Will Laser Skin Tighten Help My Abdomen After Kids? (photo)

Hi there-

I have had many patients like yourself over the years, and would bet that when you are not sucking in and your abdominal muscles are completely relaxed, your abdomen is a bit more round than in these photos and that the wrinkled skin appears less so... because the skin and the underlying muscle necessarily interact.

In other words, the changes your body experienced as a result of your pregnancies are the same ones most women experience (although in the big scheme of things, you clearly are ahead of the averages!).

If you consider the layers of the abdominal wall and the changes that occur in each as a result of pregnancy, as well as the interaction between your skin and the underlying muscle (as mentioned, they are not independent of each other), your best bet is going to be an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck. It is my strong opinion that anything short of this would not only NOT achieve the lovely and natural appearance you undoubtedly want, but will leave you with the bad taste in your mouth we all get when we feel we've been duped, and may even injure you.

As much as I know you would like to believe there is a magic treatment out there for your problem, your best interests over the long term would be best served by understanding that your body has indeed undergone these changes through the reality of your pregnancies, and that the best management option is going to be the one that definitively reverses these changes in your anatomy- a tummy tuck.

I agree with the opinion that purported skin tightening devices would not succeed here.  A traditional abdominoplasty would be a good option, and the laxity of your skin above the belly button should allow for an acceptably low transverse (hip to hip) scar.  If you can accept a small vertical (up and down) scar just above the transverse scar, transverse scar height would definitely not be a problem.
A second option to consider is a reverse abdominoplasty, in which the loose skin is pulled upward and excised along the fold under the breasts.  This has the advantages of a smaller operation and elimination of the typical scar around your belly button, but the potential disadvantage of a problem scar under/between your breasts or breast shape distortion.  See a surgeon with experience doing reverse abdominoplasty if you are considering this option.

Michael Kreidstein MD, MSc, FRCS(C)