Options other than Tummy tuck?
Asked 2020-07-28
I am 33 and have 4 children- ages 9,8 and 2.5 year old twins. All were full term vaginal births. I recently went to be evaluated for stomach liposuction and was recommended that I get a full tummy tuck with lipo contouring . As I don’t currently have any lower abdominal scars, I am concerned about having a scar and losing my belly button. I’m worried it will look a lot worse than what I currently have. Are there any other procedures that would achieve similar results to a tummy tuck without having such a large scar or is this my only real option?
1 answer
Procedure(s)
After having 4 children, it is completely natural to changes to your abdominal wall structures that are permanent. There can be excess skin, excess fat, and weakened fascia (connective tissue around the muscles) that can result in some bulging. Much of our fat is inside the abdomen, around the organs, known as visceral fat, and this is not treatable by surgery. Only weight loss can help this inner fat.
For people close to their ideal body weight without scars on the tummy, I try and keep the scar as low as possible. Most patients are very happy with the trade off of a very low long scar and a tighter and flatter tummy with more muscle support. For thinner patients, we can often avoid the scar around the belly button by elevating the belly button off the abdominal tissues, tightening the muscle layer then replacing the base of the belly button a bit lower. This works well in the right patients when done carefully. Here are some references to this type of abdominoplasty that I have written:
https://drsuzman.com/before-after-photos/body/tummy-tuck/westchester-co…
https://drsuzman.com/blog/unnamed-5-great-advances-in-tummy-tuck-surger…
Liposuction alone can help in some cases. Discussion with your plastic surgeon about the limitation and benefits of liposuction only is key.