As with exercising all muscle groups, the key to increasing the size of the abs is to reduce the number of repetitions, while increasing the weight.

It is clearly far more desirable to gain a six-pack the natural way, but since not everyone has the time or motivation to follow this kind of training, and not everyone is able to build-up muscle as easily in all areas, another possibility is Abdominal Etching, a highly specific type of liposculpture, where the areas around the abdominal muscles have liposuction applied to them, removing fat to increase the definition.

Abdominal Etching is not suitable for everyone; the ideal patient will have a generally low amount of body fat, but will still have around one to two cm of pinchable fat in the abdominal area.

How Much Does Ab Implant Surgery Cost?

As Ab Implant surgery is not an especially common procedure, it is difficult to find a reliable guide to prices. Depending on the experience and reputation of the surgeon, a price tag of between $6,500 and $10,000 can be expected. However, cosmetic surgery clinics abroad are able to provide this and many other surgical procedures, at half the price, and sometimes even less.

If you are considering cosmetic surgery abroad, it is critical that you research your clinic as thoroughly as you would with a clinic in your own country. It is also essential that you make sure that your surgeon is experienced in the procedure that you are having, and that you see some "before and after" photos of his previous patients who had the same procedure as you are considering.

With some careful planning and research, it is possible to get the same standard of treatment and care as you would at home, but for a fraction of the cost.