A tummy tuck, or an abdominoplasty, removes excess skin and fat in the lower or upper part of the abdominal area. Also, in a tummy tuck procedure, the abdominal muscles are retightened to your pre-pregnancy tone. The changes in both the skin and muscles of the abdomen in each woman and after every pregnancy can vary dramatically. Large babies, twins or multiples, several pregnancies, substantial weight gain, and hereditary factors can all play a role in the changes of abdominal skin and muscle tone.
The skin may be slightly lax, or it may even hang. Beneath the skin, there may be minimal or substantial excess fat, especially in the lower abdominal area. The abdominal wall muscles may bulge slightly, or they may be severely stretched. A cesarean section scar may have healed unsightly, or there may be a bulge of hanging skin or fat tissue above the cesarean scar. In most situations, restoration of the stretched muscles after pregnancy is not possible by core strengthening exercises.