Cosmetic Surgery Tips

Diastasis Recti Surgery Everything You Should Know

A lot of people have diastasis recti, which is also called belly separation. For this sickness to happen, the abdominal muscles must split. Having this disease, which often happens after giving birth or losing a lot of weight, can make your belly look “pooched” or stick out from your body. Some illnesses make it hard for people to do the things they need to do in their daily lives because they hurt. Surgery to fix diastasis recti, which is also called a “tummy tuck,” helps tighten the ab muscles and close the gap.

In this guide, we review the aspects of Diastasis Recti Surgery, diastasis recti surgery without tummy tuck, diastasis recti surgery without tummy tuck, diastasis recti surgery recovery time and how long does it take to recover from diastasis recti surgery?

Diastasis Recti Surgery

What is surgery for diastasis recti?

Diastasis recti surgery is a type of surgery that fixes the split of the abdominal muscles. The surgeon will make a cut along the lower belly to get to the abdominal muscles during the operation. After that, the surgeon will sew the muscles back together and make the abdomen wall tighter. Sometimes, extra skin is also taken off, which makes the belly thinner and more toned.

Who Should Get Surgery for Diastasis Recti?

People who have a big gap between their abdominal muscles that bothers them or lowers their quality of life are usually good candidates for diastasis recti surgery. People who want to have surgery should be in good health overall and have fair hopes for how it will turn out. People who have lost a lot of weight or women who have been pregnant more than once are often good candidates for the surgery.

How to Get Better After Diastasis Recti Surgery

Depending on how extensive the surgery was, recovery from diastasis recti surgery can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. After surgery, patients may feel some pain, swelling, and bruises, which can be controlled with painkillers that the surgeon prescribes. To make sure the stomach muscles fully heal, people who have had surgery should not do any heavy lifting or activities that are too hard for a few weeks.

Patients will also be told to wear a compression device to help the muscles heal and keep the swelling down. Based on how well the person is improving, the compression device may need to be worn for a few weeks to a few months.

What Surgery for Diastasis Recti Does

Most of the time, diastasis recti treatment has long-lasting effects and can make the belly look a lot better. After surgery, patients may see a change in the look of their belly right away. The appearance may continue to get better over the next few months as the tissues fully heal.

It’s important to remember that diastasis recti surgery is not a way to lose weight. To keep the benefits, patients should eat well and exercise regularly. Patients should also keep their follow-up visits with their surgeon to see how they’re improving and make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible.

If someone has an abdominal split that makes them feel bad or lowers their quality of life, diastasis recti treatment may help. If you are thinking about diastasis recti surgery, you should make an appointment to see a qualified surgeon to find out if you are a good choice for the process and to talk about your goals and hopes. Diastasis recti surgery can give you a flatter, more toned stomach and make your life better in general if you take care of it and wait for it to heal.

diastasis recti surgery without tummy tuck

Diastasis recti surgery can be done without a tummy tuck, and this is what most people choose when they don’t need to get rid of extra skin or fat around their middle. The surgery is usually called diastasis recti repair or abdominal wall repair in these situations.

For the surgery, the doctor will make a small cut down the middle of the belly to get to the muscles there. After that, the doctor will put the muscles back together and lift the wall of the belly. You can also get rid of extra skin and fat if you need to.

Without a tummy tuck, diastasis recti repair generally takes less time to heal than with one. This is because there isn’t as much muscle to heal. People who have had surgery may still feel some pain, stiffness, and bruises. The painkillers that the surgeon recommends can help. For a few weeks after surgery, people who have had surgery on their stomach should not lift big things or do other hard tasks. This will help the muscles heal fully.

Most of the time, fixing diastasis recti without a tummy tuck makes your stomach look much better and lasts for a long time. People who have had surgery may notice a difference in the way their belly looks right away. In the coming months, as the tissues fully heal, the look may keep getting better.

