# Abdominoplasty and rectus diastasis repair-a plastic surgeon’s perspective

## TL;DR

This paper discusses combining rectus diastasis repair with body contouring procedures like abdominoplasty for optimal patient outcomes.

## Contribution

The paper emphasizes the importance of combining diastasis repair with body contouring and highlights patient-specific approaches for better results.

## Key findings

- Combining rectus diastasis repair with abdominoplasty improves outcomes for patients with excess skin or soft tissue.
- Minimally invasive options are suitable for patients with minimal excess skin.
- Proper patient education is essential for managing expectations and achieving desired results.

## 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.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10029-025-03460-2.