Before and after abdominoplasty as part of a Mommy Makeover in a 34 year old woman. She had an empty “apron” of skin and a large upper abdominal bulge that would not go away despite achieving her goal weight and being very physically fit. Her goals were to look natural and proportional, “to have a flatter stomach but not look pulled too tight”, and have nicer curves and complimented her fitness.
A tummy tuck removed excess baggy lower abdominal skin, it tightened her muscles back together in the midline, and pulled her abdominal wall skin downwards for a tighter and flatter abdomen. Liposuction was done at the end of the procedure to remove excess fat in her axillary rolls (armpit region), her upper and lower abdomen, flanks and upper inner thighs.
Follow up photos are shown at 6 months after surgery. Her scar is low and hidden in bikini bottoms. And she does feel comfortable wearing a bikini now! She still has some stretch marks in the upper thigh area and a few above her abdominal scar.
Unfortunately, there is no treatment to remove the remaining stretch marks, which are actual tears or rips in the dermis, the bottom layer of the skin. The only way to remove stretch marks is to surgically excise them, as was done with the overhanging apron in the tummy tuck.
African American skin often “hyperpigments” (heals darker, increased melanin production, the brown skin pigment) for a period of time after surgery. Her scars have just started to mature and are darker than they will be in another year. Time tends to cause most scars to fade significantly, together with the scar therapy gel we recommend that has medical grade silicone and SPF30 sun protection.
*All photos are actual patient photographs and are for illustrative purposes only. Individual results may vary.
