Can I do a tummy tuck even if I am morbidly obese?

Hi Sarah789,

Having an unhealthy body mass index means you are more likely to encounter
complications during and after your surgery, which is a risk your surgeon
probably won’t want to take. At our clinic, we have performed lap band
abdominoplasty on morbidly obese patients in certain cases, but my advice would be to at least
try to lose some weight first to increase your chances of a successful and
pleasing result. All the best,Craig

Thank you for the question. Generally speaking, it is always best to achieve long-term stable weight prior to proceeding with body contouring surgery. Doing so, will increase the safety of the operation, will likely improve the outcome of the operation, and will decrease chances that additional surgery will become necessary subsequently. In my practice, I do not ask specific patients to achieve a specific weight prior to proceeding with tummy tuck surgery. I simply ask patients to achieve a long-term stable weight where he/she feels comfortable and does not expect significant fluctuation postoperatively. As you know, recruiting other professionals such as personal trainers, nutritionists, physicians who specialize in weight loss concerns etc. may be helpful to you. When the time is right, seeking consultation with well experienced board-certified plastic surgeons will be your next/best step. Best wishes.

My policy is to not do surgery on
anyone with a BMI of 30 or higher because higher BMIs carry much higher risk
during surgery. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you lose your extra weight
first through a strict diet and exercise plan before considering surgery. In an
ideal situation, you would be at your ideal, sustainable weight before
undergoing surgery. Not only is this safer, but it will also produce better
results. For example, if you got a tummy tuck and then lost a lot of weight
afterwards, you could end up with a lot of excess skin, warranting a second tummy
tuck. Whereas if you attain your ideal weight first, this would not be an
issue. Best of luck.