How Much Weight Should I Lose Before My Tummy Tuck?

September 27th, 2016 | Body - Surgical

Weight loss before Tummy Tuck: As you probably already know, the best candidates for plastic surgery are people who are close to their ideal weight. That applies especially to the tummy tuck, a plastic surgery procedure that removes extra fat and skin from the belly and tightens abdominal muscles for a more athletic stomach. That puts potential tummy tuck patients in an interesting dilemma: how much exact weight should someone lose before they undergo a tummy tuck procedure? The answer is a little more complicated than people think.

Why Even Lose Weight?

Again, the best candidates for plastic surgery are people who are close to their “ideal” weight and want to sculpt their body into a more toned, contoured shape. Many procedures like liposuction and the tummy tuck are there to remove unsightly bodily flaws, so they’re not just quick weight loss procedures.

There’s also the added fact that some recent medical studies have shown that being overweight and obese actually increases the risks of side effects and complications after cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.

Although many plastic surgery procedures are extremely effective and long-lasting, their results can be really affected or even reversed by weight gain. That’s why many surgeons recommend reaching an “ideal” weight and staying there with diet and exercise. However, it’s also not recommended to lose a lot of weight after the surgery; that can reverse the skin tightening of the tummy tuck and leave you with loose skin.

There Is No Definite Weight Range

There really is no magic number that each person can lose to be in a safe range for a tummy tuck; after all, people come in different shapes and sizes, and 20 pounds on one person will look very different than 20 pounds on another person.

The bad news is that there’s no physical “sign” either, that will alert a person if they have reached their ideal weight. Most people will try to reach an ideal number, with no knowledge if this is actually a healthy or reasonable weight.

Surgeons don’t recommend using diet fads or pills to lose as much weight as possible; severe weight loss through those methods can lead to weight fluctuations, making it even more difficult to get to the ideal weight.

So What Does That Mean?

That means that most people have a “stable” weight range that they can comfortably keep and maintain, this is usually the point where your weight loss process gradually slows down or plateaus—this is also the best place in your weight loss regiment to get your tummy tuck.

With a healthy, reasonable diet and exercise, a person can reach a range of weight that’s reasonable, even if it’s not their “ideal” weight; when a person doesn’t experience weight fluctuations, then they will get the best tummy tuck results.

Now that you know more about how to get the perfect tummy tuck results, contact My Houston Surgeons for a consultation with one of their highly trained, esteemed plastic surgeons.