Losing weight might not be the most fun process ever, but it feels great in the end. After losing lots of weight, you look forward to getting into those new clothes.

Then, you learn about panniculus. If you’re dealing with it, you probably want to know how to get rid of panniculus.

Panniculus is the medical term for the excess skin that hangs over the stomach. It’s a common problem for people who’ve recently lost a lot of body weight.

But we do have some good news. In this article, I’ll tell you what panniculus is and how to get rid of it.

What is a Panniculus or Stomach Overhang?

Panniculus is the medical term for skin that hangs over the lower abdomen, aka your stomach. This condition usually happens after you’ve lost a considerable amount of weight. A panniculus can also happen to women after giving birth. That’s why a panniculus is sometimes (insensitively) referred to as a mother’s apron.

A common example of a panniculus could happen to someone who recently started a weight loss program. Yes, this person would lose fat cells. But fat cells and skin cells behave differently. To put it another way, your skin won’t magically shrink in an instant. This results in extra skin, typically around the stomach area.

Please, don’t feel like you’re the only person who wants to learn how to get rid of panniculus. Panniculus is one of the most common things people deal with after losing weight. In fact, this situation is so common that there are panniculus grades.

I could explain it all in words, but I think an image does this better justice. Basically, Grade 1 Panniculus is the least severe. Grade 2 Panniculus would cause the skin to hang slightly lower, and so on.

panniculus grades

Source: ResearchGate

The higher grade of panniculus you’re dealing with, the more stomach overhang you have.

Seeking Medical Help for Panniculus Removal

When learning about how to get rid of panniculus, there are a few medical options available. Here’s more information about getting rid of panniculus through either surgery or body contouring.

Surgery

If you want to get rid of fat overhang fast, surgery might be the best option. Of course, you must get a qualified medical opinion from a professional before carrying out any course of action. Surgery isn’t for everyone and it comes with risks.

I’m sure you know about the obvious drawbacks. It can also be expensive and keep you away from normality for a few days or weeks. However, there’s no denying that surgery is the fastest way to get rid of panniculus.

You can tighten up their abdominal muscles and get rid of loose skin around the stomach area by receiving a tummy tuck. This surgical procedure can help people who want to get rid of excess fatty tissue. However, as mentioned before, you might not be comfortable with undergoing surgery.

Body Contouring

If surgery is an option for you, it might not have to be the traditional surgery you’re thinking about. There’s another option known as body contouring. Body contouring tones up the skin and underlying tissue. It’s also non-invasive, meaning no going under the knife. You can receive anesthesia if you’re extremely pain sensitive or just hate medical settings (both of which I totally understand).

With that all said, many people report that body contouring isn’t painful enough to require anesthesia.

There’s another option known as body contouring. Body contouring tones up the skin and underlying tissue. It’s also non-invasive, meaning no going under the knife. You can receive anesthesia if you’re extremely pain sensitive or just hate medical settings (both of which I totally understand).

With that all said, many people report that body contouring isn’t painful enough to require anesthesia.

How to Get Rid of Panniculus Without Surgery

While researching this topic, I came across a quite a lot of information. How well the following methods work depends on what grade of panniculus you have. As someone who doesn’t exactly get excited at the thought of surgery, I totally understand wanting to avoid the medical route.

If you want to know how to get rid of panniculus without surgery, check out these four tips.

1.  Get an Abdominal Belt

The first item in this list isn’t a permanent fix for panniculus. However, it is an easy and inexpensive short-term fix. The item is known as an abdominal belt. And, as I recently learned, there are quite a few abdominal belts available online. Here’s a quick look of the top-rated abdominal wraps to help hide panniculus.

Tailong Body Shaper Slimming Vest

slimming vest

One of the top-rated abdominal belts on Amazon comes from the Tailong (pictured below). It’s a slimming compression tank top. Based on 930 customer ratings, the Tailong Body Shaper Slimming Vest has a 4.1 rating.

According to the product description, it is made from spandex and nylon. This makes this compression tank top lightweight and breathable. It features a “tummy control panel” (first time I’ve ever heard those words together). This feature allows you to choose how tight you want your tank top to be, preventing any uncomfortable feelings.

