How many tummy tucks can a woman have?

Hello Nina,You can certainly safely have more than one TT in a lifetime.   The main limiting factor is how much laxity and excess skin is present in order to re-do the TT.  Many women are choosing to have children later in life and so this is dilemma is coming up more often.  After having children the combination of weight gain and expansion leads to increased skin laxity and excess.  So, even if you have had a TT once or possibly twice there may still be  enough skin to perform another with beautiful results.  If there is not enough laxity or skin excess, you may end up with a small vertical scar on your lower abdomen from the opening your belly button was previously located in.   If you only develop mild lower abdominal laxity after children a lesser mini TT incision may be all you need to improve your abdominal contour.  In either case, muscle tightening will need to be redone due to the stretch caused by pregnancy.If children may be in the near future, for the best result I would suggest waiting until you are done having them.  However, if that's not the case you should go ahead and go with your feeling and proceed with surgery keeping in mind the above possibilities in the future.Best of Luck!Dr. Rednam

you could have another abdominal procedure if you have skin excess with or without abdominal wall laxity. You might be a candidate for a panniculectomy which is just skin removal.

There isn't a limit on the number of tummy tucks a woman can undergo. The best long term results are obtained when weight can be controlled and pregnancies are avoided. If you have developed a lot of sagging skin, it can be removed with another  tummy tuck. Obtain a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon in your area for an evaluation and to discuss your options.

You ask a very good question. In my opinion there is no right answer, each option has it's pros and cons. Important information that is not in your question is your history of pregnancies and your age. If you have had no previous pregnancies, OR your tummy tuck was done after your pregnancies, then your musculature may be in very good shape. A skin only tummy tuck might give you a very acceptable result. Your surgeon should be able to determine this on examination.If you have had pregnancies since your tummy tuck 9 years ago, then the decision is more difficult and would require a frank discussion with your surgeon of the risks and benefits.There is no definitive reason that you can not have more than one tummy tuck, two or even three. However, surgery is always a serious undertaking with serious risks. Overall we are better off anytime you can limit the number of surgeries. Talk it over with a couple of Board Certified Plastic Surgeons. Good luck

Nina,  Absolutely you may need more than one tummy tuck. You made additional surgery after the initial tummy tuck if your skin continues to loosen over time (esp after children). You may also may need to have your abdominal muscles tightened. Children come first surgery second. I wish you well

You can certainly have more than one tummy tuck in your lifetime if necessary. It's not uncommon to do a secondary mini or full tummy tuck after weight gain/loss or having children. As long you have excess skin and are a good surgical candidate, there is no set number of tummy tucks a person can have. It's ideal to wait til you are done having children but if this is not possible or desirable then you could certainly have a tummy tuck in between children. Just remember that you will lose your abdominal wall correction after each pregnancy. Best of luck!

It is hard to comment without looking at any photos and you do need a physical examination to determine what is appropriate for you. Generaly, there is no limit to the number of tummy tuck procedures you can have if you end up having excess redundant skin. However, the scars involved differ according to what is done the second or third time around. If you have a small amount of skin excess, a mini tummy tuck may suffice. If you have more excess tissue, but not enough to remove all the skin between your navel and your lower scar, then you would end up with an additional small vertical scar (where your navel used to be), between your newly positioned navel and the lower scar. This does not matter if you have had an extended tummy tuck (Fleur de lys abdominoplasty) in the past, where you have a vertical scar in the midline in addition to the lower horizontal scar. On the other hand, if you have large amount of excess skin that can be removed from your navel to your lower scar, then you will not have any additional scarring.

A full tummy tuck involves muscle tightening and skin removal.Another pregnancy will stretch the tightened muscle.Skin can be re tucked as it needs especially if there is alteration in your weight.

Nina,Thanks for your query.While it is possible to have more than one or two tummy tucks, it all depends on how much laxity you have in your skin and muscle.  If you are interested in having more children in the near future, then you should wait.  If you are unsure or not planning on children in the near future, then procede with the surgery.Many times, a mini tummy tuck may be indicated if the excess skin or laxity is only on the lower portion of your abdomen.In order to answer any of your questions, a physical exam is necessary.Best of luck.Dr. T