Exercising for Loose Skin After A Tummy Tuck?

I had a tummy tuck in Dec. 2012. I still have some loose skin when I bend over. I lost 78 pounds before surgery. I asked my doctor--he said that he got all of the skin he could. So, I've decided to tighten the skin with exercise. He doesn't recommend crunches for a few months. Will the vaccuum pose be okay?The vacuum pose is an isometric exercise done by pulling the navel back towards the spine during a deep inhalation that's held for 15 seconds. This is repeated for 3-5 minutes several times daily.

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11 Doctor Answers | Asked by krba201076 in Norfolk, VA

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Loose skin after tummy tuck

First, no exercise will shrink loose skin. However, some loose skin in necessary when we bend over or we wouldn't be able to stand up. So it sounds like you have a normal amount of skin and that your surgeon did remove all he could. Routine exercise is good for all of us so congratulations on wanting to stay in shape. You should check with your surgeon about what exercises you can do when. And remember at only two months after your surgery, there will still be some swelling so you are not at... more

Excess skin after tummy tuck.

Congrats on that major weight loss! If you still have loose skin after a tummy tuck, then you will likely need more skin taken out. Unfortunately you can't exercise away loose skin. I think this isometric exercise is safe to do and I think exercising after 6 weeks of healing can help reduce fat and tighten muscles. But removing the skin is the way to get a tight, flat abdomen. Good luck!

Loose skin post tummy

If indeed the problem is loose skin then all the exercises in the world will not cause it to go away.You can build up your abdominal muscles which will help.Usually I let my patients do anything after 6 weeks.

Skin Sag After Tummy Tuck

Unfortunately you can not exercise away loose skin. This would ultimately require further surgery for removal. Your situation is not uncommon in the patient who has lost a lot of weight. The skin is very stretched out and, even though as much skin is removed as possible during the surgery, this still leaves behind residual skin that has a loose quality to it. Thus when one bends over there will still be some skin sag. The 'bendover' test is not a good way to determine if... more

Exercise For Loose Skin

Congratulations on the weight loss! Unfortunately there is no exercise that will get rid of loose skin. If you feel your skin is not tight enough, I would discuss a revision to your tummy tuck with your doctor. If you have an uncomplicated recovery, the exercises you describe should be safe, but I would not perform them unless your doctor gives you permission.

Loose skin after tt

If I read this properly, you are 2 months post tummy tuck. You are also what I consider a massive weight loss (mwl) patient. This puts you into a category of patient that is surgically more complex than a non- weight loss patient. One of the longer term problems with the mwl patients is the recurrence of lax tissues that require additional "tightening" It seems to me that if you are already experiencing loose skin at two months, perhaps not enough skin was resected in the... more

Loose skin after tummy tuck.

After a big weight loss and tummy tuck it is common to have a little loose skin within one year even if the skin is pulled as tight as the surgeon safely can. Unfortunately it doesn't tighten with exercise. Sometime down the road you might need another strip of skin off to get really tight. Isometric exercises are unlikely to cause you any harm. Enjoy your new body!

Loose skin after tummy tuck

I agree with one of the other reviewers, I know of no exercise that will tighten skin. I would recommend giving it a few months, and then reassess. A minor revision may be necessary to remove slightly more skin. It may not as well, but you need to give a little more time before deciding.

Rick Rosen, MD

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Norwalk Plastic Surgeon

Exercise and excess skin

Unfortunately I know of no exercise that will tighten skin. Allow for your complete healing to occur then reassess. Good luck.

Exercising the Loose Skin after Tummy Tuck

You should not perform exercises for 6 weeks in cases of uncomplicated healing or until instructed by your surgeon. You will not be able to exercise the skin away. All patients after tummy tuck will have loose skin when bending over, but so will most models and bodybuilders. Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Exercising for Loose Skin After A Tummy Tuck

After a TT everyone has some skin laxity when they bend forward. If they didn't, they wouldn't be able to stand straight, The skin is not infinitely elastic, and abnormal elasticity is part of the problem leading to the TT in the first place. Provided your surgeon feels that your incision is well healed, by six weeks after surgery you would probably not have any restrictions. Your question is best directed to your surgeon who knows what was done, and has followed your recovery... more