Many of my Denver tummy tuck patients want to know if getting the surgery will get rid of their stretch marks. Although a tummy tuck might remove some stretch marks, it doesn’t always. Here’s a closer look at the connection between stretch marks and your tummy tuck.
Tummy Tuck Basics
During a tummy tuck, I make an incision across the lower abdomen, which allows me access to the underlying musculature. From there, I can repair any separated or stretched abdominal muscles, tightening the framework that’s become lax due to age or physical changes like pregnancy or significant weight loss.
With the muscles sutured in place, I then redrape the abdominal skin over the tightened muscles again, cutting any excess skin and tissue away. If your stretch marks are primarily on the lower part of your abdomen, which ends up being the skin that’s removed during the procedure, there’s a good chance they’ll be removed as well, or at least minimized.*
However, stretch marks that are up higher on the abdomen might only be relocated as a result of your surgery rather than fully removed.* In some cases, the surgery pulls the skin enough to make the discoloration of the stretch marks less noticeable, even if they’re not gone entirely.*
If removing your stretch marks is a priority for you, be sure to discuss your appearance goals with your surgeon.
*This information is for education only, and is not meant as a guarantee of results. Your results may vary.
Author: Dr. Francesco Campanile
Board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Francesco Campanile is a cosmetic surgeon in Denver who is focused on body contouring and breast enhancement. Time and time again, the women and men who choose Dr. Campanile say that they’ve found “the whole package” – a doctor who cares deeply about the quality of their results and has the skill to achieve excellence.
