tummy tuck

For people who have gained and lost a great deal of weight, it's true that sometimes there is just excess skin. No matter how much exercise they do, they are still left with what we post-pregnancy women lovingly call "the flap" ;) I think if your friend lost her weight in a healthy way and now has the means to have cosmetic surgery with a highly-recommended surgeon to correct the excess skin issue, then she should do it.

Once the elasticity has gone in the skin near the pelvic region due to pregnancy it is hard to retone it. Tummy tucks should only be used as a last resort I feel. The amount of continual weight loss is not neccessarily the issue but restoring the skin. Tell her to get advice from a local gym as to the types of exercises she can do to target that area. If the stretch marks aren't too wide she will be able to gain it back.

i ahve a friend who is a dancer, she has two kids also and the youngest is almost three, she has a sagging stretchmarked stomach too. I have four children and my tummy went back to it's normal proportions within a year of each of their births. In fact I have 27 stretch marks to show for it and none of them are really major. The elasticity of ones skin depends entirely upon the care on takes of it before and during the stretching. If in two years her form has not returned to it's origional shape then she should give it one more year and a lot of emolients. If it still doesn't go back to the way that it was and it is bothering her I think that she should go ahead and do what she thinks is best for her own body and her self esteem.

I have had four kids and the skin eventually does tighten up.yes it takes time for the skin to tighten up again.if she does sits up it will work faster but i would not advise her to do a tummy tuck it is unnecessary and dangerous.

It would be an awful waste of money to have it done and then fall pregnant in the future. Her children are very young and she may decide to have more at some stage in the future ,if I was her i would wait about 5 years.

There are exercises that can be done too tone the tummy,I do not think that she has to go as far as a tummy tuck.sounds like to me all she needs is to do a few set ups and maybe a few other exercises,walking is good for the tummy also.

This discussion is a year old. However, just having had a tummy tuck myself, I'm really interested in whether your friend had one. In a lot of cases, the skin will not go back into place, no matter how much exercise, etc. one does. A tummy tuck is major surgery and yes, it's painful -- it's the most painful surgery that plaastic surgeons perform. However, even though I'm now going through the healing process and it's still painful, I would highly recommend it for anyone whose skin has lost the elasticity and will not firm up. One has to be through having children and have to be at a weight that they can maintain and not gain.

I don't know if you can ever really get that stomach back again. I personally think a tummy tuck is dangerous and an extreme decision..but if that is what she wants to do..then it is her decision. I think that is what happens when you have a child...and no matter how much you work out..or diet it never truly goes away....I know mine didn't....

no idea

Yep, that's the only thing that'll get rid of it. The skin loses the elasticity, and it is exactly that-extra skin. Happens to other people too that end up losing a lot of weight, especially those that go through the stomach by pass surgeries. They sometimes need to get the extra skin removed from their arms & legs as well as tummies. If she can afford it, I'd say it's worth it to feel better about herself. If I could afford it, I'd be next in line :) From what I hear though, it is rather painful for the first few weeks after surgery. Have a hard time standing up, have to walk kinda hunched over. Worth it in the end though.

Whether or not the skin will firm up on it's own with time depends on many issues. Her age is one, women older than 30 have less elasticity than younger women. The moisture content of her skin, often oils etc can help reduce the loose skin appearance. Sagging skin has nothing to do with body fat or with muscle tone. It is like an elastic band that has been stretched to capacity and held there over a period of time, it can't 'bounce' back to it's original shape. Some tummy tucks are just a removal and rearrangement of the skin and navel, some involve tightening the muscles in the abdomen. It is considered a major surgery. There is a lot of information on Abdominoplasty with photos included. A reputable surgeon will check her psychological state, her expectations and general health before proceeding.

I THINK IT'S GREAT SHE LOST THE WEIGHT. I'M THE SAME WAY...LOST ALL (MORE) OF MY PREGNANCY WEIGHT BUT THERE'S JUST THAT OVERHANG ISSUE...THERE'S JUST NO GETTING RID OF THAT. ONCE I'M DONE NURSING MY LITTLE ONE I PLAN TO HAVE MY TUBES TIED AND HAVE A TUMMY TUCK....WOULDN'T MIND A BOOB LIFT AS WELL...LOL

I think it should be up to the indivisual. I personally would never do that, but there are people who would and good for them. I am too much of a chicken.

i have had 5 kids (big fat babies infact) i have sagging skin that will always be there. i do not find it unsightly, yet a badge from mother nature. sure i cant wear a bikini or a tight belt. but my husband thinks i am very attractive and i am happy with my body image and that is all that matteres to me. if a tummy tuck will help her, i think it is the right choice for her.

Sit ups do not tone losse skin, they only tone the muscle.

Well I do think a lose belly on a woman is not good for her self esteme.I do think the tummy tuck can give great confidence back to the woman.As long as a good plastic surgeon is choicen everything should go fine.

There are many medical treatments that provide a cure for that, just try those Also if not affordable than take tips from someone and do xercises !

i am in the same boat as your friend, i have a petite frame and with my little boy i was over stretched due to having too much water around him, i was the size of someone having triplets. I am back down to a size ten but my stomach means i have to wear bigger clothes to hide the overhanging skin, the stretch marks have also left me with no feeling in the skin. And for me i'm only 22 years old and i feel that this is when you should look your best, but exercise cant achieve it alone. Having my children is worth what its done to my body, but it does effect the way you feel about yourself, i dont feel sexy in underwear or clothing and it is annoying when you turn on the telly or open a magazine and see posh spice, mother of three looking unblemished and trim while i sag around my ankles. i think its worth the money, if you get the confidence back and you know that nothing else is gonna do the trick. As for danger, what isn't dangerous and who knows how long we have on this earth so we might as well make the best we can of it. she may look fab on the outside to you but she doesnt sound like she feels it on the inside. i wish good luck to your friend and it's great that you worry about her, it means she'll be in good hands when she neads some tlc.

A tummy tuck seems awfully drastic. Has she asked her ob/gyn about it? Maybe her doctor can suggest some exercises that will help. I agree with you that a tummy tuck is not worth the money or the danger.

My stomach looks the same I'm 5'2 118lbs and had 2 children and 40 years old the only way to repair this is a tummy tuck.no amount of exercise will fix this.unfortunately she has torn her abdomen muscle and these are repair during the surgery process.I hope to have this done one day when I get the money.Just be there for your friend and support her.