It’s important to keep in mind that diastasis recti repair without a tummy tuck is not a way to lose weight. Patients should eat well and work out daily to keep the effects. People who have surgery should also keep their follow-up appointments to see how they’re doing and make sure everything goes as quickly as possible.

Different variety of surgical techniques to repair this condition

There are different types of laparoscopy surgeries that can fix this issue, depending on the size and location of the diastasis, any other issues that may be present, such as extra loose abdominal wall skin and fat, as well as the patient’s goals. Laparoscopic Repair of Diastasis Recti is a minimally invasive way to fix this problem. It only requires three small cuts, and patients feel less pain and recover faster than with the open technique. At Surgical Oasis Institute, we know how to fix the diastasis recti using all the available surgical techniques. Before surgery, each patient would get a full physical exam and surgical discussion to help us choose the best surgical option for them.

Dr. Iraniha is an expert in all the available surgical techniques to fix “diastasis Recti” at the Surgical Oasis Institute in Orange County. Before surgery, he would do a full exam and talk with the patient about their surgical options so that the best one could be chosen for each person. For a virtual or in-person surgical consultation, please call us at 949-646-8444.

Diastasis Recti Surgery Without Tummy Tuck Recovery

Every building needs a strong base. The building will be less strong if one corner of that base falls apart. The same thing happens when there is a problem with the abdominal wall, like a hernia or diastasis recti, which is when muscles separate during pregnancy.

You don’t have strong muscles to help you walk, sit, or bend. This can make your quality of life worse by causing back and joint pain, limited movement, and even problems with your self-esteem. People who have big, bulging bellies have been thought to be pregnant and even accused of shoplifting while wearing their shirts off.

Reconstruction of the abdominal wall as a surgical fix can work if it is done right by a team of skilled doctors. Many of our patients, on the other hand, had to go a long way to get to our center. The average patient has had eight to fifteen surgeries before they come to see us. This includes up to three or four failed tries to fix a hernia. Most of them have been to more than one surgery who told them they had no other choices.

After hearing about our team at the UT Southwestern Plastic Surgery Clinic, they decide to get surgery. Transformational treatments that our team does are more complicated than those done at most surgery centers.

Our center does two to four belly reconstructions a week, while some centers might only do that many once a year. About 60% of our customers come from outside the Metroplex to come to us because we focus on them. Our doctors work with the physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) experts at UT Southwestern to cut down on patients’ recovery time, make their recovery plan more specific, and lower the risk of recurrence after complicated abdominal wall hernia repair and reconstruction.

We are committed to helping people reach their highest level of physical and mental health. There is no one way to rebuild and recover from stomach surgery that works for everyone. Before you start, your doctor will look over your health history, including any treatments you’ve had in the past and your work and personal goals and interests.

Conditions that may require abdominal wall surgery

processes that work to keep people healthy. For the fix to work, all of these devices must be kept safe.

We try to help all of our customers in the most effective way with the least amount of harm. Still, most patients will need open surgery because they have a lot of scar tissue or their body is shaped wrong from having surgery before. The state of each patient will determine the type of treatment or surgical approach that is suggested. This could include sutures, biological mesh, muscle flaps, or a mix of these methods.

Most of the time, we use belly repair surgery to treat the following conditions:

Most people who have surgery stay in the hospital for a few days to a week to heal before going home and starting physical therapy. Most people can get back to the level of activity they had before they got hurt within three to six months if they get the right kind of rehab. Each patient is unique, and we have honest conversations with each one based on the review we do before surgery.

There are times when surgery is not the best option for a patient. People who already have a lot of treatments or a lot of risk factors may not be able to have another procedure because it could make their situation worse.

Know that if we tell you not to have surgery, it’s because our team of experts and I have talked about all of your choices. In that case, our PM&R team will often help you find a nonsurgical care plan that may help your problems.

Setting you up for success

If you have certain health problems, you may be more likely to have problems after abdominal wall repair, like infections, heart or breathing problems, blood clots, or the surgery coming back.

