Surgery after weight loss
It would be in your best interests to achieve a long-term stable weight prior to undergoing tummy tuck surgery.
As you may have heard, doing so will decrease risks associated with surgery and help achieve the optimal results possible with the tummy tuck procedure.
Having said that, there are patients who benefit from tummy tuck surgery despite not having reached their long-term stable weights.
For example, removing the “apron belly” will certainly improve your abdominal wall contour and allow for improvement in quality of life/exercise.
Ultimately, only you can make the decision as to when to proceed; if at all possible, continue the good work you are doing with the weight loss and seek consultation with well experienced board-certified plastic surgeons when the time is right. (Tom J. Pousti, MD, FACS, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)
Surgery after weight loss image
Is certainly not necessary to wait for the end of the weight loss cycle to perform an abdominoplasty. However if the patient is actually losing weight and there is a legitimate important insight, for aesthetic reasons the patient would probably get a better result waiting to weight loss is complete. (Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)
Weight loss and abdominoplasty
I like my patients who can realistically loose more weight to do so prior to surgery. If you can get closer to your goal weight by losing about half of your desired 40 pounds you will end up with a much better result.
You have done a great job loosing 47 pounds but if you have plateaued and can not lose any more weight then it would be okay to proceed with your abdominoplasty. (Jeffrey Zwiren, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)
The surgery after weight loss
You have done very well to get down to this weight, so maintain your diet and exercise regimen but go ahead and have the tummy recontoured. You will love it. (Ronald V. DeMars, MD, Portland Plastic Surgeon)
If you are still losing weight, I would wait until you plateau. If you are at a weight you are happy with, then you should get a good result right now. (Gregory Sexton, MD, Columbia Plastic Surgeon)
ALWAYS best to get as close as possible to desired weight. So I would lose at least 20 more pounds than consider the operation. (Darryl J. Blinski, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)
Lose the weight before the tummy tuck
Surgery after weight loss photo
If you have more than 15 or 20 pounds to lose, your skin and muscles may appear more loose as you lose more weight after your tummy tuck. You can get a touch up of the lower abdomen to remove a little more skin from just above the incision, but it is difficult (if not impossible) to address looseness above that or looseness in the muscle layer.
Liposuction can be performed at the same time as a tummy tuck to address fat on the surface, but if you lose more weight, the tightness of the muscle layer will still change. If you want the best cosmetic result possible, you may look into forms of exercise that won’t cause as much discomfort (swimming for example). (Dana Goldberg, MD, Jupiter Plastic Surgeon)
If you know you have 40 more pounds to go, you should absolutely wait until after losing that weight to have a tummy tuck. It is safer and the results will be better plus if you lose the weight after the surgery the result might well become loose and lax. (Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)
I tell patients to proceed with surgery when you have reached or maintained your ” Honest” weight, a weight that is stable and easily achievable, not everyone can be 5’10” 160 lbs, some people are health at 170-180.
TT is not a weight loss surgery but from your pictures make sure you go to a PS who performs a lipoabdominoplasty – combination of tummy tuck and lipo and you will have an excellent outcome, good luck!! (Jonathan Weiler, MD, Baton Rouge Plastic Surgeon)
