
How will tummy tuck affect the stretch marks on my abdomen?
The stretch marks are some of the most unwanted but common skin issues people face. For the longest time, it was believed that stretch marks are just one of the long-term consequences of weight fluctuations. However, there are many women who put on over 20 or 30 kg during pregnancy and are left with no stretch marks after childbirth, while some teenage girls with an ideal weight have their skin riddled with stretch marks.
Research shows that there are many causes of stretch marks, including major hormonal changes such as ovarian conditions and even hormonal administration (including birth control pills). This is the reason why even young boys who have just started working out at the gym and took supplements to increase muscular mass can be confronted with stretch marks on the back, arms or chest.
A medical explanation for stretch marks is a profound rupture in the elastin layers of the derma. Stretch marks can be seen through the skin and can’t be treated using classic methods such as creams, lotions, and other products of the same type.
When considering the tummy tuck procedure, some patients how the will procedure affect the stretch marks in the abdominal area. An urban myth is that the tummy tuck will help the patient get rid of the stretch marks on the abdomen. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. What happens during the procedure is that the plastic surgeon will perform an incision on the lower part of the abdomen and then lift the skin after separating it from the muscles. After suturing the muscles together, the skin is then re-draped over the abdomen to create tension and eliminate sagginess and the excess skin is removed. This means that if the patient had stretch marks on the portion of skin to be removed, they would be removed along with the excess tissue. However, if the stretch marks are positioned on the middle or upper part of the abdomen, they will remain and might descend lower on the tummy after the skin is re-draped.
In other words, the tummy tuck is not a treatment for stretch marks. During the procedure, the plastic surgeon might or might not eliminate some stretch marks that are positioned on a pedicle of skin to be excised, but all others will stay in place.
If you are considering the tummy tuck because you want to get rid of stretch marks, you should think again and discuss this in detail with the plastic surgeon. During the tummy tuck, the plastic surgeon doesn’t work purely on the skin level but simply removes the excess skin to improve the tension of the derma on the tummy area. This means that if your abdomen has stretch marks all over, chances are that most of them will remain in place after the procedure, but their position on the tummy might change after the re-draping of the skin.