Which Muscles Are Repaired During a TT?

asked 6 months ago by It's been long Enough
Latest answer by J. Jason Wendel, MD
Question viewed 151 times
Tags: muscle repair

I am seeing a Board certified PS. and he has been very helpful. I just have one general question, which I will also ask him next month. I read here on a review about someone getting "obliques tightened" I did not know if this was a standard procedure? I am getting mymuscles repaired. (4 children, one was over 10 lbs AND I weighed 220 and now weigh 128.. ) NO lipo as I am in very good shape. But my question is ..IN GENERAL are the obliques a fairly common repair during a full TT..

10 answers to Which Muscles Are Repaired During a TT?

Rectus muscle repair during TT

Abdominoplasty is performed to address loose abdominal skin and to tighten the stretched abdominal wall after pregnancy or any substantial weight gain in the past. During the procedure, the surgeon draws the underlying muscle and tissue together and stitches them, thereby narrowing the waistline and strengthening the abdominal wall. By doing this, the obliques are stretched inward.

Jourdan Gottlieb, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Tummy Tuck and Plication of Muscles?

Thank you for the question. Generally, the rectus muscles that are centrally located along the abdominal wall ( traverse the sternum down to the pubic bone) are brought together in the midline during tummy tuck surgery. Occasionally, patients may also benefit from plication of the oblique muscles to further shape the waistline. I hope this helps.

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

www.poustiplasticsurgery.com

How muscles are repaired with a tummy tuck

A common problem after pregnancy is separation of the rectus abdominis muscles in the midline, and exercise cannot bring them back into position so the result is a permanent bulging profile. The obliques do not often have a similar change but occasionally it is beneficial to tighten them with sutures as well. So it isn't routine but if your surgeon has judged it to be needed in your case then I would not worry.

Richard Baxter, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Muscle repair during tummy tuck

The rectus muscles are the ones typically tightened during tummy tuck. If someone has excessive lateral laxity then the oblique muscles can be tightened too but this is not typical. Good Luck.

J. Jason Wendel, MD
Nashville Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck and muscle repair

During a tummy tuck surgery the abdominal muscles are often repaired or tighten, especially if one has had a previous pregnancy or significant weight loss. The most common type of tightening involves tightening the rectus abdominus mucles in the midline. The waistline can also be further accentuated by tightening the external oblique muscles. Given your 100 lb. weight loss, you may be a good candidate for external oblique muscle tightening.

Vincent D. Lepore, MD
San Jose Plastic Surgeon

www.vincentleporemd.com

Tummy tuck muscle repair

The rectus abdominus are the most common obliques sometimes as well it depends on your shape , laxity and surgeons experience

Jed H. Horowitz, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Muscles Repaired During Tummy Tuck

The muscle repair during a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty refers to the rectus muscles which are paired and located near the midline of the abdomen. These muscles tend to separate during pregnancy creating a diastasis recti. A small number of plastic surgeons also repair the obliques. Discuss the benefits and risks of this additional procedure with your surgeon.

John Whitt, MD
Louisville Plastic Surgeon

Muscle Tightening During Tummy Tuck

During most tummy tucks, the fascia (tissue around muscle) of the rectus abdominis is tightened to correct the spreading between the muscles. Less commonly, the lateral muscles can be treated.

Karol A. Gutowski, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

A tummy tuck and muscle repair

The muscle that is "repaired" in most abdominoplasties are the rectus abdominis muscles. Typically, there is a separation between them as a result of pregancies or weight gain followed by loss. During a tummy tuck, there muscles are plicated (sutured together vertically) which will address the protrusion of the abdomen. This same repair by nature does tighten the abdominal wall including the obliques. However, on rare occasion, one may deem placing sutures in the obliques for... more

Steven Turkeltaub, MD
Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon

www.turkeltaub.com

Should the obliques be tightened in a tummy tuck?

Generally, the rectus abdominis muscles are the ones addressed. The fascial connection beetween the muscles gets stretched out with pregnancy and no amount of exercise will cause the fascia to tighten. So, it isn't really the muscles that are the problem, it is the fascia, which is a thin, tough layer of tissue that covers the muscles and connects them. There are occasions when it is beneficial to tighten the oblique muscles as well. I find this to be an... more