David N. Hing, MD

 A panniculectomy or abdominoplasty may or may not be the procedure for you at your current weight of 158 lbs.  Where the 95 lbs. has come off and where the remaining 158 lbs. are located can also determine whether your abdominal procedure should be the first procedure chosen.

For instance, loss of weight in the arms, breasts, buttocks, and thighs but with retained fullness in the lower and upper abdomen may make a patient a less optimal patient for abdominal contouring initially.  In this case further weight loss could enhance the outcome, since the next 15 lbs. may come off of the abdomen, making it easier to tighten the abdomen more.

Conversely, a patient who has lost a significant amount of weight and volume from the abdomen may already have thinned the abdomen enough to benefit from an abdominal procedure now, rather than waiting for additional weight to come off in other parts of the body.

Consultation now with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon experienced in body contouring for massive weight loss patients will help you sort out this factors in deciding the timing and choice of a contouring procedure.  It can also help you to determine whether other procedures can be done at the same time or whether you should first  lose further weight to enable you to combine procedures and more efficiently achieve your body contouring goals.