Consequences of Weight Gain After Having a Tummy Tuck

Written by Caroline Thompson

05 December, 2018

A tummy tuck, also referred to as abdominoplasty, removes excess skin and then repositions the belly button. It can flatten and firm the abdominal region, but you must also maintain a healthy lifestyle with proper diet and exercise. Minimal weight gain after a tummy tuck will not have a significant impact, but excessive weight gain will stretch the skin and stretch the abdominal muscles. Pregnancy after a tummy tuck can also affect the results.

Stretched Skin

Weight gain after a tummy tuck will affect the surgery results. Since a tummy tuck removes fat cells, there are fewer fat cells in the abdominal area. This means that the fat distribution will be less in the area of the stomach than before surgery, but the skin will stretch and with time there will be more skin, according to plastic surgeon Richard Dowden, M.D., C.M., F.A.C.S.

Loss of Muscle Firmness

Elasticity of Skin After Weight Loss

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Excessive weight gain causes the skin and the abdominal muscles to stretch. This results in a loss of muscle firmness and tone. The abdominals will not remain as flat as they were after the tummy tuck was initially performed, according to the Northwestern Plastic Surgery Center.

Regular exercise and a healthy diet are recommended to help maintain the results of the tummy tuck surgery. Abdominoplasty is not a replacement for weight loss. It used to remove excess skin after a large amount of weight loss and or multiple pregnancies. It can also help people who cannot lose the excess stomach bulge even after diet and exercise.

Excessive weight gain causes the skin and the abdominal muscles to stretch.
It used to remove excess skin after a large amount of weight loss and or multiple pregnancies.

Pregnancy

Tummy tucks are usually an option for women after pregnancy and who do not plan to get pregnant again. A tummy tuck will not affect the pregnancy or the baby, according to the National Institutes of Health. Having a baby after a tummy tuck will affect the surgery results. The skin will stretch and lose muscle tone requiring another abdominoplasty to remove the excess skin to flatten the abdominal area. Therefore, this surgery is not recommended for women who are planning to get pregnant.