If you don’t have the time or energy to lose weight and want to know how to get rid of panniculus fast, this slimming vest is good in a pinch.

BraceAbility Bariatric Abdominal Stomach Binder

abdominal belt

If you’re looking for more of an abdominal belt, check out the abdominal stomach binder from BraceAbility. This product is made for both men and women.

It has a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 248 ratings. It is made from a 12-inch tall binder made of elastic. With its hook and loop system, it’s easy and fast to choose the proper size you need with this belt.

When properly fitted to your body, this abdominal binder gives the appearance that the wearer has more of a flat stomach than normal.

Check it out on Amazon here.

2. Improve Your Diet

plate of fruit

One of the best tips for how to get rid of panniculus is to keep a close eye on what you’re eating. By eating foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, you’re losing weight and increasing your skin’s elasticity.

Improving your diet can also help lower your blood sugar, which is an essential component of staying healthy. You don’t have to follow an extremely strict diet out of the gate. However, reducing how much processed food and sugary beverages you consume should start leading to pretty impressive results.

If you do want to improve your diet, I recommend downloading one of many free calorie counting apps. These apps help ensure you’re not taking in more calories than you’re burning off, an essential rule when you’re trying to lose weight.

3. Try Certain Exercises

Contrary to what you might think, there are exercises you can use to get rid of pannus. A few exercises I recommend to help with this are crunches. You don’t need to go too wild with crunches. You can always ramp up how many crunches you do over time.

Do I think that ONLY pannus reduction exercises could help someone with Grade 5 panniculus? Probably not.

Could these exercises help get rid of pannus for someone with Grade 1 panniculus? Most likely.

Some people also like to do reverse sit-ups to reduce excess skin and fat around the lower stomach. Start out slow, especially if you’re new to exercising.

Remember, these exercises can only do so much regarding how to get rid of panniculus. You won’t get rid of lots of visceral fat within a few workouts. However, continuing to workout and burn fat over a long period of time will get you those results you’re looking for.

If you want to reduce the size of your panniculus and strengthen your abdominal muscles, try the following exercises.

Leg Raises

One of the easiest exercises for those new to ab training is to do leg raises. This type of exercise involves you laying flat on the floor. Then, you slowly bring your legs straight up. When done properly, you can build lean muscle mass throughout your stomach region.

Start Walking More

person walking

Another method for how to get rid of panniculus without surgery is through aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercises are great to supplement weight training with because of how well it burns fat. While it’s true that fat cells never disappear from the body, you can shrink those suckers down until they’re almost gone.

One of the best ways to burn fat cells is by walking. You don’t have to run at full speed or carry weights while you’re moving. Just simple standing up and walking is one of the best ways to shrink your pannus and avoid further weight gain.

Walking isn’t only a great way to remove fat from your body. Many peer-reviewed studies show that walking helps you avoid many serious health conditions, especially heart disease.

Spend Time Swimming

Another great way to shrink fat cells and avoid more weight gain is by swimming. There’s a reason why you don’t see many professional swimmers carrying extra weight – swimming burns a ton of calories.

The only way you can start swimming is by getting in the water. Understandably, most people (myself included) don’t have the money in their bank accounts to buy a swimming pool. No worries. Most cities have some type of recreational center with a large pool you can enjoy.

Spend some time swimming regularly and you should soon see your belly fat disappear.

High-Intensity Interval Training

If you want to know how to get rid of panniculus without surgery fast, you could try high-intensity interval training. This type of exercises involves you exercises at extremely high intensities and then spending the rest of your time working out at a slower pace.

While it might not sound that intense, this exercise regimen earns its name. That’s why it’s a good idea to run this type of exercise program by a physician before starting it, especially those with any kind of serious medical conditions.

I hope this guide for how to get rid of panniculus helps you! While an abdominal panniculus is generally harmless, it’s understandable if you want yours gone as soon as possible. Getting rid of this apron-like flap of skin is always doable. You might consider trying to reduce your fat intake and start an aerobic exercise program. This should begin reducing the size of your pannus.