Abdominoplasty and rectus diastasis repair-a plastic surgeon's perspective

Abstract

Rectus diastasis repair can be approached in many different ways from robotic to open. However, a large part of the transformation a plastic surgeon can offer a patient who is seeking a diastasis repair is to combine the rectus diastasis repair with body contouring procedures. Patients with excess soft tissues, lax skin or lipodystrophy will benefit from a concomitant body contouring procedure, most commonly in some form of abdominoplasty. Minimally invasive options can be offered; however, patient selection is crucial for the optimal and expected outcome. For patients with a small amount of excess skin, liposuction or other-energy based procedures can be offered to enhance results. Patients should be properly educated on what surgery they are getting and the expected results that can be obtained.

Keywords: Abdominal wall laxity; Abdominoplasty; Body contouring; Inter-rectus distance; Musculoaponeurotic laxity; Open rectus diastasis repair; Rectus diastasis; Rectus plication; Umbilical transposition.