Strengthen abdominal muscles before Tummy Tuck?

A tummy tuck operation consists of removing extra skin, tightening of the rectus "sheath" and placement of a new belly button.  The rectus sheath is the firm tissue (fascia) covering the muscle...this is the tissue we as surgeons use to tighten your frame and hour-glass your figure. The muscles... more

While it is always nice to keep fit, strengthening your abdominal muscles just in preparation for tummy tuck is unnecessary. There is no specific advantage to doing this. The tummy tuck will tighten the fascia of your abdominal wall, not the muscles.  The fascia is the strong tissue that holds... more

There is nothing wrong with your muscles.  After pregnancy, it is the fascia (the connective tissue that houses the muscles) that becomes lax.  Also this is seen after major weight loss.  All the exercise in the world will not fix the damage to this tissue.  The surgery does nothing to the... more

I often hear this question regarding any surgery and my advice is always the same.  If the surgery is in the near term, say under 4 weeks, then it makes no sense to exercise the muscles.  Drastically changing your routine is never smart before surgery.  However, if surgery is later than this... more

The best option is the be fit and have strong abdominal muscles before surgery. This will help with surgery and recovery. This does not mean that you have to do abdominal exercise before surgery ,but will help ..

Anything that keeps you healthy before surgery is great. Although, strengthening your abdominal muscles before surgery will not make a difference in your outcome. The covering of the muscles have loosened and that is the tissue that is tightened in surgery to give you a flatter, better shape. So, keep up with... more

Dear Jill, Although most people who love to exercise would like to hear a "Yes" - it really does NOT makes any difference. The reason for the dreaded "pooch" is not so much that the tummy muscles are "weak" but that they have been s t r e t c h e d from one another and allow a... more

I feel that toning the abdominal muscles helps the result, and being cardio-fit speeds recovery.  I tell patients that I'd rather operate on a 50-year old spin-class queen than a 25-year old couch potato !

Prior to tummy tuck or any cosmetic procedure for that matter is pays dividends to stick to a pattern of a healthy diet, and an active life style that includes exercise. The investment in yourself should begin long before surgery and will help ensure the best results and the fastest recovery. We suggest... more

There is no benefit to perform abdominal exercises before your surgery.  There is also no need to perform the exercises after surgery as well.  The surgery itself will tighten things up. Hope that helps.