Cardi B has always been refreshingly candid about her plastic surgery, from her illegal butt injections to a breast augmentation and liposuction following the birth of her daughter, Kulture. However, the trend came to a halt following complications related to the liposuction in 2019, which forced her to cancel shows and compelled her to share via Twitter that she wouldn’t get surgery again.
But after a three-year hiatus, Cardi appears to be open to tummy tuck surgery, as she revealed in a recent Instagram story. “This stomach is giving ‘tummy tuck,’” she says. “Like, it’s not bad, but I just don’t like this extra loose skin and it’s not—I am a little heavier than usual—but I don’t like it. I want to get rid of it.”
“I think Wavy did me wrong,” says the rapper, referring to her younger child, Wave, whom she gave birth to in September 2021. “So I can’t wait to put out this song and do more things after I get the f*ck out and do my surgery. I’m over it.” Cardi then closes by saying, “Me and surgery goes together bad,” which may be alluding to her history of complications.
It’s hard to say whether Cardi would make a good candidate, says Austin, Texas, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Johnny Franco, because angles are misleading. “Depending on what you are wearing, how your clothes fit, and how you are sitting can make you feel like you need a tummy tuck when you don’t,” he says.
That’s why an in-person evaluation is key before making any decisions. “When we are examining a potential tummy tuck patient, we look at their skin laxity while they are standing up and in different positions,” he says. “We also want to take into consideration the muscle laxity in their evaluation. The abdominal separation, otherwise known as diastasis recti, plays a major factor in their tummy tuck.”
Also worth keeping in mind: a tummy tuck isn’t a weight-loss procedure, which tends to be a common misconception among potential patients, according to Dr. Franco. Rather than excess weight, the ideal candidate for a tummy tuck will “have some laxity of their muscles and loose skin around the abdomen—this can be right above the panty line to right above their belly button,” he says. “That way, we can remove the extra skin and some of the fatty tissue and then tighten the muscles, to give them a great shape.”
Finally, although Cardi hasn’t shared the details of her liposuction-related complications, they may be a factor in any future surgeries, tummy tucks included. “it is important to take into consideration any complications or outcomes that weren’t ideal the first time around and share these with your physician,” says Dr. Franco. That would ultimately determine the best treatment plan.
