Human beings are always looking for ways to make themselves look more attractive, feel better about their bodies, and generally change themselves into what they assume to be a better version of themselves.
Whether this is through a diet, an Instagram filter, a new haircut, you name it, it probably exists. However, some enhancements are a little more outlandish than others. About 60% of people who suffer from hair loss would rather have more hair than both money and friends. Hair loss treatments are relatively straightforward. Some 99.7% of people think a good smile is important socially, which is also another fairly simple cosmetic fix.
What about a cut six-pack of abs? That usually requires some serious work in the gym. Sometimes even the most fitness-minded people still never achieve a visible six-pack. Fortunately, there’s a cosmetic surgery procedure that can give you a permanently cut, visible six-pack. And the surgery is more common than you might think.
Aptly named Masterpiece Hospital in Thailand offers the procedure which is known as abdominal etching. Basically, they strategically remove fat around the area where a six-pack would be. It may look like liposuction tracing around a drawn-on six-pack, but the procedure is more complicated. There aren’t any implants or silicone, just specifically targeted fat removal. They report doing between 20 and 30 of these abdominal etching procedures every month. If working out can’t produce the desired results, you can literally have them sculpted instead. Most of the abdominal sculpting clients are fitness enthusiasts who, despite their exercise regiments, can’t achieve the six-pack they’re aiming for.
“In order to naturally get a six-pack, one needs to work out as well as get lean. Most of our clients come in with a lot of muscle, they just want to save themselves months of leaning down,” said surgeon and Masterpiece Hospital CEO Dr. Raweewat.
The procedure has been around for a while, originating in Texas in the 1990s. However, it recently went viral when the Thai model Ome Pangpaparn revealed the results of his abdominal etching surgery. He was frustrated with working out and never being able to get the bod he desired.
“Fitness is not always the answer. I worked out regularly, but I still couldn’t get rid of the fat around my stomach. I do what I can. But in the parts I can’t, I leave it up to the doctor. I am confident that it will bring me more happiness,” he said.
The surgery reported cost the 24-year-old model around $4,000, which he doesn’t regret spending. Where some 74% of adults think an unattractive smile hurts them professionally and will pay to have it straightened, Pangpaparn applies similar logic to being a model and his body. The abdominal etching procedure is only one of many cosmetic surgeries he’s very open about having done. He’s cited more self-esteem, happiness, and success in his young modelling career due to them.
