Tummy Tuck Before and After Pictures

You are not alone in your predicament. Before and After pictures went from a pure B/W documentation of a procedure in textbook and scientific articles to color / sometimes Vogue magazine glamor shoot marketing tool meant to seduce prospective patients. When looking at fine art the most common approaches are a mixture of inquisitive ("I wonder what he/she was trying to communicate here?"), subjective ("I like / do not like it") and introspective("it makes me feel...... more

When looking at photos of tummy tucks (or any procedure for that matter) look at patients who have the same general pre-operative body type as you do. Remember that scars take many months to fade, so consider when the post-operative photos were taken. Liposuction is commonly performed with tummy tuck, especially on the hip/flank area.

Look at the amount of flattening from the front and side views, and the length and location of the scar. Some surgeons do liposuction routinely with their surgery, some do it at a different setting. Keep in mind that because everyone's body is different, you won't be able to completely predict your own results from looking at photos, but you will be able to get a sense of a surgeon's skills and experience. Good luck and best wishes.

Hi. Results of tummy tuck (and of all cosmetic surgery) vary widely. Some doctors put up rather bad results on their web sites, and I don't know what that means. We all get an occasional disappointing result. But either they don't have good results, or their eye cannot tell the difference between a good and a bad result. You know what you would like to look like. Look for pictures that look close to that.

GREAT! you have now done your research. You are off than 90% of the pre surgery patient population. You need to have realistic expectations. You need to know photos can be photo shopped. You next should see 3 boarded plastic surgeons and some in person patient examples, so you can see 'LIVE' the results. 

Hi there- With regard to evaluating photos, it really doesn't need to be complicated... You should be able to look at the photos and see an attractive abdomen with which you would be happy. That's it. You should know, however, that there are going to be a GREAT many other things that you should take into consideration when selecting a surgeon and experience for yourself- For a healthy understanding of how to choose a surgeon AND how to evaluate photos, please read this:

1. The pictures give you a gebneral idea of what a tummy uck looks like and what results can be achieved. 2. The pictures will give you an idea of where the scars are 3. If you compare a group of pictures from different plastic surgeons you may get an idea of where they are the same and where they are different. 4. Jusrt like all before pictures ore duifferent, all the after pictures will be different based on the dr, the patient and the technique used.

Before and after photos of tummy tucks or any procedure can provide you with a general idea of the result that can be achieved. However, do not base your decision entirely on these photos. There are ways of "touching up" photos today. The most important thing is to find a board-certified plastic surgeon whom you can trust and feel comfortable with.

There are very different ways of doing tummy tuck and not all surgeon spend same amount time and attention when they do surgery. This true with all professions and picture helps patients to compare surgeons. I always do liposuction at the time of the tummy tuck and this help to get more definition. The older way of the tummy tuck is to do little lipo over the waist and not all over.

Photos can be deceiving for many reasons such as lightong or positioning, or severity of condition, or adjunctive surgical procedures or simultaneous weight loss or exercise regimens etc. It can be quite difficult for you or even us as experienced surgeons to evaluate the quality of the surgical results based on the photos alone. I would look for patients who most closely resemble your body type and condition.

Your question relates not just to tummy tucks but the whole issue of what you can realistically learn from online before & after pictures. Like many other procedures, tummy tucks are individualized depending upon the patient's needs, so there isn't just a "cookie cutter" approach that works for everyone. Some have liposuction, some more tightening of the muscles because they were more widely separated (so more improvement in the waist), and so forth. The appearance of the scar... more

There are differences between the results surgeons get with tummy tucks and these can be seen in their photos. Look for the degree of flattening they get and the appearance of muscularity they can create. Look to be sure the scar doesn't go too high on the sides or too far around the back. Realize that the same patient will get very different results depending on to whom they go!