Stretch marks are improved with abdominoplasty for two reasons. First, the skin with the stretch marks can be removed and in a good candidate this may mean stretch marks extending to even above the umbilicus.
The second way stretch marks can be improved is by tightening of the skin which appears to frequently improve stretch mark appearance by tightening them.
You should be able to get an approximation of how much of the scarred skin will be able to be removed by simply asking your surgeon.
Tummy tuck stretch marks won’t work for everyone but in the right patient the results can be spectacular. (Jon F. Harrell, DO, Miami Plastic Surgeon)
The problem with stretch marks is that they only way to get rid of them is excise them. Tummy tuck stretch marks is a great procedure for doing just that. Talk to a board certified plastic surgeon about what you hope to gain from surgery. There is some scaring involved but it is possible that you could be a candidate for a mini tummy tuck as opposed to a standard which would leave a smaller scar. (Amy K. Alderman, MD, MPH, Alpharetta Plastic Surgeon)Tummy tuck for strech mark removal
From your photo, it looks like you are an excellent candidate for a tummy tuck. The tummy tuck will address your excess skin and remove most of your stretch marks (though the marks above your umbilicus will remain) as well as tighten your abdominal muscles. Liposuction may be helpful as an adjunct for shaping your flanks, though it is difficult to judge whether you would benefit from this based upon your photo. (B. Aviva Preminger, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)
The benefits of a formal abdominoplasty / tummy tuck procedure are two-fold. The primary benefit is to remove infraumbilical fat and skin and the secondary benefit is to tighten the anterior abdominal wall and rectus fascia. In your particular case, a tummy tuck would remove central infraumbilical abdominal fat and stretch marks and tighten the abdominal muscles. (Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)Tummy tuck is effective for abdominal stretch marks
Based on your photo and description- you would benefit from a standard tummy tuck- this would remove the damaged skin you have, tighten your abdominal tissues and improve your shape. If you have stretch marks several centimeters above your BB, these marks would not be completely removed with a TT. They would be lowered to your pubic region and might be concealed by clothing. (Scott C. Sattler, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)
Not all stretch marks can be removed for most patients in a tummy tuck. Especially those above the umbilicus. But those that are left get pulled tighter and look better. I’d skip further liposuction as it will not free up extra skin and get a tummy tuck stretch marks done with realistic expectations. (Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)With your loose skin and stretch marks you would be a good candidate for a tummy tuck. The stretch marks above the umbilicus probably would not come out but would move lower on your abdomen after the excess skin is removed. (Steven Wallach, MD, Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)
It appears to me some laxity to your skin in the picture provided. The best way to determine what YOU need is to consult several plastic surgeons who can examine your abdomen and it’s skin quality. The only way to rid yourself of stretch marks would be to remove them through an tummy tuck procedure. Because you may not have a ton of loose skin you may be one of those rare candidates for a mini-tummy tuck.The mini only addresses problems below the belly button. In my experience it is rare that women do not have loose skin above the belly button which would require more of a traditional tummy tuck.
Liposuction can be use selectively in these cases with a tummy tuck but if used as the only treatment it would not improve the stretch marks. Additionally, with loose skin liposuction can cause more skin wrinkling. (Earl Stephenson, Jr., MD, DDS, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)
The other posts explain well why the tummy tuck is the best way to go for removal of most of the skin with stretch marks, so I want to address the question you raised about lipo freeing up more skin. The extra fat is removed as part of the tummy tuck (when needed) so there is no reason to have an additional surgery before. It is also clear that the lipo alone won’t give you a good result as far as I can tell from the picture. (Richard Baxter, MD, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)Stretch marks after a tummy tuck
A tummy tuck can remove stretch marks BELOW a belly button, and can make the remaining ones less noticeable.
Treatment for stretch marks is having them removed in a tummy tuck. But tummy tucks are limited to removing stretch marks only below the belly button… Thus you need to accept the fact that some stretch marks will remain. The good thing is that the remaining skin will be stretched out and when this happens we find that the remaining stretch marks become less noticeable. (Martin Jugenburg, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)Based on the picture and information you provided, you sound like a great candidate for a tummy tuck procedure. Unfortunately, there is no way to remove strech marks without removal of the skin and tissue in that region. You would benefit from a tummy tuck drastically.
A tummy tuck involves rectus muscle repair and removal of excess skin. It is most important to find a board certified plastic surgeon to perform your tummy tuck surgery. (Tom J. Pousti, MD, FACS, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)
Skin removal only way to remove stretch marks
The only way to reliably remove the stretch marks is to remove the skin containing the stretch marks. The only way to do this is with an abdominoplasty of one kind or another. The trade-off will be the presence of a lower abdominal scar which can be placed low on the abdomen and will in most cases be concealed by most underwear and most bathing suits.A well-placed, concealed scar is in the opinion of most of my patients preferable to the appearance of the abdomen post pregnancy with localized fact, stretch marks, skin laxity and laxity of the abdominal muscle layer. Each of these problem areas can be addressed by the abdominoplasty.
All the stretch marks located below the belly button can usually be removed, however, some of the stretch marks around the belly button and certainly those above the belly button will not be removed, however, their relative position on the abdomen will be lower.
Again, you must weigh the overall improvement in the appearance of the abdomen to the presence of the scar. He should take the time to look at before and after photographs before embarking on this procedure and even talk to several patients who have had the procedure. (Ralph R. Garramone, MD, Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon)