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Concerns About Tummy Tuck for Stretch Marks

I am considering getting a tummy tuck, My problem is not a loose skin or loose muscle but a severe case of stretch marks from hip to hip and aprox 2 inch above my belly button down to the upper part of the pubic area. My stomach is over all flat but do have loose skin I have a 10year daughter, I have low body fat, and I'm at my ideal weight. I just hate the unsightly stretch marks.Being that I am my ideal weight and dont have tooo tooo much skin to play with with I see good results? I am undergoing lipo in certain areas, perhaps this can loosen up more skin? I have seen before and after pictures but cannot seem to find pictures that I can relate too (stretch marks more than fat). What are your thoughts?

Asked 40 months ago by sherlykeyrose in Miami

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stretch marks

Perfect for Tummy Tuck

You look like a perfect candidate for a tummy tuck! A tummy tuck does 3 main things: Remove excess abdominal skin Improve your profile view by pulling in the abdominal wall Improve you waistline by pulling the muscles toward the midline The amount of skin excess you are showing would lead me to think I could remove skin from your belly button down to the location of a C-Section scar (about 1/2 your abdominal skin). To be certain, you would need to be examined, and the elasticity of your... more

Michael A. Bogdan, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tummy Tuck Scar

Thanks for the question - Abdominoplasty is an effective way to remove stretch mark scars, tighten abdominal muscles, remove excess skin typical after weight loss or pregnancy and improve your abdominal contour. These benefits come at the cost of a scar. For full abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) there is a scar around your umbilicus and from hip to hip. Typically this scar is low enough to be hidden in your panty line. Unfortunately, other treatments of treating stretch marks tend to not be... more

Steven H. Williams, MD

San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Tummy tuck for stretch marks

You must accept the surgical fact that there will ALWAYS be some residual stretch marks NO MATTER how tight you are "pulled"! Beware of the yes docs who only want your $ not the truth. Regards from MIAMI Dr. B

Darryl J. Blinski, MD

Miami Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Stretch marks on abdomen

With your loose skin and stretch marks you would be a good candidate for a tummy tuck. The stretch marks above the umbilicus probably would not come out but would move lower on your abdomen after the excess skin is removed.

Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Only one solution for stretch marks

Dear Sherlykeyrose, It appears to me some laxity to your skin in the picture provided. The best way to determine what YOU need is to consult several plastic surgeons who can examine your abdomen and it's skin quality. The only way to rid yourself of stretch marks would be to remove them through an tummy tuck procedure. Because you may not have a ton of loose skin you may be one of those rare candidates for a mini-tummy tuck. The mini only addresses problems below the belly button. In my... more

Earl Stephenson Jr., MD, DDS

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Removing stretch marks with tummy tucks

You can get rid of stretch marks only if they are within the area of skin that will be removed with a tummy tuck. The skin between your navel and the pubic area is the skin that is usually removed. If your stretch marks go beyond that area, they will still be there after a tummy tuck.

Mario Loomis, MD

Middletown Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tummy tuck is effective for abdominal stretch marks

Based on your photo and description- you would benefit from a standard tummy tuck- this would remove the damaged skin you have, tighten your abdominal tissues and improve your shape. If you have stretch marks several centimeters above your BB, these marks would not be completely removed with a TT. They would be lowered to your pubc region and might be concealed by clothing.

Scott Sattler, MD

Bellevue Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Limitations o a tummy tuck concerning stretch marks

Not all stretch marks can be removed for most patients in a tummy tuck. Especially those above the umbilicus. But those that are left get pulled tighter and look better. I'd skip further liposuction as it will not free up extra skin and get a tummy tuck done with realistic expectations.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tummy Tuck WILL permanently Remove Stretch Marks

You are an IDEAL candidate for a Tummy Tuck. The procedure WILL remove most of the damaged stretch marked skin, will remove all loose skin, will narrow the waist giving much more of an hour glass figure, will flatten the tummy and will lift a sagging Mons pubis. NONE of these are obtainable with Lipo and especially with laser lipo (IE SmartLipo). Dr. P. Aldea

Peter A. Aldea, MD

Memphis Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Stretch Marks

You sound happy with your abdomen. Although I think you have excess skin. BUT it does not matter what I think. If you are happy with your skin and abdomen but BOTHERED by the STRETCH MARKS, do not aste your money. There is no treatment for stretch marks. My feeling is, even if you do a tummy tuck and that will get rid of 90% of your stretch marks. You will still have some stretch marks left behind and a scar from hip to hip. I do not think you will be happy.

Samir Shureih, MD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Lipo before Tummy Tuck will not help

The other posts explain well why the tummy tuck is the best way to go for removal of most of the skin with stretch marks, so I want to address the question you raised about lipo freeing up more skin. The extra fat is removed as part of the tummy tuck (when needed) so there is no reason to have an additional surgery before. It is also clear that the lipo alone won't give you a good result as far as I can tell from the picture.

