It Was More Than a Tummy Tuck, It Was Serious Muscle Repair, and I'm So Glad We Did It - San Diego, CA

I hesitate to even call this a tummy tuck because this was far from cosmetic. I knew after having my beautiful children that my body would change but as fit as I was (I train like a bodybuilder), my abdominal area never quite responded appropriately. I had muscles and defined obliques but the area protruded as opposed to tightening, and I noticed I was getting more lower back issues and weird cramping around my abs--which didn't seem appropriate with the way I carefully train. It took over a year to finally schedule my surgery with Dr. Pousti because I work multiple jobs and I knew recovery would be substantial. But I am SO GLAD I went though with it because we would no have known the extent of my muscle damage without the surgery. Dr. Pousti discovered I not only had an umbilical hernia, but a nearly obliterate fascia (the ligaments that hold muscles together) around my core causing my entire upper ab area issues and near herniation, AND my diastasis recti was especially severe. Muscle separation is normal after babies, but mine was not 7 cm, not your typical 1-3cm, and even then only 30% of women experience diastasis at all. It's a relief knowing I've done this soon enough to prevent further damage to my muscles. Again, to me, this was not just cosmetic, it was about being healthy.