Tummy Tuck: Prices, Photos, Reviews, Info, Q&A

A Tummy Tuck, or Abdominoplasty, is an excellent option for women who have experienced pregnancy and have excess loose skin, roundness of the muscle layer, and perhaps also a bit of extra fat.

These changes can also occur in men and women who have experienced a large weight gain and loss cycle. In these cases, a well-done tummy tuck can result in an amazing transformation.

If you have good skin tone, with minimal excess, and your muscle layer shows good integrity, you may be better served by an alternative technique.

A good candidate for tummy tuck is in good general health and has laxity of the abdominal skin, with or without fat excess, and/or laxity of the abdominal wall.

The assessment of these characteristics isthe essence of the tummy tuck consultation.
(Paul C. Zwiebel, MD, Denver Plastic Surgeon)

At-home tummy tuck test

If you can grab the skin and fat (like a roll of skin) then we can usually treat that with a tummy tuck. If your stomach bulges out when you stand, but gets very flat when you lay down, that often means we can tighten your muscles. If your stomach is round and fairly hard, you may have primarily intra-abdominal fat which is not amenable to a tummy tuck. (Mario Loomis, MD, Middletown Plastic Surgeon)

Reasons to have a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) include:

1) Excess skin – Excess skin can be due to many medical reasons for tummy tuck such as pregnancy, weight loss, etc. A tummy tuck can help eliminate a significant amount of excess skin and stretch marks. There is however a limit to the extent of stretch marks that can be eliminated. Stretch marks above the belly button are often difficult to remove.

2) Excess abdominal fat – Abdominal fat can be located either under the skin or in the abdominal cavity. Differentiating between where your fat is located will help determine if you are a good candidate for a tummy tuck and if you will get a good result. If there is only excess fat under the skin, sometimes liposuction will be a better option. If however there is also excess skin, a tummy tuck will be a better option.

3) Loose abdominal muscles – The core abdominal muscles can weaken and stretch out with pregnancy or weight gain. In a tummy tuck, the muscles of the abdomen can be tightened to help improve the abdominal contour and overall abdominal shape.

A board certified plastic surgeon can help you determine if you are a good candidate for a tummy tuck. (Naveen Setty, MD, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)

Ideal tummy tuck patients must first by in good health to undergo this tummy tuck surgery.

An ideal tummy is one which has significant amount of extra skin. You should be able to hold and pinch a sizeable amount of extra skin. If you cannot, then perhaps you are a better candidate for a mini-tummy tuck.

Sometimes women may not have a lot of extra skin but after pregnancy their muscles have been stretched and separated. They have a very noticeable belly pouch. In such cases a tummy tuck with emphasis on muscle tightening can produce very impressive results.

Another thing to look for is how tight/stiff your belly feels. If you have a large belly that feels very full and you can’t suck it in or can’t push in a lot with your hands, you may have a ‘beer belly’-like tummy… this usually means that most of the fat/fullness is inside the abdominal cavity. Tummy tuck is not the right procedure for such cases. Weight loss is the treatment in such cases. Once you have lost a sizeable amount of weigh, you will become a tummy tuck candidate. (Martin Jugenburg, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

A tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) basically does three things:

1) it removes excess or loose skin, such as after pregnancy or weight gain;

2) tightens the muscles of the abdomen when they have been separated, usually for the same medical reasons for tummy tuck; and

3) removes localized fat if needed. It is important to note that none of these things can be accomplished without surgery. No number of situps will tighten the skin or pull the muscles back to position, and there is no proven way to “spot reduce.”

In other words exercising the abdominal muscles does not necessarily reduce fat in the abdominal area but they are also well suited for patients who have lost a significant amount of weight.

A tummy tuck addresses three issues with the abdomen:

1. It removes excess skin – this can decrease visible stretch marks and “resets” the skin tone by tightening it up
2. It “thins” the abdominal skin – even without liposuction for fat removal. If you consider removing the skin and fat from the lower half of your abdomen and then resurfacing the region by redistributing skin from the upper abdomen, this will have the apparent effect of thinning the fat below the skin surface – watch the patient 3:30 minutes into my video.
3. It allows the abdominal muscles to be tightened. If the muscles have been stretched out (typically from having a baby, or sometimes from being overweight for a period of time), surgical repair might be necessary to reestablish a strong abdominal wall.

If your weight is relatively stable, your abdominal wall is intact, and you have good skin tone, then abdominal liposuction might be preferred over a tummy tuck, as it does not require such a noticeable scar.

Aside from the medical reasons for tummy tuck, you have to remember that this is a surgical operation and has associated risks – you should be of good general health before considering any type of surgery, and a tummy tuck is a significant operation.

I advise you to visit with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your goals and to see what they recommend for your specific situation. (Michael A. Bogdan, MD, FACS, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)

Are you a candidate for a tummy tuck?

There are many outstanding answers here by qualified surgeons and in the end, I would highly recommend an evaluation by a board certified plastic surgeon.

This is major surgery and there are many factors to consider as well as preoperative interventions in order to ensure and optimal tummy tuck result. (Otto Joseph Placik, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)