Richard Baxter, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Benefits of a Tummy Tuck

The benefits of a formal abdominoplasty / tummy tuck procedure are two-fold. The primary benefit is to remove infraumbilical fat and skin and the secondary benefit is to tighten the anterior abdominal wall and rectus fascia. In your particular case, a tummy tuck would remove central infraumbilical abdominal fat and stretch marks and tighten the abdominal muscles.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

I sounds as if you are a perfect candidate for a tummy tuck

It would appear that the skin from the pubis to about the umbilicus could be removed with a tummy tuck. This would remove the majority of your stretch marks (aside from the ones above the top of the scar). This of course is only an estimate based on the photo provided. The trade-off is a scar from hip to hip (well hidden) and around the navel. Other treatments for stretch marks including laser therapy may improve stretch marks but excision (tummy tuck) is the only way to remove them. ... more

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York Jay Yates, MD

Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

A good tummy tuck should help you a lot.

Of course you will have a scar, and not all the stretch marks can be removed. There are several different ways to do a tummy tuck. But I predict that with good technique, your stomach will be flatter and tighter and you will be happy. I have found that after a tummy tuck, even those stretch marks that cannot be removed are less noticeable and of course they are lower down towards your pubic area. You will benefit by having some liposuction done together with the tummy tuck, but liposuction... more

George J. Beraka, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Abdominoplasty for Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are improved with abdominoplasty for two reasons. First, the skin with the stretch marks can be removed and in a good candidate this may mean stretch marks extending to even above the umbilicus. The second way stretch marks can be improved is by tightening of the skin which appears to frequently improve stretch mark appearance by tightening them. You should be able to get an approximation of how much of the scarred skin will be able to be removed by simply asking your surgeon.... more

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Jon F. Harrell, DO

Miami Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Tummy tuck for strech mark removal

From your photo, it looks like you are an excellent candidate for a tummy tuck. The tummy tuck will address your excess skin and remove most of your stretch marks (though the marks above your umbilicus will remain) as well as tighten your abdominal muscles. Liposuction may be helpful as an adjunct for shaping your flanks, though it is difficult to judge whether you would benefit from this based upon your photo.

B. Aviva Preminger, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

Mini vs. Standard

The problem with stretch marks is that they only way to get rid of them is excise them. A tummy tuck is a great procedure for doing just that. Talk to a board certified plastic surgeon about what you hope to gain from surgery. There is some scaring involved but it is possible that you could be a candidate for a mini tummy tuck as opposed to a standard which would leave a smaller scar.

Amy K. Alderman, M.D., M.P.H.

Alpharetta Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Stretch marks and tummy tucks

You are an ideal candidate for a Bikini Tummy Tuck . As you have read already the tummy tuck will remove about 85% of your stretch marks (from right above the belly button to about where a c-section scar would be. The liposculpture will shape your waistline . Key issues: 1- The remaining stretch marks will look better when the skin is tightened. 2- The overall improvement in your shape is worth the surgery irrespective of some stretch marks that remain. 3-... more

Jose M. Soler-Baillo, MD

Miami Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Stretch marks after a tummy tuck

A tummy tuck can remove stretch marks BELOW a belly button, and can make the remaining ones less noticeable. Treatment for stretch marks is having them removed in a tummy tuck. But tummy tucks are limited to removing stretch marks only below the belly button... Thus you need to accept the fact that some stretch marks will remain. The good thing is that the remaining skin will be stretched out and when this happens we find that the remaining stretch marks become less noticeable more

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Martin Jugenburg, MD

Toronto Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Benefits of a Tummy Tuck

Based on the picture and information you provided, you sound like a great candidate for a tummy tuck procedure. Unfortunately, there is no way to remove strech marks without removal of the skin and tissue in that region. You would benefit from a tummy tuck drastically. A tummy tuck involves rectus muscle repair and removal of excess skin. It is most important to find a board certified plastic surgeon to perform your surgery.

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Tom J. Pousti, MD

San Diego Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Skin removal only way to remove stretch marks

The only way to reliably remove the stretch marks is to remove the skin containing the stretch marks. The only way to do this is with an abdominoplasty of one kind or another. The trade-off will be the presence of a lower abdominal scar which can be placed low on the abdomen and will in most cases be concealed by most underwear and most bathing suits. A well-placed, concealed scar is in the opinion of most of my patients preferable to the appearance of the abdomen post pregnancy with... more

Ralph R. Garramone, MD

Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tummy tuck should help with stretch marks

A tummy tuck should help your situation significantly. Typically, a football shaped area of skin from your belly button down to your pubic hair area will be removed. Therefore, any stretch marks at or below the belly button should be gone! If you have a lot of stretch marks (and from looking at the picture you provided), that means you have loose skin and should get a good result by having a tummy tuck. Sometimes, the stretch marks immediately above the belly button can also be removed, but... more

Bahram Ghaderi, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Loose Skin and Stretch Marks or Scar? It's a Trade-Off

A Tummy Tuck can do wonders to remove excess skin from pregnancy weight-gain, but it can't do everything. In exchange for a scar across the pubic area from hip to hip, most of the stretch marks and all of the loose skin below the belly button can be removed. However, unless there is severe laxity of the abdominal wall above the umbilicus, the stretch marks above the belly button will move down the abdominal wall after the skin is tightened, and will end up below the belly button and above... more

Athleo Louis Cambre, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

You will probably not be happy unless you get a tummy tuck

All of the changes you describe are typical changes that all women experience to varying degrees after childbirth. The rectus muscles ("6-pack" muscles of the abdomen) splay apart and the fascia stretches with pregnancy, and the skin of the abdomen will have stretch marks and some degree of looseness after most pregnancies. These concerns are best addressed with an abdominoplasty (or tummy tuck). This procedure involves a low-lying incision just inside of most bakini bottoms that typically... more

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