Does the 10-Minute Tummy Tuck Work?

According to its infomercial, in only 10 minutes a day, you can supposedly get the same results as if you undergo a tummy tuck by a plastic surgeon with the Tummy Tuck Miracle Slimming System (also known as the 10 Minute At Home Tummy Tuck Method).

How the Tummy Tuck Belt Works

You apply a "fat burning" cream, called Thermal Accelerator to your abdomen. You then put on the "Tummy Tuck Belt" and do two minutes of standing abdominal contractions.

The company says this activates the "fat burning" effect. Then for the next eight minutes, you can go about doing your normal routine before you remove the belt. The results can be "instantaneous" by just wearing the belt—basically a glorified girdle.

In terms of fat loss, without changing your lifestyle, the company claims that you can lose half an inch in the first week and 1 inch after 30 days. If you choose to exercise, the makers claim abdominal fat loss is up to four times more than with the same exercise or diet alone.

On the original infomercial they showed before and after pictures with only one example of each type—belt only, belt with no lifestyle change, belt with exercise.

There Isn't Any Proof of Success

In the commercial, they claim two universities have performed studies to confirm their claims. Research on PubMed for "tummy tuck belt" and "10-minute tummy tuck" yields no results found.

Abdominoplasty is a tummy tuck surgery. It corrects the anatomy of muscles and skin. It is hard to imagine that wearing a belt for 10 minutes a day would be able to address these same concerns. You may improve your muscle definition and posture, but that’s not because of the belt—it’s because you're exercising.

If you have excess fat that you would like to contour without surgery, and you don’t have loose skin or rectus diastasis (separation of your abdominal muscles), a non-surgical option to consider is Coolsculpting. Developed by Harvard scientists, it is an FDA-approved alternative to liposuction and other invasive surgeries.

The Bottom Line: Skip It

If you have excess, loose, hanging skin on your abdomen as a result of pregnancy or weight loss, applying cream and a stretchy belt is not going to solve the problem. Removal of excess skin with surgery is the only proven solution thus far.

Alternatives

If you are interested in losing some inches, talk with a plastic surgeon to discuss the options available to you. The surgeon may discuss liposuction, body lift, and, of course, tummy tuck surgeries with you.

There are not many non-invasive options, except diet and exercise. You can get started exercising if you are overweight and reduce your health risks and improve your overall fitness.

There are no spot exercises that help specifically with abdominal fat, but losing weight overall will result in losing inches from your waist. Meanwhile, you will need to balance your dietary intake of calories with what you burn each day in order to lose body fat.​