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

It appears that you have worked hard to get most of your figure back following a twin pregnancy. Unfortunately no amount of exercise will result in the damaged and lax skin looking smooth again. With a consultation a Plastic Surgeon would be able to show you how to surgically tighten the abdominal skin and underlying muscle with a "Tummy Tuck".  In selected patients, a "reverse tummy tuck" can be a good option. I reserve this to patients just like you that are at or near their ideal weight, have a strong and intact abdominal muscle wall, have most of their skin laxity above the umbilicus and already have or will accept a scar under each breast.. A standard tummy tuck can also work for you with the scar placed across the lower abdomen, a scar around you belly button and very likely a small vertical scar in the lower abdominal mid line as well.

There are a number of laser, radiofrequency and combination devices on the market claiming to address your exact problem. Some do work in some patients! The problem is that it is not predictable how much skin tightening you will achieve. In my practice, patients with your starting point have a consultation with me and we decide together on what to try. Certain patients may be offered a non-surgical treatment strategy depending on  goals and expectations. An experienced Plastic Surgeon who offers non-surgical options will be able to align your expectations with what different approaches are available and require.

Good luck

Dr. Mosher

Morpheus 8 is a non-invasive skin and soft tissue tightening treatment that is consistently amazing in our patients. We use the Morpheus to exact fractional induced RF into the skin or tissue in order to tighten collagen and stimulate contraction of the tissue. For acne scars, it is quite useful to build collagen in patients who have atrophic scars but is not very productive for ice-pick scars which require TCA Cross. For tissue tightening, Morpheus is ideal for the face and neck and we often combine it with CO2 laser or Ultherapy to further enhance results. Chemical peels and skin resurfacing should be done at least 5 to 7 days after, but can be performed earlier, depending on treatment severity. Avoid exfoliating skin treatments before Morpheus and expect a period of 2-4 weeks for skin contraction to set in.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

The amount of tightening you will get from Laser skin tightening will be modest at best. I don't think that treatments like Thermage or Exilis will adequately treat this either.

In order to get the most benefit for your effort, a tummy tuck will address the skin laxity, especially around your belly button.

I know that this may not be what you want to hear. However, scars fade in time and the only way to get rid of that skin is surgical removal.

I hope this helps.

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)