I am a 65 year old female with a diastasis recti. At my age, can it be fixed?

Safety should always be the first priority when undergoing any type of surgical procedure. Losing weight can reduce the risk for complications with surgery.  BMI is but one measure.  Distribution of fat and overall health as well as goals all factor into this decision. 
I am not so stringent on the BMIs of prospective patients.  It would be nice for everyone to be at goal weight, but that is not realistic.   If the patient has enough risk factors to be moderate to high risk for surgery, I will not operate on these patients. 

Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Los Angeles, CA

Dear tummyball,
Age is not a contraindication as long as you are healthy. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Thank you for your question! Some of my happiest patients are 60+! They finally decided to reclaim their bodies and become the best version of themselves. I do not use age as a cutoff for tummy tucks, I evaluate the patient as a whole and see if they have any underlying medical issues that would be contraindications to undergo surgery with anesthesia. Wishing you good luck with your journey!

Tummy tuck is not painful. In a healthy person tummy tuck and diastasis repair can be done at any age.  However, your abdominal bulge is likely to be from your weight. At your weight operation will not succeed.  If you can get your weight down to 150 lbs you will have a successful operation.  

If you are a healthy, non smoker, your age itself is not a contraindication to surgery. However, your BMI is 40 and that is a significant contraindication to surgery and greatly increases your risk of recurrence of the diastasis and complications after surgery. 

Your BMI needs to be closer to 30, if not at 30, before your proceed with Diastasis repair. At your current BMI, you’re intraabdominal contents (intestines, organs, and the surrounding fat) will push against your repair and that pressure can tear your repair apart. Even if you had a surgical repair, your abdomen may still appear round if your BMI is high because your intra-abdominal contents haven’t gotten smaller.

Sounds like you have a great doctor who gave you good advice.