Get rid of the pooch
Pooch?
The lower fullness clearly has a skin laxity issue. But, based on your photos, I’d bet that you have a thicker layer of fat in your lower abdomen.and, although you may have a bit of underlying muscle separation (diastasis), liposuction of your lower abdomen may give you some improvement.
You’ll likely keep some or all of the skin laxity, but the fullness in your lower belly will be reduced. A physical exam would be required to help fully advise you. (Scott E. Newman, MD, FACS, )
Loose Abdominal Skin With Stretch Marks Needs A Tummy Tuck For Improvement
Get rid of the pooch picture
This is a very common question for many women that have a little pooch between their belly button and their pubis. It doesn’t quite seem big enough to justify surgery but has also proved diffficult if not impossible for it to be removed by any effort of their own.
There are two key findings that provide the answer for you. First, there is nothing wrong with making your best effort for its improvement. But it is very unlikely that one spot area on the body can be reduced by any exercise effort. Secondly, the stretch marks on your skin are the other clue.
Get rid of the pooch photo
This tells you that there is too much skin and it will not shrink down on its own. Excess skin most certainly can not be exercised away. The only real solution is that of some form of a tummy tuck. Particularly if you are using the criteria of how it looks when you bend over. (Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD, Indianapolis Plastic Surgeon)
The skin is often the deciding factor for a tummy tuck.
Although difficult to assess from your photos the presence of stretch marks on your abdominal skin would lead us more on the tummy tuck path. If are relatively young and have only a few fairly small stretch marks you may want to try a max out your own bodys’ ability to tighten and flatten your abdomen.
Get rid of the pooch images
This will require good nutrition and exercise to decrease the amount of body fat and increase muscle tone. Worse case scenario to doing so is that you will be in that much better shape should you later choose to have something done. (Remus Repta, MD, Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon)
You cannot exercise skin, only muscle. Losing fat only deflates the skin MORE!
You can certainly tone your abdominal muscles, but you cannot exercise stretched muscular fascia back together (which is why tummy tucks should almost always include muscle -actually fascial -repair, called plication). Toning is good, but losing fat volume only causes lax skin to further deflate, and already-present stretch marks to become more visible.
Get rid of the pooch image
Skin cannot be “exercised,” as is evident from gastric bypass patients or those who lose weight by diet and exercise. Only tummy tuck will remove the loose skin, and muscle repair during the tummy tuck will flatten the “pooch.” But exercise will give you “abs of steel” beneath that flabby skin so your plastic surgeon will have something nice to tighten back together! Keep it up but don’t think that “enough” exercise will finally turn the corner on stretched skin. (Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS, Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon)
Exercise Does Not help Loose Skin
From the views you submitted, it appears that most of your issues are localized to the area below the belly button. Unfortunately, I doubt that exercise will help much.
Get rid of the pooch photo patient
You may be a candidate for a more limited procedure, ie a “mini” tummy tuck to address some of the loose skin and perhaps tighten the lower abdominal muscles. See a plastic surgeon for an exam to determine the appropriate procedure for you. (Brian Klink, MD, Vacaville Plastic Surgeon)
Skin and wrinkles do not respond to exercise
I am unable to see stretch marks and wrinkly skin in the photographs that you posted however you described them in your question. Stretch marks and loose skin do not respond to exercise nor do they respond to liposuction. The only way to really get rid of them is with an abdominoplasty. I do not believe that most of the non-invasive procedures on the market make much of a difference with loose skin however every day a new machine promising the world does appear on the market so with time, perhaps technology will improve and surgery might be avoided. (Evan Sorokin, MD, Cherry Hill Plastic Surgeon)
