I'm not a huge fitness person myself, but at the gym near me people have been criticized for working too much on the abs.
That might be because trainers and whatnot are under the false impression that you either have abs or you don't (which is totally false, everyone has abs

) They want you to get fast results which usually means the big groups like arms, legs and whatnot, which translates to more contracts for the trainers.
In my experience, it has to do with your individual anatomy, some people has a six pack with out doing much of anything. Other folks (like yours true) do alot of work on their bellies and have very strong cores but not the fabled pack. Of course there are surgeries I'm sure but I'm guessing you are looking for something a little more healthy?