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C-section After Tummy Tuck. Is it Normal for the Doctor to Do Muscle Repair?

I got pregnant with and IUD two months after having a tummy tuck last June. I am currently 38 weeks pregnant with my fourth child and have had a fairly easy pregnancy so far, with very little weight gain. My Dr told me she could re-do the muscle repair that was most likely undone, when doing my c-section next week. Is this pretty common? What happened to my internal sutures during the pregnancy?

Doctor Answers 3

April 11th, 2012

Muscle tightening after C section

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Since you will be having a c-section, you will already be experiencing a significant recovery period that is typically longer than that for a tummy tuck so I would say that you will have no problem re-repairing the muscles during the c section.

Don't forget however that if you are planning on having another child this is not a good idea since the repair will once again be ruined.  Good luck!

Nikesh K. Patel, MD
April 11th, 2012

Muscle tightening with a tummy tuck

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Thank you for your question. Just like you had planned, most patients do not have more children after having a tummy tuck. What happens to the sutures with your pregnancy is actually kind of irrelevant. Many surgeons use absorbable sutures with a tummy tuck so that they dissolve after a few months. Their effect, however, remains because the muscles are then held together with scar tissue which allows you to keep the effect of the muscle tightening. Non-absorbable sutures eventually get loose over time and don't hold you together any more than absorbable sutures do.  I suggest that you wait for several months before considering having something else done to your stomach. You may be surprised at how well your abdomen springs back into shape and you may not need any more surgery. If you do need something else done, it is certainly possible to tighten the muscles again. Good luck.

James McMahan, MD
April 10th, 2012

Tummy Tuck Redo After Pregnancy

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First, I am glad to hear that your pregnancy is going so well.  Here is wishing you a safe and smooth delivery and of course, a healthy baby.  Tightening of the abdominal muscles is not a common procedure immediately after a c-section.  There are many reasons for not doing a muscle repair including the most important, the need for you to be able to take care of your baby as best as possible.  Also, during pregnancy, the hormones cause your tissues to become more elastic and stretchy allowing the abdomen to expand as the baby grows.  These same hormones are still there at the time of delivery making it very difficult to really pull the abdominal muscles tight and keep them tight.  This is why most plastic surgeons and OB-GYN's recommend letting the effects of the hormones wear off and the tissues to shrink to their stable level before returning to perform an abdominoplasty.  Yes, it does require a second visit to the OR but the results are more consistent and predictable.  Again, best of luck with your new baby.

Herluf G. Lund, Jr, MD

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