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5 Tips for Diastasis and Tummy tuck
Tummy Tuck

5 Tips for Diastasis and Tummy tuck

Written by
Juli Albright
Updated
Juli is our patient advocate and community connection. She balances work, life and family with grace.
Juli is our patient advocate and community connection. She balances work, life and family with grace.

5 Tips for Diastasis and Tummy Tuck

Considering a tummy tuck in San Antonio? This article will help you understand diastasis recti and how it affects your stomach. When you are younger, your muscular layer acts like a taut, firm griddle and prevents liver, intestines, spleen, etc., from changing their shape and coming outwards. This muscular layer gives your midsection and cores their stability and underlying shape. However, in three circumstances, this layer changes its structure.The first reason is age, as like other connective tissues in your body, elastic fibers and collagen decrease, which causes this wall to sag and loose strength.

Secondly, fluctuations in weight can lead to this problem. The intra-abdominal fat stretches the wall, which breaks the elastic fibers, making it challenging to repair, and the wall loses its natural elastic recoil. Lastly, pregnancy can also be one of the major reasons. Every time when a woman gets pregnant, this wall pulls apart in greater amount than any other mentioned reason. Moreover, in every pregnancy, this process repeats, which increases the diastasis problem even more. Of course, you have seen celebrities and Instagram models who have fixed these issues, but in reality, this is not that easy as it looks. We must say that no crunches, planks, and sit-ups can repair this and can even exacerbate it.

Yes, you do have an option of tummy tuck surgery that aims to make your tummy flat and tight once again. This is a cosmetic surgical procedure that uses different methods to offer your desired tummy shape. Read the article further to get a clear idea that how this surgery works for Diastasis.

Treating Diastasis Recti with Tummy Tuck Surgery

As we have already mentioned, doctors suggest a tummy tuck for providing you a tummy with a tight abdominal wall out and inside. It places permanent sutures in your fascia to close the opening. A plastic surgeon can help you fix this problem to restore a flatter and firmer abdominal shape. The benefit of this surgery is that you can alleviate secondary issues like hernias, back pain, and stress incontinence.

Although you can go for laparoscopic treatment to repair Diastasis, the tummy tuck is far better because of the following reasons.

·      Post-pregnancy, women with diastasis problem also have sagging and excess skin, which your surgeon removes during the tummy tuck.

·      Closing the opening can decrease the abdominal circumference, which leads to more saggy skin. However, treating this problem with the tummy tuck allows your surgeon to remove the maximum amount of extra skin depending on the amount of skin left after tightening the muscles.

·      A board-certified cosmetic surgeon is specially qualified and trained to provide your aesthetic results in addition to the medical outcomes. For instance, they consider the belly button reshaping to offer you natural tummy contour. They also consider the scar placements so that you can easily conceal scars after the surgery.

·      A great number of patients end up opting for the tummy tuck after undergoing a diastasis recti repair treatments because of not being satisfied with the results. But opting for the tummy tuck in the first place will not require any further surgery.

Tips for Diastasis and Tummy Tuck

1.    Choose the Right Surgeon

The first and foremost thing is choosing the right surgeon. Not all surgeons are qualified and skilled to perform tummy tuck procedures. Additionally, not all popular and experienced surgeons can give you the result you want. It is vital to understand that you need to consider your circumstances and desired results to pick the best cosmetic surgeon for you.

In that case, do some research and look for the top three options for you. Then, check their online reviews, and make sure to see whether they have performed tummy tuck for diastasis problem. You also need to visit their practice to check the environment and understand their procedures. Once you know everything, you can opt for the best one for your surgery.

2.    Ask Questions during Your Consultation

It’s important to communicate all your concerns and ask questions during the consultation. You need to ask about the following things to your plastic surgeon to make the right decision.

Anesthesia

You need to ask what type of anesthesia they will use because it will influence your recovery time. The old and traditional anesthesia is general anesthesia, but some surgeons use different types of anesthesia, such as IV Sedation.

Incision Location

This is the most important thing to communicate. Ask your surgeon about the placement of the incisions. You can recommend them to place it under the bikini line to make it less visible.

Before and After Photos

Before making any final decision, ask your health provider to show you before and after photos of their previous patients. It will help you determine the type of work this surgeon does. Also, you can show any photo with results you like so that doctor can easily understand what you want to achieve.

Recovery

Discuss your post-surgical recovery. Ask your surgeon what you can expect after and during the surgery. Besides, it is important to understand that the more you follow the guidelines of the surgeon, the sooner you will recover.

3.    Set Up Aftercare Assistance with Family and Friends

You can recover quicker and smoothly if you ask your friends and family to assist you after the surgery, especially if you have small children. You can ask them to stay at your home for a couple of days and do the regular house chores, as you will not be able to do work in the first week of the surgery.

Make sure that your chosen person has the ability to take care of your little ones so that you don’t have to do any work for your kids. Moreover, taking care of children can be challenging, so it’s best to discuss with your kids pre-treatment what to expect after surgery.

4.    Follow Doctor’s Post-Surgery Recommendations

Consider your plastic surgeon’s advice and recommendations about your regular life. For instance, when you can get back to work, how long you have to avoid sun exposure, and when you can resume exercise or household chores. These guidelines are vital for your recovery and will provide you the best results of your cosmetic treatment.

Also, try to follow every aftercare recommendation if you don’t want to get into any trouble. You have to avoid climbing stairs and carrying groceries for sometime. As your tummy tuck will be done to repair the muscles, you need to be a little bit more cautious than others. If you don't follow the guidelines of the doctor, your healing time will extend, and you may feel more pain than other patients.

5.    Wear Compression Belt for Best Tummy Tuck Results

Your plastic surgeon will give you an elastic and heavy compression belt that you need to wear on your midsection, no matter how much you feel irritated. This garment will cover your entire area from down the breast to the pelvic. You should also know that it will apply a steady and small amount of pressure to your entire treated area.

Wearing this compression belt is crucial for encouraging healing, better contouring, reducing discomfort and pain, and promoting circulation. Many patients have reported that they have felt comfort by wearing this garment, even if they experienced irritation at the beginning.

Bottom Line

Diastasis can be annoying and stressful for women. Of course, not getting your shape and structure back after trying numerous remedies, medicines, exercise, and other things can make you lose hope. However, a tummy tuck is an ideal option if you want a permanent solution to this problem. Just make sure to pick the right board certified plastic surgeon for your required procedures.

Interested in a board-certified plastic surgeon near San Antonio? Chose Dr. Albright at Alamo Plastic Surgery.

Written by
Juli Albright
Updated

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