Diastasis Recti vs Visceral fat?

Visceral or internal fat usually causes a round "beer belly" and doesn't go away when you suck in your abdominal muscles. Depending upon you exam, you may be a candidate for liposuction (smart lipo or Vaser) vs a tummy tuck.An exam and consultation with a plastic surgeon is recommended to discuss your options and expectations.

It can be hard to determine if you have diastasis recti on your own, especially if you have a thick layer of subcutaneous fat and some visceral fat. You can try by lying flat on your back and while in mid-sit up, see if you can fit two fingers into the midline of your stomach. If there’s a gap, it’s an indication of muscle separation. However, because you say that you’ve had two kids, there is a good chance you have diastasis recti. An inperson examination with a board certified plastic surgeon can help detect this.

Hello and thank you for your question. Many women have a diastsis (separation of the rectus muscles) after pregnancy.  This can be fixed during a tummy tuck.  The best way to determine for certain if you have a diastasis is an in-person examination.  Based on your description, it sounds like you have it.  I recommend that you seek consultation with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate you in person.Best wishes and good luck.Richard G. Reish, M.D.Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Please give us a description of your BMI and post some photos - that might be the best way to determine which one of the two issues you brought up is affecting you more. We all have intra-abdominal fat and it becomes more prominent of an issue as your BMI goes high, especially higher than 30. Diastasis occurs after pregnancy. Best, Dr. ALDO

 Thank you for your question. Visceral fat is the fat surrounding your intestines underneath your muscle layer. Diastases recti is weakness of your muscle layer usually do to pregnancies. A diastases recti can be corrected with a simple tummy tuck procedure.  Conversely, visceral fat is untreatable with any plastic surgery procedure. The best way to lose visceral fat is through diet and exercise. It is best to be seen by a board-certified plastic surgeon to determine what your body type is. 

If you are considering an abdominoplasty and you are concerned about the location of the fat the most important thing for you is to get your weight down and stable. I would then schedule an appointment with a PS and be examined. Although imaging can be used it would be rare to perform this unless there was a concern about a hernia. 

It is important to undergo a physical exam but a simple test  is to do a sit up.  If there is no change it is probably intraabdominal fat. If the central area above the belly button becomes more prominent it is probably a diastasis. Regards.