I love tummy tucks. I love babies. I love being a mom. But as a mom of three and having my kids when I was older, and gaining the weight I needed to gain to have a healthy pregnancy, it does damage to your belly muscles. There are those who have kids who still have a great belly after babies. If that is you, great job! Great genetics! Great luck! But for so many, things don’t bounce back.
I actually did an AI search to see what Open Evidence would find in the literature for this. It said there were three principal indications for needing a tummy tuck.
My adds to this list?
A tummy tuck statistically significantly helps with back pain. Why? It repairs the diastasis, the separation of the rectus abdominis (your six pack) muscles. This helps restore your core strength. Read the back pain/tummytuck blogs
The definition of diastasis recti is separation of the muscles by more than 2cm. The prevalence of diastasis is 22-36% after pregnancy. In my surgical patients I measure this always.
This is something that you need to decide. How much does it bug you? Do you have urinary symptoms? Back pain? Do you look six months pregnant all the time?
When I am assessing patients in the clinic, I can see your diastasis separation. I also will have you relax as much as you can and then suck it in as much as you can. How much change is there? For those who go from looking six months pregnant to having a flat belly, this shows your muscles are loose and the muscle tightening I do during a tummy tuck will help you.
NOTE: If your belly sticks out and you suck it in and it does not move, then you could have intraabdominal fat, and you won’t be able to tighten the belly much. If this happens, you need to lose weight first to be able to tighten up the muscles and skin.
If you have symptoms, will tightening the muscles help them? Will it help the back pain? This is brilliant, and totally not my idea. WEAR A BELLY BAND. I had a patient who had a diastasis and terrible back pain, but her belly didn’t look bad. The question was- Is a tummy tuck worth it? Should she do it? The cost, the scar would be worth it to her if it would fix her back pain. She was online in one of the countless chat rooms, and someone suggested she wear a belly band 24/7 and see if the symptoms improved. She did that and her back pain improved tremendously, so she decided to do the surgery.
So did her surgery improve her back pain? YES. (and her bowel habits too). So the belly band gave her an accurate portrayal of her results.
I love them. They work. I can recount story after story of women who have improvements in back pain, bowel habits, urinary issues, posture, and (even orgasms with s*x). It is a big surgery, a real recovery (though my Exparel injection makes a HUGE difference), and a big scar. But the benefits are real. They also help you regain core strength and have a flatter belly.
It may make a difference in HOW your surgeon fixes the diastasis. I use permenant, two layers, of interrupted sutures. Read my blogs on ABDOMINOPLASTY TECHNIQUE
Tummy tucks are a core part of my practice. Combined with breast surgery (breast augment, breast lift, or breast reduction) it is a mommy makeover.
The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider for any questions regarding your health or medical condition.
