How to Improve Abdominal Sagging After Childbirth: Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck Surgery)
Patient Registration Info
| Age | Weight | Height | BMI |
|---|---|---|---|
|
in their 50’s |
65kg |
166cm |
24 |
Surgical site
abdominoplasty, M-type, Triple lock, Navel Correction, abdomen liposuction
3900cc
right : 170cc / left 180cc
Abdominoplasty is a procedure well known for its significant aesthetic benefits, but its impact goes beyond physical appearance—it is also recognized for promoting positive psychological changes.
Many individuals, particularly those who have gone through pregnancy and childbirth, experience changes in their abdominal area such as stretched skin and altered body contours. Despite efforts through diet and exercise, these changes often cannot be fully reversed, leading to persistent sagging.
This can become a source of ongoing stress, where dissatisfaction with appearance gradually affects self-esteem and emotional well-being.
Abdominoplasty addresses these concerns at the root, helping to restore not only physical form but also inner confidence. It offers patients a chance to feel more comfortable and empowered in their own bodies.
The patient we are introducing today also came to us with these concerns in mind.
The patient we are introducing today is in her early 50s and had long struggled with abdominal sagging after giving birth to multiple children through natural delivery.
Following childbirth, she experienced significant sagging in the lower abdomen and a noticeable loss of skin elasticity throughout the abdominal area. These changes affected her daily activities and caused considerable emotional stress.
Despite consistent efforts with dieting and exercise, the sagging in her abdomen did not improve. Eventually, she made the decision to undergo abdominoplasty to address these persistent concerns.
Through this case, we will explain the surgical plan that was developed and show how abdominoplasty brought about a meaningful transformation for this patient.
Before the abdominoplasty, a thorough assessment of the patient’s condition revealed a significant loss of skin elasticity across the entire abdominal area. Due to the laxity of the abdominal wall, noticeable wrinkling was present in the upper abdomen, particularly above the navel.
To address this, surgical correction of the sagging skin was deemed necessary.
While the patient did not have severe diastasis recti (separation of the abdominal muscles), there was enough laxity to warrant muscle repair as part of the procedure.
For a more balanced result, we also planned to perform liposuction on the flanks and love handles, allowing for a slimmer, more contoured waistline.
Since the patient’s skin laxity and abdominal wall loosening extended from the upper abdomen, a medium-type abdominoplasty was recommended. This approach would effectively lift and correct the sagging tissue and underlying structures.
In such cases, repositioning of the belly button is required. We explained that an umbilicoplasty would be performed to relocate and reshape the navel for an aesthetically pleasing outcome.
We will now provide a detailed comparison using the patient’s medical photos taken before the surgery and four months postoperatively to illustrate the changes.
In the front-facing photos taken four months after the abdominoplasty, it is clear that the previously sagging abdominal skin has been lifted and tightened, resulting in a smoother and firmer contour of the lower abdomen.
Notably, the wrinkled and overlapping skin in the lower abdomen, which extended below the navel, has been effectively removed—along with skin markings such as stretch marks or blemishes—creating a clean and natural appearance below the belly button.
This transformation was not simply achieved by removing excess skin. The underlying diastasis recti (separation of the abdominal muscles) was also corrected, allowing the central abdominal area to be pulled in tightly, giving the appearance of wearing an internal corset and enhancing the firmness of the midsection.
In addition, by combining liposuction with the abdominoplasty, the waistline was further sculpted to create a slimmer and more defined hourglass shape, enhancing the patient’s feminine silhouette.
In the side view comparison of the pre- and post-operative photos, the bulging lower abdominal skin and fat that previously hung heavily below the waistline have been noticeably improved. The result is a much smoother and more toned abdominal contour—one that hardly seems like it belongs to someone in their 50s, radiating a sense of health and vitality.
With the combination of abdominoplasty and liposuction, the sagging abdominal tissue was removed and the side waistline was seamlessly contoured. This created a slimmer, more refined silhouette, and the patient expressed a high level of satisfaction with the outcome.
In this patient’s case, during her follow-up visit two weeks after surgery, a minor seroma was detected via ultrasound. It was promptly drained, and we thoroughly reviewed her recovery status and guided her on appropriate self-care routines.
By her four-month follow-up, her recovery had progressed smoothly without any complications. The patient reported no discomfort and expressed high satisfaction with the surgical outcome.
Thanks to her consistent follow-up visits and adherence to post-operative care instructions, her recovery progressed steadily—even at the age of 50—demonstrating the importance of timely, personalized management and self-care.
What was especially rewarding for our medical team was hearing from the patient that, beyond the physical transformation, she experienced a significant boost in self-esteem.
Her consistent feedback on how this surgery positively impacted both her outer appearance and inner confidence made this case particularly meaningful for all of us.
