A plastic surgeon has gone viral sharing a video of what can happen during pregnancy if the stomach muscles separate – leaving social media users comparing the body part to a “forbidden hot dog bread.”
Dr Clayton L Moliver, MD, 63, from Houston, Texas, US, who is also a professor and clinical editor of The Aesthetic Journal, recently shared the clip with his 68,900 followers on his TikTok (@docmoliver), where it has racked up over 6.1 million views and 274,000 likes.
In the bizarre video, the doctor beings by placing his hand on a woman’s stomach to perform an exam.
He reveals the patient is suffering from diastasis rectus, a separation of the midline muscles of the tummy wall, which is common after pregnancy.
“But here’s the fun part – I can put my finger right in between her muscles and feel her aorta,” the doctor explains, leaving users gasping.
He gently places his hand into the gap between the muscles and demonstrates how they’ve separated – with his hand disappearing into the empty space.
Users have flocked to the comments’ section to share their reactions, with many left truly confused.
“Forbidden hot dog bread,” wrote one user.
“The Deep?” commented a second person.
“Snack pocket,” wrote a third person.
“I felt this on an extreme level,” added someone else.
“Can somebody please tell me what did I just watch?,” commented a fifth person.
While the disorder may look like a scene from a science fiction film, Dr Moliver explains that the condition is surprisingly common and can be fixed simply.
And it’s estimated to affect 60% of women after pregnancy.
“It can affect men and women after massive weight gain, although it’s overwhelmingly found in women during or after pregnancy,” Dr Clayton told NeedToKnow.Online.
“Diastasis rectus is the separating of the midline muscles of the tummy wall and specifically, there’s a line of fascia called the linea alba.
“It’s this structure that gets stretched wider than normal, which is typically less than two cm, and it happens during or after pregnancy.
“It’s like feeling a very soft abdominal wall hernia and instead of feeling any structure under the skin, it’s just soft thin skin.
“As [I dove deeper] the aorta was very close to my finger tips, so I could feel it pulsing [in this case.]
“It can burn, throb or hurt intermittently depending on the person’s weight status and general condition – as well as cause bulging of the abdomen.
“It can sometimes be corrected with physical therapy, such as abdominal wall exercises and that’s the best option.
“If it doesn’t work after three to six months, then a surgery to repair the midline can be performed.
“This last technique is commonly performed by plastic surgeons during routine tummy tucks.”
In a bid to avoid this happening, Dr Clayton suggests consistent physical activity, weight management and core strengthening exercises.
However, he claims symptoms should subside after repair. He added: “This was such an obvious case and so easily seen.
“It was a great teaching case since she was so slender and I could show it easily on video. “I get excited when I have the opportunity to each.”
Previously, the doctor has shared a video of himself cracking open a 30-year-old breast implant which had calcified inside the body – and people dubbed the sight a “forbidden kinder egg.”
