Is It Normal to Have Skin Hang Like This After a Tummy Tuck when Laying Down on Your Side? (photo)

Question

I am 7WPO, I have had minimum swelling. My PS said I did not need MR once he got inside. I see other ladies have almost like concaves when they have pics of themselves on there side, mine hangs..and is not sightly. Do you think I will need to have another TT and find a PS who will do MR on me, to get that concave look? I have lots of stretch marks, so I do not have great skin elasticity, maybe this has something to do with with it? My PS says I should be happy with the improvement.

David Shafer, MD, FACS · Answer

Without before pictures, it is impossible to comment on your results specifically.  Based on your after pictures,  see extensive stretch marks indicating that you have lost much of the elasticity of your skin.  So, no matter how thight your surgery pulls your skin, it will not be the same as someone with better elasticity.  Secondly, it is exceedingly rare not to have to do a muscle / diastasis repair during tummy tuck.  While the recovery may be faster, if there is any looseness to the muscle, you abdomen will never be as flat as it could be with the muscle repair.

	 

	Good Luck.

Sacha Obaid, MD · Answer

You appear to have a very nice tummy tuck result.  Without the benefit of pre-op pics I cannot comment fully on this though.  The laxity when on your side is likely because your innate skin quality is still somewhat poor unfortunately.

S. Larry Schlesinger, MD, FACS · Answer

Congratulations on an excellent looking abdominoplasty.  Tightening the abdominal musculature would have had very little influence on whether your abdomen bulges out when you lie flat and lean to the side.  This side bulge may be due to excess skin, fat or just swelling.  You didn't mention if you had liposuction of the flanks or not. 

	It does not appear that you needed an extended tummy tuck, therefore I don't feel that you had excess skin, and therefore there may be some residual fat or swelling.  Only time will tell.  Give yourself another 4-5 months, and if this side bulge still bothers you, then perhaps liposuction may be the curative modality.

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Although your frustration is understandable, I'm sure that you are aware of several issues. Firstly, you are not seeing the end results of the procedure performed 7 weeks postoperatively. Also, the presence of significant stretch marking of the skin (loss of skin elasticity) will  limit the aesthetic results of the procedure that can be achieved,  especially in certain positions such as sitting…

	 At this point, my best advice is that you continue to exercise patience and continue to  follow-up with your plastic surgeon.  You'll be best off evaluating the end results of surgery one year after it was done given that it may take this amount of time for the skin to bounce back completely. If, at that point, you remain displeased, additional surgery ( depending on your physical examination and goals)  may or may not be advisable.

	 Best wishes.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

Your early results look good, and you are still swollen.  Even a person with perfect skin will have some hanging when on the side.  If you did not have pregancies, then you may not have needed the plication.  Occasionally, some women after pregnancy do not have diastasis.

Is It Normal to Have Skin Hang Like This After a Tummy Tuck when Laying Down on Your Side? (photo)

Answers (10)

Answer: Unhappy after Tummy Tuck?

Answer: Unhappy after Tummy Tuck?

Answer: Hanging after Tummy Tuck Normal?

Answer: Hanging after Tummy Tuck Normal?

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Tummy Tuck

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

Is It Normal to Have Skin Hang Like This After a Tummy Tuck when Laying Down on Your Side? (photo)

Answers (10)

Answer: Unhappy after Tummy Tuck?

Answer: Unhappy after Tummy Tuck?

Answer: Hanging after Tummy Tuck Normal?

Answer: Hanging after Tummy Tuck Normal?

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Tummy Tuck

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.