Tummy tuck or lipo? 5'9, mom-of-4, 6 months postpartum (Photos)

you are in great shape and just have excess skin and rectus diastasis. You'd be a great candidate for a mini tummy tuck.

Dear brittanys09,
it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. If you are considering surgery, I would suggest you consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination, you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MDCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Hello Brittanys09,
Thank you for your question regarding whether you should opt for a tummy tuck or liposuction as a 5’9” mother of four, six months postpartum. Thank you for your history and the pictures you provided. On the anterior abdominal wall, there are usually only three things that can go wrong: skin, fat, or muscle.

Let’s examine your pictures. From what I see, you don't appear to have much loose skin, nor do you have many stretch marks. Additionally, it doesn't seem like you have excess fat. However, your profile and the picture where you are bending over reveal muscle laxity, which is due to rectus muscle weakness. The muscle we are discussing, the rectus abdominis, is a paired parallel muscle structure joining your lower rib cage to your pubic bone. This muscle can be stretched out due to multiple pregnancies. Even if the separation around the belly button is small, it can still lead to protrusion due to muscle weakness.

If you only had excess fat with normal muscle and skin, liposuction might be a suitable option. However, since liposuction only eliminates fat and marginally tightens the skin, it might not give you the results you desire. Therefore, in my opinion, you need a full tummy tuck with muscle repair. Remember, most of your distended abdomen is due to muscle weakness, not excess skin or fat. Thus, a tummy tuck, not liposuction, is likely the most suitable procedure for you. Good luck.

Sincerely,

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FASMBS, FICS
Plastic and Aesthetic Surgeon

It is possible that your diastasis recti will not be corrected with exercise alone. I would suggest consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon. I have included a link to photos of a patient of mine who had severe diastasis recti. Hopefully you find this helpful!

Thanks for your question! I would suggest a mini or modified tummy tuck. You can repair the muscle wall, float the belly button and remove some of the excess skin in the lower belly. Your belly button looks high enough to perform that surgery. Good luck!

Hello!
This is a great question! There are many options that we offer for your concerns like yours, and I will begin by stating that an in office consult is required to really be able to tell what the best option is for you.
You may require plication of your abdominal muscles as well as a mini tummy tuck for your area of concern, as this will help place your muscles in the correct anatomical position. Liposuction would be advised if, on examining you, you have excess subcutaneous tissue that can be safely suctioned.
It is always best to be examined in office, in person, to be able to feel the level of diastasis, and examine your concerns from up close!
Best,Dr. Tanovic

But you really need to go to a surgeon willing to place the long transverse scar in a very low position above the pubic mound, which will necessitate a short vertical scar just above the long scar. Your alternative is a long transverse scar that is too high, or a surgeon not willing to give you a full tuck. Please heed my words: DO NOT ACCEPT THESES WORDS FROM A PLASTIC SURGEON: 1. 'you're not a candidate for a full tummy tuck', 2. 'I can only offer you a mini-tummy tuck', or 3. 'I can only offer you an "umbilical float" tummy tuck'.

After pregnancies, the support layer called fascia, has stretched and often times irreversibly. You will need repair of the fascia. This can be done with sutures or mesh. You will need a large incision for the plication of the fascia or placement of mesh.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Hi, thank you for sharing your question. While you may not have enough skin laxity for a traditional tummy tuck, you would benefit from muscle repair, mini tummy tuck and possibly a reverse tummy tuck if your upper abdomen has laxity as well. A proper examination by your trusted plastic surgeon would be helpful.

Thank you for sharing your question and photographs. Nothing replaces an in-person examination but it appears that a combination of both muscle laxity/separation as well as skin laxity is taking place. Most likely a full tummy tuck would be needed to address both issues but you may be a candidate for a modified mini-tummy tuck for a full muscle repair and removal of excess skin of the lower abdomen assuming your upper abdominal skin is in good shape. Best to seek out a series of in-person consultations to get the best advice.