I kinda feel like that, too. (Sorta like it is all vanity).
But I also have had my kids, and one of my pregnancies caused me to stretch to a 40 week size in 24 weeks. I am 4'11, and have a very short waist to begin with, so you can imagine how painful that was. I actually cried with the pain of it, because I could feel my abdominals ripping as they stretched.
I do work out hard and consistently. I would love to be a "success story" like we consistently see in those "ads". But it is not gonna happen, and I am so very tired of still having to wear baggy clothing or ill-fitting sizes to hide my kangaroo pouch. I joke that if I could put a zipper in there, I could carry my groceries in it!
And my abs, under the pouch, are rock hard. My DD likes to feel them..."oooh, mama, you have CUBES in there!"
Anyway, not to hikack, just wanted to vent and add my support. Here in Northern Alabama, the cost is anywhere from $6500.00 for a mini, to $10,000.00 for a full abdominoplasty. The best plastic surgeons that I know here give you a free consult with one of their surgical nurses, where you can spend a lot of time, ask questions, watch videos and the like. A consult with a surgeon costs money, which is deducted from the cost of surgery should you go ahead with it. If you are a smoker, you will have to quit 2 weeks before surgery, and stay quit, because your healing will depend on a good, oxygenated blood supply. (smoking constricts the blood vessels). You will have to wear a special binder, or girdle, for several weeks. You may go home with a small drain, (a small tube with a bulb at the end to gently suction excess fluid) which will need to be emptied everyday. You may have to walk kinda hunched over a bit at first, and some even recommend sleeping in a recliner to begin with, so as not to put undue tension on your sutures. You will not be able to work out for several weeks, other than walking, I believe.
I have made up my mind to do it...just can't decide on "when"...
Whew! Longwinded tonight...sorry! HTH, Julie