I do not want my abdominal muscles cut! Do I have to get my muscles cut if I get a full tummy tuck? (Photo)

Thank you for your pictures. During an abdominoplasty and the muscles are not cut. They are simply stitch together to increase the tightness of the abdominal wall.  This helps create a better contour and all levels for removal of more skin.

Tummy tuck surgery and how many steps are performed, depends on your individual abdominal issues. During an in depth consultation with a Board certified Plastic surgeon, who is certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties, you and your Plastic Surgeon will decide the best approach to achieve your goals. Typically, a low abdominal incision is used,  sometimes abdominal muscles are plicated ( sutured together), liposuction is often used to contour your sides and finally your belly button, which is not cut off, is sutured into position after your excess abdominal skin is removed after the abdominal flap is pulled down to your lower abdomen where the scar will be placed. Be sure you choose the Plastic Surgeon that provides you with an in depth consultation,  who regularly performs this type of surgery and can demonstrate with before and after photos that she/he can achieve a result that you like. The key is that you understand whether your expectations can be met with a safe reliable tummy tuck procedure and that the Plastic Surgeon you choose can achieve that result. Good Luck!

Hi, thank you for your question and picture.  Your abdominal muscles are absolutely NOT cut during a tummy tuck, full or otherwise.  Your muscles are plicated, or tightened, to recreate your internal "corset" that was stretched with pregnancies.  It is this tightening of the abdominal muscles that will give you a shapelier waist and define your midsection.  It is an important part of a tummy tuck and helps to eliminate a siginficant portion of your abdominal bulging.  Good Luck!

The muscles in a tummy tuck are sutured together - not cut.  A good examination of your abdomen would be necessary to see if the muscles are loose or if your abdomen just need skin and fat removed.  If the muscles are tight enough you will only need skin and fat excised.

No, you do not have to get any muscles cut with a tummy tuck. In fact, that is not a part of the procedure at all. The muscles are left intact. When people refer to "fixing the muscle" as part of a tummy tuck, they are referring to bringing the ab muscles back together in the center if they were widened by pregnancy or weight changes. This is called repair of rectus diastasis, and does not involve cutting the muscle, but rather suturing the fascia (lining over the muscle) together in the center. In other words, the space between the ab muscles, if widened, is simply reduced. One thing to note though is your tattoo will be partially removed (based on appearance in the photo), because typically the skin between the belly button and lower abdominal incision is removed as part of the tummy tuck.

The abdominal muscles are not cut and re-sutured like they are in an intra-abdominal surgery. Basically, the outer covering of the loose muscles, a layer called the fascia, is pleated on top of itself with sutures to tighten the fascia and flatten the loose muscle bulge that occurs after multiple pregnancies.

First - the muscles are usually not "cut" but rather tightened with sutures. Second, no one will "make" you get the muscles tightened but rather it is a choice you have to make. In general, after pregnancy the muscles are significantly stretched such that tightening them improves your overall result. Third, I hope you realize that most of your tattoo will be removed! Good luck.

The full abdominoplasty or tummy tuck procedure should and will be discussed in detail at the time of your consultation. All your options and all the details of the procedure including muscle tightening will be outlined in detail. When I describe the procedure to my patients I let them know the muscle is not cut just stitched together to add to the strength and make the muscles tighter. Thanks for the great question.

The abdominal muscles are not normally cut during an abdominoplasty, they are approximated or imbricated to approximate them to the mid line. This results in a flatter abdomen.

Muscles are not cut in a tummy tuck.  Muscles are sutured together, this is called plication, to give a smoother contour.  I recommend you find a board certified PS to get a personalized consultation and explanation of the procedure.