Tummy tuck in Seoul: how does lower abdominal sagging look 1 year after surgery?
Patient Registration Info
| Age | Weight | Height | BMI |
|---|---|---|---|
|
50s |
58kg |
160cm |
23 |
Surgical site
Surgical site : Abdomen, M-type, rectus plication,umbilical correction｜ liposuction aspirate volume : 2,900cc
Even long after childbirth,
many women continue to struggle with
persistent lower abdominal skin laxity.
Following pregnancy and delivery,
the abdominal skin may become stretched,
allowing excess skin to descend below
the umbilicus and creating deep folds
within the lower abdomen.
Because skin laxity and abdominal muscle separation
are structural changes rather than problems
caused by excess fat alone,
their improvement is often limited,
regardless of how much weight is lost
or how consistently exercise is performed.
For many patients, these changes persist
despite maintaining a healthy body weight,
making it difficult to restore a firm,
smooth lower abdominal contour through
diet and exercise alone.
In this patient’s case,
following a Cesarean section,
significant skin laxity and
deep folding of the lower abdomen
had developed below the umbilicus.
These changes became even more apparent
when she bent forward.
As the lower abdominal skin shifted downward,
the excess tissue descended over
the underwear line, creating a pronounced
lower abdominal overhang and deep skin folds.
The patient presented with both
postpartum skin redundancy and
abdominal wall laxity, which together
caused the lower abdomen to appear
heavy, bulky, and poorly defined.
Accordingly, we recommended a surgical approach
focused on removing the redundant lower abdominal skin
while restoring a firmer anterior abdominal contour,
with the goal of creating a smoother,
more balanced, and naturally refined silhouette.
In this patient’s case,
skin laxity extending into the upper abdomen
and rectus diastasis were both identified,
making dissection up to the upper abdomen necessary.
Accordingly, an M-Type Full Abdominoplasty
was recommended, together with rectus muscle plication
and fascial repair to restore the weakened
abdominal wall and correct the forward protrusion
caused by abdominal wall laxity.
However, the patient naturally had
a relatively straight waist, with a similar width
between the upper abdomen and pelvis.
For this reason, the goal of surgery
was not to create an excessively narrow waistline.
Instead, the surgical plan focused on
correcting the sagging lower abdomen and
eliminating the deep skin folds, while creating
a smoother and more natural transition from
the anterior abdomen to the lower abdominal contour.
In addition, abdominal liposuction was performed
in conjunction with abdominoplasty to refine
the blunt contour of the anterior abdomen
and further enhance the overall silhouette,
allowing a more harmonious and naturally
contoured abdominal profile.
The following photographs compare
the patient’s appearance before and after abdominoplasty.
The previously protruding, three-lobed contour
of the abdomen has been effectively corrected,
creating a much smoother and more harmonious
anterior abdominal profile.
As the excess skin that had descended
from the upper abdomen was removed,
the redundant folds of the lower abdomen
were eliminated, significantly reducing
the heavy appearance of the lower abdominal region.
In addition, rectus diastasis repair
was performed simultaneously, restoring support
to the abdominal wall.
As a result, the laxity that had caused
the anterior abdomen to protrude forward
from the upper abdomen has been corrected,
creating a noticeably firmer, flatter, and more toned abdominal contour.
The improvement becomes even more apparent
when the patient bends forward at the waist.
Before abdominoplasty, bending forward caused
the lower abdominal skin to shift downward under gravity,
creating a pronounced fold that extended
over the underwear line.
After surgery, however, the same position
demonstrates a firmly supported anterior abdominal contour,
with the lower abdomen remaining smooth
and well maintained despite the change in posture.
This improvement is not simply the result of
removing excess skin.
It also reflects the restoration of
abdominal wall support through rectus diastasis repair,
which prevents the abdominal contents from
bulging forward due to weakened structural support.
As this case demonstrates,
abdominoplasty is a procedure designed not only
to improve the external appearance of the abdomen,
but also to restore abdominal wall function,
resulting in both aesthetic and functional improvement.
For many patients considering abdominoplasty,
one of the greatest concerns involves
the location of the incision,
the recovery period, and
how well the postoperative scar can be concealed.
In this patient’s case,
the incision was strategically placed
low on the lower abdomen, allowing it to remain
hidden beneath the underwear line.
As a result, the scar was not visible
while wearing underwear or most clothing,
and it caused little inconvenience
during everyday activities.
It is important to remember that
scar maturation varies from patient to patient,
depending on individual skin characteristics
and healing capacity.
For this reason, appropriate scar management
and regular postoperative follow-up are essential
to monitor healing and achieve the best possible outcome.
In this patient’s case,
the healing process has progressed
somewhat more slowly than average.
Accordingly, we will continue to monitor
both scar maturation and abdominal contour changes
through regular follow-up visits, providing
individualized postoperative care to support
the best long-term aesthetic result.
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#RectusDiastasisRepair
#AbdominalLiposuction
#CSectionScarRevision
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#LesartsPlasticSurgery
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