Fast facts

Tummy Tuck
Plastic Surgery

What it is: a surgical procedure to correct the apron of excess skin hanging over your abdomen.

What it addresses:

- excess or sagging abdominal skin

- an abdomen that protrudes and is out of proportion to the rest of your body

- abdominal muscles that have been separated and weakened

- excess fatty tissue that is concentrated in your abdomen

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Question

How much weight do you lose from tummy tuck surgery?

How much weight (in loose skin/tissue) will I lose from a tummy tuck?

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tampa

Answers (5)

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1
September 15, 2008

Tummy Tuck is not primarily performed for weight loss.

George J. Beraka, MD
George J. Beraka, MD
You have to understand that a tummy tuck is not primarily performed for weight loss. A tummy tuck removes excess skin and fat from the stomach and tightens the abdominal muscles so that you can expect a flat stomach after a tummy tuck regardless of how much weight is removed.   In general, in a thin person with loose skin, only 1 or 2 lbs. of weight are removed with the tummy tuck surgery. If the patient is somewhat overweight and liposuction is performed together with the tummy tuck, then as much as 5 or 6 lbs. can be lost during the tummy tuck surgery.
            To repeat, the tummy tuck aims at improving shape and contour, and this is achieved regardless of the amount of weight that is actually lost during the operation. 
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2
August 5, 2008
Richard P. Rand, MD
Richard P. Rand, MD

The amount of weight lost depends on how much extra skin and fat you have that needs to be removed.  The best candidates for a tummy tuck have reached a weight that is within 10 lbs of their ideal weight before having a tummy tuck performed.  Consequently, the usual amount of weight found in the removed tissus is less than 5 lbs.

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3
July 29, 2008

Lower abdomen weight

Steven Wallach, MD
Steven Wallach, MD

This really depends upon how much tissue is removed from the lower abdomen and how much the patient's lower abomen weighed.

In general, for a patient of normal weight it probably would range from 3-5 lbs. For post weight loss (morbidly obese) patients, it may weigh 10-15 lbs or more.

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4
July 29, 2008

Body contouring procedures should not be viewed as weight loss surgeries

Jeffrey D. Hoefflin, MD
Jeffrey D. Hoefflin, MD

We as plastic surgeons frequently encounter patients asking us to estimate how much weight the patient might lose after their upcoming body-contouring procedures. These are all common misconceptions and should be clarified with patients prior to surgery. Inadvertent or direct attempts to suggest amounts of weight loss will invariably leave patients dissatisfied, by having them focus on the estimates, rather than the true value of the operation, which is their overall improved aesthetics.

Specialized (fellowship trained) general and laparoscopic surgeons perform gastric-bypass surgery to assist patients with significant weight loss. Your plastic and reconstructive surgeon is not one of these physicians. However, your plastic surgeon can improve your appearance by removing the excess skin left behind after weight loss. Liposuction can be performed to remove mild to moderate amounts of fat in selected regions in combination with your tummy tuck. Lastly, your abdominal muscles can be tightened through a technique called plication to further enhance your appearance.

While some weight loss can be observed, the true value of the surgery is clearly the overall improved aesthetic result. In my view, this can dramatically affect your lifestyle, your level of confidence, and create further desire for healthy living, all of which are more important than the loss of several pounds.

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5
July 28, 2008

Tummy tuck is not for weight loss

Scott Sattler, MD
Scott Sattler, MD

This question reflects a common misconception about 'tummy tuck' abdominoplasty surgery.

An abdominoplasty is not a means for weight loss. It IS a way to recontour your abdominal wall and flanks AFTER losing a significant amount of weight. Surgical results with abdominoplasty are optimized  in patients that have made an effort to lose as much weight to approximate their ideal body weights.

So the real question should be: how much weight should I lose BEFORE I have an abdominoplasty?

In reality, you really don't lose a lot of weight from an abdominoplasty, no matter how much fat and soft tissue is removed during the procedure.

Most Kindly,
Scott Sattler MD FACS

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