The chance of return goes up by 10 to 20 percent with each reconstruction try. That is why it is important to improve your health as much as possible before surgery. Most of the time, we focus on controlling four main risk factors:

Being overweight is probably the best way to tell if your abdominal wall surgery will go wrong. For example, if your body mass index (BMI) is 35 or higher, it’s very likely that your stomach repair surgery will not work.

However, losing weight before surgery can substantially improve outcomes. Reducing your BMI to below 35 can cut the risk of recurrence, infection, and cardiac events related to surgery by 50 percent.

We recognize losing weight is not as easy as “eat right and exercise.” Your care team will help set manageable goals based on your needs and motivation. All patients get access to a team of providers to help with each step toward recovery.

Rehab-focused care

Depending on your needs and condition, your care team may include nutrition experts, gynecologists, urologists, gastroenterologists, or oncologists. However, our PM&R department will almost always be involved in your care.

PM&R focuses on full-body functional restoration. UT Southwestern was among the first medical centers to explore the importance of physical rehab after abdominal reconstructive surgery. We reported in a 2015 study that implementing a rehabilitation program resulted in approximately 20 percent lower recurrence rates and a nearly 30 percent lower rate of complications.

Just as you would do rehab after knee, hip, or shoulder surgery, you’ll need to strengthen your abdominal wall after reconstructive surgery. The expert doctors and therapists in our PM&R team will create a personalized plan to help improve your range of motion and strengthen your core – the muscles in your abdomen, back, and glutes.

Stretching and maintaining strength during the weeks and months of recovery can help reduce discomfort, increase blood flow, and improve your ability to safely perform daily activities, such as sitting up, getting out of bed, and walking.

Get your life and confidence back

UT Southwestern can provide advanced surgical care because we work as a team. Every patient we treat gets access to a wide range of providers with specific expertise who can address all their health needs. So many factors coalesce to determine a patient’s outcomes.

The patient’s motivation is still one of the biggest keys to success. Pairing your efforts with our team approach can result in lifechanging outcomes. We’ve helped patients regain the ability to do a variety of normal activities, from standing in their kitchen cooking meals to exercising and returning to work.

Most importantly, they get back to doing what brings them joy: getting down on the floor to play with their kids, feeling confident enough to go on dates, and being able to start families.

Seeing these results is one of the most rewarding aspects of my surgical career. You can see it in patients’ faces and their whole demeanor when they return for follow-up visits. It’s why we do what we do.

how long does it take to recover from diastasis recti surgery

Diastasis recti surgery is sometimes necessary because the condition causes the muscles of your abdomen to come apart. The muscles in the abdomen can separate when you’re pregnant or for other reasons.

Diastasis recti surgery, also called rectus abdominis diastasis (RAD), can be done on its own or as part of a “tummy tuck” procedure

This article will go over what you need to know about diastasis recti surgery. You will learn why it is done, what to expect, and what the recovery from diastasis recti surgery will be like.

What Is Diastasis Recti?

Diastasis recti or rectus abdominis diastasis (RAD) is a condition where a gap forms down the center of the muscles of your abdomen. If an adult has a separation between the abdominal muscles that’s a width of two fingers (two centimeters) or more, it is considered diastasis recti.

These muscles naturally come apart in the later stages of pregnancy, so people may have the condition after they’ve been pregnant. RAD can also happen in newborns and older people

Having RAD raises your risk of getting a hernia, having trouble controlling your urine (incontinence), and having low back pain.

When Is Diastasis Recti Severe?

Having diastasis recti means you have a gap between your rectus muscles that is wider than 2 cm. Severe diastasis recti will be diagnosed if the gap is 5 cm or wider, at which point surgery might be needed.

Who Needs Surgery for Diastasis Recti?

