How Do I Know if my Muscles Were Pulled Tight Enough?

Your photographs seem to show a good result, and at 9 weeks post-op you should be able to do a straight-leg lift of both legs that tightens your abdominal wall and shows you the degree of tightening your surgeon achieved for you. Careful surgery and minimal bleeding and scar tissue yield quick(er) recovery! You had tightness at first, and just got better more quickly than your friends who had the same operation. Some patients may also have more stretch in their tissues than others. What you are describing is quite normal.

It appears you should be thanking your surgeon for a job well-done rather than questioning whether or not the muscle repair was tight enough! Enjoy your new appearance! Cheers!

Based on the pictures you've provided, it seems like you have the expected result after the tummy tuck procedure.

In order to evaluate the abdominal wall muscle repair,  you can palpate the abdominal wall muscles in different positions (in the upright and bent over position)  to get a good idea if the plication  repair is intact or tight enough. If you notice a significant “bulge” when you are bent or when your abdominal wall is relaxed (for example after expiration of a breath) then you may be experiencing failure or laxaty of the plication repair.

Continue to follow-up with your plastic surgeon with specific questions and concerns.

Best wishes.

You seem to have had a nice result from your tummy tuck.  The excess abdominal skin is gone and your abdomen looks tighter from the front facing picture you have displayed.  The best way to see is by looking at a side view picture of your belly completely relaxed both before and after your tummy tuck. 

In general, you healed quickly and your stomach looks much better.  You said that you were tight at first and therefore have probably just healed faster than others you may know.  It is unlikely, but not impossible, that the stitches placed inside to tighten the muscles may have loosened or popped.  However, you would have felt a great deal of pain and likely felt a popping or tearing feeling.  Most commonly, the abdominal muscles relax a bit after healing and that is normal, leaving you with the look you currently have.....which is much better than before.