I Had a Tummy Tuck Without Muscle Repair and Now Regret It. Can It Still Be Done Without a Redo of the Whole TT?

If you have a lot of intraabdominal fat around your intestines and organs as the cause for your protruding stomach, you will see a significant flattening with weight loss. If the bulging is from the muscles being loose, the tightening can help. Tightening the muscles in a patient with a lot of intraabdominal fat does not always flatten the tummy much since the fat inside is pushing against the tightening.

Yes, you can perform a fascial tightening procedure following the tummy tuck but this involves opening almost the entire wound again. This procedure may not give you the flat tummy you desire if you have  a lot of fat inside the abdomen. Try lying down flat and look at your stomach-if it goes very flat, then fascial tightening will work.

Hi and thanks for your question, it is rather difficult to comment on your situation without at least seeing before and after photos and getting some more information from you about your specific concerns.

The rectus muscle plication (muscle repair) is one of the most important components of a good tummy tuck surgery in my opinion. Almost all women, especially if they have had children, will benefit from the rectus plication. In order to do it well, the surgeon needs to be able to have access and visualization of the entire muscle wall. The full tummy tuck surgery provides excellent exposure in order to accomplish this by "peeling back" all of the belly skin during the surgery. Trying to complete the plication through a small incision really doesn't work. So, basically, you have 2 options. Repeat the tummy tuck procedure or allow a surgeon to make a vertical midline scar on your abdomen in order to see the entire length of the muscle. I just don't think that there are any other ways to go about it. Most likely, the cost is going to be similar to your tummy tuck surgery cost. Unless, the surgeon that completed your first surgery would be willing to do it for less.

Absolutely. The technique of endoscopic abdominoplasty is perfect for this. A tiny incision is made near the belly button and a  scope is inserted through the old scar (so there is no need for a new one) and the skin flap lifted up and the muscle is repaired in the usual fashion under endoscopic vision. This is just the same as having your knee scoped or a gallbladder removed with a scope. However, we do not enter your abdominal cavity as all the work is done under the skin so the risk is less than the original procedure since the skin flap risk is eliminated . You need not have any more than a band aid sized incision. I do these on patients who have excellent skin and only need muscle repair or minimal skin excision but it is also perfect for your exact scenario.More information is available on my website. I helped develop this technique in the 90's and have lectured and taught it for many years. I wish more surgeons used it since it is a great tool and makes many long incisions unnecessary. We also are not far from you but you might want to ask your original surgeon first if he offers this technique. Also keep in mind that a round abdomen after tummy tuck could be due to fat that is inside the abdominal cavity in a situation where someone is still overweight. If this is the case then muscle tightening will be less effetive in getting rid of your round tummy. Best of luck to you.