Tummy tuck is not designed for weight loss but to remove loose skin

Tummy tuck is not designed for weight loss but to remove hanging skin folds. Depending on the weight of this skin fold, patient do lose certian amount of weight with their tummy tuck. Ttherefore, the answere is yes and no.

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.

Abdominoplasty procedures are commonly referred to as 'tummy tucks.'  In these procedures, excessive skin and fat are removed in the area between the pubis and the umbilicus.  Additionally, the abdominal muscles are tightened in order to reduce the protrusion of the abdomen.

The amount of fat removed is dependent on the amount of skin laxity in the area.  This often depends on the degree of stretch marks present along the abdomen.

An abdominoplasty is thus a recontouring procedure of the anterior abdominal wall rather than a weight loss surgery.

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