Do all body lift operations include muscle repair?

Question

I went in for my body lift consultation yesterday and my surgeon examined my excess skin, and wrote up a price quote along with the procedures and surgery lenghts. However, i noticed in my quote that he had NOT selected that I would be having muscle repair, and the nurse confirmed this, which left me a little confused. (I know, I need to speak up for myself) But before I call back, I was wondering, is this unusual? Do most body lift procedures include repair? Why/why not? Thank you so much.

Marc DuPéré, MD · Answer

Answer is: yes, most of the time.Thank you for your question.If you are having a body lift after weight loss and or pregnancies, most of the times patients will have looser abdominal muscles and it is greatly beneficial to have those repaired at the same time for a nice silhouette post-surgery.The very few times I did not repair the muscles were for very young patients, pre-pregnancies and whom wanted a very quick recovery or wanted to keep a small fullness in the lower abdominal area. Some cultures, particularly, middle-eastern/arabic, it is considered more feminine to have a small poutch in the lower abdomen area (think: belly dancers); in those selective cases, I may not do a muscle repair OR I do a less aggressive repair.I would recommend you go back to your plastic surgeon and rediscuss.Let us know if this information was useful.

Best regards,

Dr. Marc DuPéré, Toronto aesthetic plastic surgeon and body
surgeon

Best regards,

Dr. Marc DuPéré, Toronto aesthetic plastic surgeon and body
surgeon

Thomas P. Sterry, MD · Answer

Of course there should be muscle "repair".  I do it routinely because it is the best chance the patient gets to have a flattened tummy.  I tell patients it is probably better than a year worth of crunches - but I have no proof of that.The only time I did NOT tighten the muscles was in a VERY muscular male patient.  I thought it would have ruined his six pack.  Never seen another patient like him again.

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Hi Abriel, Most of my patients who undergo a 360 circumferential lower body lift have lost a significant amount of weight. In my practice, a significant amount of weight loss means losing over 100 pounds or more. Therefore most of my patients who undergo a 360 circumferential lower body lift were previously morbidly obese.  When patients are obese, the abdominal cavity stretches. This stretches the rectus abdominis muscle, and more importantly,  the fascia on top of the rectus muscle. When patients lose the weight, the muscle contracts. Unfortunately, the fascia on top of the rectus abdominis muscle does not contract.  This may be due to the lack of elastic contractile structures within the fascia.  Therefore, I always placate or tighten the rectus abdominis muscles on all patients who undergo a 360 circumferential lower body lift. In addition, I always tighten the rectus abdominis muscles on massive weight loss patients who undergo an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck.If you have any questions, please not hesitate to contact my office. Sincerely, Dr. Katzen

Siamak Agha, MD, PhD, FACS · Answer

Most patient who are going for a body lift, have lost a significant amount of weight.  That means, at some stage, their abdominal muscles have been expanded and separated to some degree.  In virtually all cases, the patient will benefit from abdominal muscle tightening and repair.  However it is typically understood that a tummy tuck comes with abdominal muscle tightening.  For more information about different body lift surgeries, feel free to visit our site and total body lift gallery.  Best of luck.

Alejandro J. Quiroz, MD · Answer

The majority of the cases of Lower Body
Lift require muscle repair.  For every
rule there are exceptions but is perform most frequently.  The 
surgeons will examine you case in individual bases

Jeffrey A. Sweat, MD · Answer

Just as a tummy tuck is individualized for each person and not all tummy tucks require a muscle repair, a body lift is the same.  It could be that you do not need a muscle repair based on your surgeon's physical exam.  However, if you are confused or feel that you may need one, I would recommend you discuss this again with your surgeon prior to surgery so that you feel completely informed, at ease and comfortable going into your surgery knowing what to expect.  Best of luck!

Samer W. Cabbabe, MD · Answer

In my experience, every patient who has had significant weight loss to require a body lift would benefit from muscle repair.  I would be concerned that the surgeon is not doing the full procedure and may not be completely removing the excess skin during the process.  Please discuss this specifically with your surgeon to make sure your expectations are in line with the procedure.Best of luck

Adam David Lowenstein, MD, FACS · Answer

In most cases of tummy tuck, a muscle repair is performed. This is particularly true in with women who have been pregnant in the past.  In people who have not had children, and in men, it is true that on occasion these patients do not have a muscle repair because it is not required. I would ask your surgeon exactly what their intent is and discuss this issue with them

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Not all body lift patients need a muscle repair. I commonly perform a muscle repair, but not all patients require it.

Carmen Kavali, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. I would definitely recommend that you place a call to your surgeon to discuss this issue. The majority of cases, abdominoplasty or full lower body lift, require that the rectus muscles be addressed.  Not unheard of, but rare that the procedure is done without tightening those muscles. Best of luck.