Not Enough Tightening and Skin Removal from Tummy Tuck?

I am 48 yrs old and have had 5 full term births. I am 5'9" tall and weigh about 140 lbs. I had a full tummy tuck on 2/2/09, mainly because the skin above my belly button was wringled. When I bent over, my tummy would sag.

I'm now almost 2 months out from surgery and my upper abs are sticking out, not sure that is "swelling." When I bend over, my tummy still is saggy-looking, and when I sit, my tummy still hangs over my jeans. Also, when I sit and suck in my tummy, you can see the wrinkly skin. Will this tighten up over time?

I asked my doctor and he said the only way to get rid of that is to make a vertical cut up my tummy. That just doesn't sound right to me. I think maybe he didn't take enough skin and maybe he didn't tighten the muscles enough. What is your opinion?

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sagging opinion wrinkling skin

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7 Doctor Answers | Asked by provokeasmile in Va

Doctor Answers (7)
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Residual looseness after tummy tuck

It is difficult to evaluate your concerns without examining you directly. If you are two months postop, it is possible there is still swelling present that may subside. Also it is possible that there is fat present that might benefit from liposuction. It's usually a bad idea to perform aggressive liposuction during a tummy tuck, especially in the central abdominal area, due to a high risk of complications. In general, if a full tummy tuck was performed, your concerns sound a bit... more

Loose skin following tummy tuck

Skin elasticity is a major factor in determining the final result. Pulling tighter is not always the best solution because pulling too tight can cause the skin to die. So it comes down to a judgement call. see video

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

32 reviews

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Tummy tuck tightening

It is diffiuclt to answer this question without evaluating you in person. Everyone's body is different. You also did not geive details like your height and weight.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Tightening after a tummy tuck

Tummy tucks are a very popular and effective way to contour the abdomen. During the surgery, we lift up the skin and fat and assess the status of the muscle. It is looseness in the muscle, we may tighten this layer with suture. Finally, we replace the skin and fat and close this layer. Patients usually have tightness in the skin and fat layer. If you notice some extra skin and some looseness, it is possible that your tummy tuck was closed without too much tension. One advantage of this... more

Excess skin versus Elasticity

I have this discussion with many patients. I can pull out every drop of excess skin and pull until you are folded like a flip phone, but loss of elasticity will still make your skin fold when you are bent over or sitting. The key point is - how do you look when you are standing? If everything looks good, then you are good! As for the upper abdomenal swelling, without the benefit of pictures or an exam, this can be the result of swelling or excess skin - which one would only be a guess.... more

You may be expecting more than the surgery can do

In doing a tummy tuck, your surgeon has removed all of the extra skin they can so that when you stand up straight, there isn't any loose skin in the lower abdomen. Sitting down, all bets are off because some people just have less skin elasticity and this isn't corrected by surgery. Occasionally, a patient will come along whose abdomen is very tall and narrow and in these people much more skin could be taken out with a vertical scar than a horizontal one. None of these people would want... more

Poor skin laxity not correctable by abdominoplasty

At 5'7" and 140 pounds, you are probably not over-weight and after 5 pregnancies, I can safely assume your skin has be over-stretched so that its internal elasticity is minimal. There are different types of abdominoplasties.If we assume that you had the full abdominoplasty and have a scar around the belly button, then this usually removes skin from the lower portion of your abdomen. This means that the upper abdominal skin is tightened less than the lower abdominal skin. The less... more