Diastasis recti can get better on its own—for example, it might improve in the weeks and months after you are done being pregnant. Sometimes, doing abdominal exercises to strengthen the muscles can also improve diastasis recti somewhat.

However, if it does not get better, you’ll need to have surgery to fix diastasis recti.

A surgeon can close the space and reconnect the muscles by itself or as part of an abdominoplasty (“tummy tuck”).

Many people feel better after they have surgery to fix RAD. However, there are some things that you should know if you are considering surgery for diastasis recti.

Contraindications

If you are breastfeeding, most surgeons will want you to wait a couple of months after weaning your baby before having diastasis recti surgery.

If you’re planning to become pregnant again, remember that pregnancy separates the muscles in your abdomen. You should wait until you are done having kids to have surgery to fix RAD.

Most surgeons will want you to wait at least six to nine months after giving birth to have surgery to fix diastasis recti.

You need to give your body time to recover from childbirth. You also need to give your hormone levels a chance to return to what they were before you were pregnant.

Potential Risks

There are potential risks of diastasis recti surgery. The risks largely depend on the kind of surgery you have.

For example, some surgeries to fix RAD are done with just a few small cuts (laparoscopic surgery). During the procedure, the surgeon uses a camera to see inside your belly. 

Other surgeries, like a tummy tuck, are done with more cuts or bigger cuts (incisions).

Every surgery comes with risks, including:

If you are thinking about having diastasis recti surgery, talk to a board-certified plastic surgeon. Make sure you understand the risks of having surgery because they might be different for you than they would be for someone else.

A surgeon may show you “before and after” photos so you can see how they fixed diastasis recti for other people.

Purpose of Diastasis Recti Surgery

In most cases, surgery is the only way to repair diastasis recti.

However, you should know that RAD surgery may not be covered by insurance because it’s considered an elective procedure. That means that it can be scheduled ahead of time because it is not an emergency.

If you have RAD, it changes how your belly looks. If you have it fixed, diastasis recti surgery can also be considered a cosmetic procedure.

While surgery can improve the appearance of your abdomen, that’s not the only reason people have a procedure. Many people have surgery to help with back pain and incontinence.

People with RAD can also get hernias, which is when part of an organ or tissue pokes through the muscle in your abdomen. Hernias are uncomfortable and can make it harder to go about your daily activities.

Hernias happen when the muscles in your abdomen are weak or torn, so having surgery to fix muscles that have separated from RAD can be helpful.

Having surgery to fix diastasis recti is often about more than “looks”—even if an insurance company does not feel that way. Surgery to fix RAD can also help people feel better physically.

There are alternatives to RAD surgery, including body contouring procedures like liposuction. 

While these procedures take fat from the abdomen, they do not fix separated muscles or get rid of excess skin.

Doing exercises that strengthen your core muscles can also be helpful, both physically and in terms of improving how your belly looks. However, exercises will not repair diastasis recti.

How to Prepare

Here’s what you’ll need to do to get ready for diastasis recti surgery.

Location

Most RAD surgeries are outpatient surgeries or “day surgery” because you do not have to stay overnight in a hospital.

Your surgery will be scheduled at a place that does outpatient surgeries.

Older adults, newborns, and people with certain medical conditions may need to be admitted to the hospital (inpatient surgery) to have diastasis recti fixed.

What to Wear

On the day of your surgery, wear loose, comfortable clothes. You want to wear something that will be easy to change out of. Here are a few pointers:

Food and Drink

You will have to follow some rules the day or so before your surgery. One important instruction your surgeon will give you is to not eat or drink for a certain amount of time before your surgery (fasting).

Usually, you will need to stop eating at least eight hours before you have to be at the hospital. You might be able to keep drinking clear liquids, like water, until about two hours before your surgery.

Medications

Your provider may ask you to stop taking some of your medications before your surgery. This is because some medications can thin your blood and make it easier for you to bleed.

