Congratulations on your weight loss!

Carmen Kavali, MD answers: When do I know I have reached my goal weight for a tummy tuck?

I have had bariatric surgery and have lost 74lbs, I am down to 136lbs and been at that weight for about 1.5 months. More importantly I am off of my diabetic medications. I am 5'2" and want to have a tummy tuck but because of the extra skin I am not sure where my weight should be. I wast thinking about 125 but I am wondering because I am small in stature should I go lower? Please advise.


Carmen Kavali, MD
15 months ago

That's a great accomplishment!

When I evaluate post-weight-loss surgery patients for body contouring, it's important to me that their weight has been stable for a few months. If you're still losing a few pounds each month, you're not yet ready for contouring surgery. On average, most people plateau in their weight loss around 18 months after bariatric surgery. Of course, since that's an average, there are people who plateau sooner than that.

Some of your remaining weight may actually be from the extra skin you have. If you have a tummy tuck, it will remove weight associated with that extra skin, and you may find that you're at the weight you thought you should be.

You can go ahead and have a few consultations to determine which surgeon you ultimately want to do your contouring. They should tell you whether you're ready now or whether there are reasons you should wait.

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