Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) is major surgery. I want that clear from the start, because the way an operation is described tends to shape how seriously it is weighed up, and this is one that deserves careful thought. Pregnancy changes the abdominal wall. The skin stretches, and in most women the
Losing a large amount of weight is a major achievement, whether you reached your goal through diet and exercise, weight loss medication, or bariatric surgery. For many of the people I see in my practice, that achievement comes with a frustrating physical reality. Once the weight is gone, the skin
Dual vector abdominoplasty is an operation I developed for post weight loss patients whose excess abdominal skin runs in more than one direction and extends into the upper abdomen and lower chest. It combines a Fleur de Lis abdominoplasty with an upper abdominal lipectomy in a single operation, removing skin
After pregnancy, the skin across the lower abdomen can stay stretched once the uterus has returned to its usual size. The 2 rectus abdominis muscles that run down the midline can also separate, a change called muscle separation (diastasis recti). Both are common after pregnancy and childbirth, and both are
In my practice, one of the questions I hear most often from women considering an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) after having children is whether liposuction is a separate operation added on top. It is not. In the majority of post pregnancy cases, ultrasound-assisted suction lipectomy (VASER liposuction) is part of the
Your rectus abdominis muscles are the pair of long muscles that run down the front of your abdomen, 1 on the left and 1 on the right. Down the middle, joining them, is a band of connective tissue called the linea alba. In everyday terms this is what people picture
In Australia, about 1.5% of women who give birth have a multiple pregnancy, and almost all of these are twins (1). Carrying more than one baby stretches the abdominal wall further than a single pregnancy, so separation of the abdominal muscles (diastasis recti) tends to be both more common and
Returning to physical activity after an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) is something I talk through with every patient before they go home. An abdominoplasty is major surgery, and the recovery process runs over months rather than weeks. The questions are almost always the same. When can I start walking? When can
A limited abdominoplasty (mini tummy tuck) is an operation that treats the lower abdomen, the area below the navel. It is smaller in scope than a full abdominoplasty, which treats the whole abdominal wall and repositions the navel. In my practice, I see women considering a limited abdominoplasty after they
One of the more common questions I am asked by women after pregnancy is whether exercise can help diastasis recti, the separation of the abdominal muscles that often develops while carrying a baby. The short answer is that exercise can help in many cases, and for a lot of women