Can Abdominal Plication with Overlapping of the Muscles Be Undone? (photo)

   If the muscles have been overlapped, the plication and scar can be divided and the areas plicated again to anatomic norms.  Yes, liposuction can be used in a less invasive way to give the appearance of the natural separation.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

The sutures that make up your muscle repair can be removed but it is likely that your body has healed together and it will be difficult to separate the muscles at this point.  Even with muscle separation, you may not develop the vertical indentation that you desire.  Liposuction targeted in the area of the line might be able to create the look however.  Good luck.

You are correct to note that a natural attractive abdomen typically has a vertical groove above the belly button. Many tummy tuck procedures are designed specifically to create this, but if the muscles actually overlap across the midline then it can be more difficult. A relatively simple option would be with liposuction, to "etch" the groove in by fat removal just under the skin. Your plastic surgeon will be able to give you more specific advice.

After 10 years it would be impossible to remove those sutures and I don't think the sutures are the cause for you not to have the line you are looking for.

At this point the muscles are healed together and can not really be separated. Even if they could, that does not guarantee that you will develop a vertical indentation line. A much simpler and more effective approach would be to do linear liposuction to create that vertical line. In essence do just the vertical part of a 'six-pack' liposuction procedure.

The finding you describe are a bit too subtle to see on the photos, so your best bet would be an in person examination by a plastic surgeon. 

When you are ready, RealSelf has listings of surgeons in your area. You should consider cross referencing the listings from the The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (plasticsurgery dot org). A listing in the ASPS website assures you that your surgeon is not only board certified,  but also is a member in good standing of the major plastic surgery organization in the U. S. Thank you for your question, best wishes.

It is not possible to undo the abdominal muscle plication unless you wish to have a bulge in the stomach again.  If you wish to have a vertical line some superficial liposculpting can be done to simulate the line without having the pain and expense of a total abdominoplasty revision.