Upper abdomen rounded over 6 months after tummy tuck - should I consider a revision? (photo)

Dear KayLani18, Thank you for your question. This is very common after a tummy tuck procedure, the reason is during your tummy tuck procedure your surgeon only does a little liposuction in your abdomen area, and cannot be aggressive to avoid complications such as necrosis If before your surgery you have significant fat in your abdomen area and visceral fat in 90% of the cases this is the results, the good news is this is can be addressed with a good routine of exercises and healthy plan of meals. Some patients also consider another round of liposuction in their abdomen area. Hope this answer can help you.
Good luck!

There may be several reasons for this. Most commonly is disruption of the muscle repair in the upper abdomen. Also, possible intra-abdominal fat, or the shifting of your abdominal organs. A thorough physical exam can determine the underlying cause and appropriate treatment.

This can be common after surgery for a few reasons:
1) Intra-abdominal fat - If you had a good amount of visceral or intra-abdominal fat prior to surgery, then this can remain and be a bit bigger and weight loss helps
2) Upper abdomen fat - you have to be more careful with the upper abdomen fat and cannot lipo as much in this area during the tummy tuck or you risk wound issues. You can get more lipo to bring this down at this point
3) Stretching of the muscle repair - this happens as well, you may need to have re-repair of the muscle if it stretched out after surgery again

For all of these things, I would consult your surgeon and see what they think is contributing to this situation and what the best fix would be. Best of luck to you.

Dear KayLani18,
I understand your concern. However, without a proper assessment, it would be difficult to determine what went wrong. It is best that you visit your plastic surgeon for further assessment or ask for a second opinion. Only after a thorough examination, you can get proper recommendations and advice.
Daniel Barrett, MDCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

You may be a candidate for a revision to tighten the diastasis in the upper abdominal area. This can be done through the prior incision. This with a liposuction retouch and you should have excellent results.

Hello, as you had the operation 6 months ago you still need some time for the final result to settle. But that rounded look may not be fixed by time. A proper physical examination can help to diagnose what is the cause. That may be fatty tissue, edema, fibrosis due to a late seroma, or recurrence of diastasis. Each have their own treatments. Regards.

Thank you for sharing your question and photograph and I am sorry that your results have not been what you anticipated.  It is difficult without an in-person examination to determine what may be taking place. In many cases this is persistent swelling which will resolve spontaneously given sufficient time.  It is important, however, to ensure that other issues are not taking place - a discrete fluid collection, muscle laxity, or residual adipose tissue.  Since your surgeon knows the full details of your operation, they are in the best position to provide you with a diagnosis and treatment option. If you have lost confidence, seek out a second opinion. Best wishes.  

Your upper muscles may not have been tightened with the tuck. If this expands after eating, you may have food allergy issues which will not stop until you stop eating the irritating food. Surgery cannot fix food allergies.

Kaylani,
Your body is looking for more space underneath the muscle. This can happen if you gain a little weight after a tummy tuck and can respond to diet and exercise. A revision of this sort is very involved, basically requiring a second tummy tuck. My advice would be to first try a "liver shrinking diet" and see if you get any response. Good luck!

An exam would reveal more information but from your photo it appears that either diastasis correction was only performed on the lower abdomen (which is probable if you got a mini tummy tuck) or that the upper portion failed. It may be improved with weight loss as visceral (internal) fat can contribute to the rounded look.