Study Finds Tummy Tuck Improves…

Posted November 10, 2014 in asps, Tummy Tuck

The American Society  for Aesthetic  Plastic Surgery Reports:

Symptoms Were Alleviated in Patients Who Hadn’t Undergone Cesarean Section Before

New York, NY (October 22, 2014) –Findings from a study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, the official clinical publication of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), indicate that a tummy tuck not only improves body contour, but may also alleviate symptoms of stress urinary incontinence, especially among patients who have not undergone previous cesarean section.

The study surveyed women, who underwent a tummy tuck, to as certain changes in their stress urinary incontinence symptoms. Ninety percent of the participants had at least one pregnancy. The authors also analyzed the demographic data, amount of weight gain with pregnancy, number of pregnancies, multiple vs. single pregnancies, history of cesarean sections, amount of weight loss before surgery, symptoms related to stress or urgency incontinence, and severity of incontinence following abdominoplasty.

“What we found was that a tummy tuck significantly alleviated the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence in 60% of our patients, especially in patients who hadn’t undergone previous cesarean section. In some abdominoplasty procedures where we pull up sufficient soft tissue in the pelvic area, we may get enough of a pull to suspend the urethra, creating a slight bladder outlet obstruction to reduce incontinence,” explained Dr. James McMahan, one of the authors of the study.

“Current treatments are aimed to relieve symptoms rather than address the underlying causes. This is a significant advancement in the treatment of urinary incontinence; however, anatomic studies need to be conducted to determine the specific surgical techniques during abdominoplasty that could improve incontinence and narrow down the patients with stress urinary incontinence who would benefit the most,” added Dr. McMahan.