How much weight should I lose before a mommy makeover surgery?

Hi. Thanks for your question. The simple answer is yes you should be in your ideal weight. However, we don't live in an ideal world. Throughout 29 years of private practice in Miami, Fl, I have learned that the approach to a patient's weight should be practical. This means that there will be patients who can lose the weight but will have a difficult time maintaining it off. There are patients that given enough time, will NOT lose the required weight. For me it's a judgement call based on several factors to include body shape and how that is distributed in that particular patient.There are patients who will have a great deal of visceral fat, meaning within the abdominal cavity surrounding the organs and then there are those who will have distributed externally, outside the abdominal wall. I hope this is of some help.Always seek out the opinion of a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery with years of experience in tummy tucks. Furthermore request to see before and after photos of previous patients by that doctor....not a clinic or surgery center. Do your homework......research and verify the doctor's credentials. Have they had problems with the Board of Medicine, disciplinary or otherwise. Any law suits? How about the center, clinic or facility? Are they accredited by a national organization or do they just have State approval. Understand that at the current time, there are three nationally recognized organizations responsible for the highest levels of patient safety, AAAASF, AAACH and JCHO. You owe it to yourself to position yourself for the best possible results but under the most stringent safety regulations, If you have kids, even more so.How about anesthesia? Will you have a medical doctor certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology or a certified nurse anesthetist (CRNA)? Understand that there is no substitute for research. Cosmetic surgery, no matter how simple it may be to the patients, are invasive procedures and as such carry certain risks and complications.In our office we use TouchMD which is a web based program in which patients have the ability to load their picture unto the program. I then evaluate them and can actually draw on the picture to show a potential patient where the incisions would be located and how the procedure is to be realized. It's all done to comply with HIPPA which is the federal law that protects the patient's medical information. Look them up.

It's not absolutely necessary to be at ideal weight when undergoing a mommy makeover. Sometimes procedure itself is a psychological springboard to further weight loss. Overall your situation will be discussed with your surgeon.