There are many prescription medications that can thin your blood. However, many over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, supplements, and herbal remedies can have the same effect. Aspirin is a common example of an OTC medicine you should not take before you have surgery.

When you are preparing for your surgery, tell your surgeon about all the medications you take. This includes OTC medicine, nutritional supplements, and herbal remedies.

What to Bring

You need to make several preparations for the day of surgery. First, you will need to have someone come with you who can drive you home after your surgery.

You also need to bring some documents on the day of your surgery, including:

There are also some things that you should leave at home. Do bring valuable items or a lot of cash with you. Leave your favorite jewelry or watch at home.

If you bring your phone or tablet with you, give it to the person who has come with you when you’re getting ready for surgery.

Pre-Op Lifestyle Changes

Being as healthy as possible before your surgery will help you get through the procedure and make recovery easier.

If you’re having RAD surgery, your surgeon might talk to you about why it’s important to be at a weight that supports your health.

If you lose or gain a lot of weight after you have a procedure like a tummy tuck, it can make the skin of your abdomen stretch out.

Your provider will support you in eating a nutritious diet and getting regular exercise before your surgery.

However, you might want to avoid doing exercises that put pressure on your abdomen. For example, doing crunches can make diastasis recti worse.

There are also some exercise programs meant to help people with diastasis recti. You might be able to work with a physical therapist to strengthen your abdominal muscles before your surgery.

What to Expect on the Day of Surgery

When the time comes to have your RAD surgery, here’s what you can expect.

Before the Surgery

For example, they may have you wash your body with antibacterial soap to help prevent infections.

Follow the instructions your surgeon gives you carefully. If you have questions, call their office.

You should feel comfortable bringing up your concerns or asking questions in the days and weeks leading up to your surgery. On the day of the procedure, you won’t have very long to talk to your surgeon.

Plan ahead to make sure that you will get to the place where you are having surgery on time.

When you arrive, you will change into a hospital gown. You might be given a bag to put your clothes and personal items in. The person who has come with you can look after it for you.

A surgical assistant or nurse will check in to see how you are doing. They will take your vital signs (for example, your temperature and your blood pressure). If you’re not feeling well or have had a fever, make sure you let them know.

You will be under general anesthesia for your surgery. The medicine makes you unconscious—like being asleep, but much deeper. You will also get medicine that makes it so you can’t move during the surgery. You won’t feel any pain or remember the surgery when you wake up.

The provider who is in charge of giving anesthesia (anesthesiologist) will come to talk to you. They will have you look at a document that tells you about your rights as a patient (waiver). Every patient has to read and sign it before they can have surgery.

Once the paperwork is done, the anesthesiologist will give you some medicine to help you relax. Then, you’ll be ready to go to the operating room.

During the Surgery

Once you have been given anesthesia, your surgery can start. Your surgeon will either do the procedure with a big cut (open) or a few smaller cuts and a camera (laparoscopic).

If your operation includes a tummy tuck, your surgeon will start by making a cut going side to side between your pubic bone and belly button.

In a mini tummy tuck, the surgeon only tightens the skin below your belly button.

Next, they will lift up the skin and use stitches to pull the abdominal muscles back together and put them in the right position. If you have a hernia, your surgeon will fix it.

Once they finish the repairs, your surgeon will trim the excess skin by pulling down the remaining skin to stitch it together (suturing).

Since the skin has been moved around, your surgeon will need to make you a new belly button.

When they’re done, they close the wound with adhesives, clips, tapes, or more stitches.

You may have liposuction to remove abdominal fat if you’re having a tummy tuck. Your surgeon will explain the steps of this procedure to you before your surgery.

If you’re having a laparoscopy (“keyhole” surgery) your surgeon makes a few small cuts in your abdomen. They put tools and a camera inside the cuts to look around and make repairs.

Laparoscopic surgery is not as major as open surgery. It’s also called “minimally invasive” because you do not need to have as many cuts. However, you’ll still need plenty of time to heal after.

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