What Are the Non-surgical Alternatives to a Tummy Tuck?

It’s not unusual for patients to have significant changes in
their bodies when they’ve been 30-40 pounds overweight for a prolonged period
of time. These changes are especially noticeable in the abdomen where they can
cause fat accumulation, redundant sagging skin, weakened stretched abdominal
muscles and stretch marks.Unfortunately
it’s impossible to treat changes of this magnitude without performing an abdominoplasty.Although
Zerona, Lasers, Coolsculpting and Thermage can all be used to treat minor
contour irregularities, they all have significant limitations.For these reasons, patients who have
significant contour irregularities should consult a board certified plastic
surgeon. This surgeon should be able to formulate a treatment plan that
addresses their anatomic findings and aesthetic goals. In the majority of
cases, this will require an abdominoplasty.

Very good question. The most honest answer is there are no non-surgical alternatives to a Tummy Tuck. Please understand lipo treats excess fat and a TT treats excess skin. Not even Smart Lipo or Vaser Lipo can compare to a Tummy Tuck, and these are real surgical procedures that help with skin retraction, but are still not alternatives to a TT. Basically, patients that have "more then a little" excess skin and or muscle separation, will probably need a TT if they want to have a flat and tight tummy. As for none-surgical procedures... If you are looking for optimal results, it is best not to waist your time and money. If this is a money issue, try to save for surgery. You will end up spending less on the long run. If it is a pain/recovery or scar issue, try to do your research and be informed on the procedure. It is not as bad as it might seem and it is definitely worth it. If your not ready for a Tummy Tuck yet, please take your time until your ready.Best of luck,Dr. Miguel Mota

I wish I had better news for you. There is nothing on the market that will tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall and remove loose skin in the way that a tummy tuck will.  Should anyone try to sell you a nonsurgical option, my advice is #RUN AWAY, don't walk!  Any advertised modality will only shrink your wallet and not your waistline.

There really is not anything non surgical that can remove the fat and extra skin.  If you are currently overweight, you best option would be to get down to a level that you are comfortable with and able to maintain.  This will help "deflate" the area and give a better result after a surgery.  But once the weight is lost or not, the extra skin will always remain.  Do not get dragged into the hope of having something like coolsculpting or some other gimmick that states will tighten the skin.  There really is not such good way of skin tightening to the extent that is needed for a patient requiring a tummy tuck, there is no substitute.Hope that helps.

Thank you for your question.  There are some great non-surgical and non-incisional based procedures for the abdominal area to address fullness and laxity.  However they do have their limitations.To address fullness:  Coolsculpting, Kybella, Profound SubQ are great options for mild-moderate contouring and volume reduction.  Coolsculpting (Freezing the fat) is probably the most effective of the options at volume reduction.  Kybella (dissolving the fat through injections) is great for fine-tuning areas to shape the belly.  Profound gives you some reduction of volume, but is perhaps one of the best ways to tighten the skin and restore some elasticity.To address laxity:  Profound, Ulthera, Fractionated CO2, Sculptra are options that you can consider.  These all work at different depths so they can be used together to enhance results.  However, any combination will still come far short of what a tummy tuck can offer.If you consider a minimally invasive approach, I would recommend BodyTite.  This involves reducing the fullness and tightening the underlying tissues.  It is radio frequency assisted liposuction and involves placing a probe internally to melt the fat and tighten the fibroseptae to create contraction of the tissue.  It also has a surface component to tighten the skin.  I will often use it with other modalities such as Profound to further enhance the tightening component.Remember every modality has limits of what it can achieve.  Perhaps the best approach is to visit a board certified plastic surgeon who has a myriad of options spanning from the non-surgical, minimally invasive and the traditional surgical approaches.  This way, you can evaluate the best options based on your aesthetic goals.

Hello, Thank you for your questions regarding non-surgical alternatives to a tummy tuck for someone who is been 30 to 40 pounds overweight for 15 years.  The best non-surgical alternative to a tummy tuck for somebody was been 40 pounds overweight is diet and exercise. I would suggest a high protein diet followed by calorie restriction. In addition, I would suggest aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Get a trainer if you must.  Another alternative may be a medical weight loss program. There are a significant number of safe medications which can accelerate weight loss.  Please seek a reputable medical doctor or registered dietitian, not an online store or the vitamin shop at the corner.  If you still cannot lose the weight, unfortunately, there are no good non-surgical alternatives to a tummy tuck in your case. There are modalities like CoolSculpting, Thermage, and Radio Frequency Therapy.  However, you will get very limited results and I do not think if you are 40 pounds overweight, they would be worth your time and money.  Instead, I would explore why you are reluctant undergo surgery. Surgery will achieve the best results. If you are relatively healthy, and your medical labs, EKG, and chest x-ray are within normal limits, a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty maybe a low-risk procedure for you. The results after a tummy tuck can be life-changing. When considering a tummy tuck, please seek an expert, board-certified plastic surgeon in your neighborhood who has performed hundreds of abdominoplasties. If you have any more questions regarding the non-surgical treatment of the abdomen or any plastic surgery procedure in general, please contact my office. Sincerely, Dr. Katzen.