Is It Safe to Have a Tummy Tuck with a Higher BMI?

MelbourneBorn,

Having a tummy tuck even if you are not at your ideal weight is OK.  Congratulations on your weight loss.  

Having a BMI that is above 30 does not prevent you from having a tummy tuck, but you have to understand that you have a slightly increased risk of delayed healing.  We deal with many patients who had a gastric bypass or a LapBand procedure and have lost a tremendous amount of weight, yet still have a BMI >30.  The only thing we do different for these patients (as compared to patients with BMI<30) is that we are more vigilant in preventing seroma formation (when body fluid pools in the operated area and then needs to be drained) by the use of surgical drains.

Sincerely,

Martin Jugenburg, MD

Having a tummy tuck at a BMI will subject you to a higher rate of complicaitons including pulmonary, clotting, poor wound healing, infections, etc.

Many patients have tummy tucks even if they are not at their "ideal weight."  However, you have to realize that the more weight you loose, the better the results could possibly be.  My advice is to be at your "realistic weight" at the time of surgery.  By "realistic weight" I mean the weight that you are with your normal style of living, diet and exercise pattern.  It is hard to maintain an "ideal" weight if it does not match your motivation or lifestyle.  Good luck.

Congratulations on your weight loss, I realize that it takes a sustained effort. One thing that cannot be changed with effort though is the statistical association of complications such as wound healing problems, infections, and blood clot embolism with being overweight. Your surgeon will discuss these issues with you and determine where the balance of risks to benefits lies for your specific situation..

Although you will likely be a good candidate for tummy tuck surgery at some point, it is not in your best interests to proceed now.  Having the procedure performed when you are overweight, exposes you to additional risk around the time of surgery and increases your risk that additional surgery may be necessary down the line for a multitude of reasons.  Unfortunately, some of the risks (such as deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) associated with surgery, at your current weight, can be life-threatening. 
The “ideal” patient for tummy tuck surgery is one who has completed pregnancies, is psycho socially/emotionally/financially stable, has an excellent social support system surrounding him/her, is capable of arranging enough recovery time, does not smoke and who has reached a long-term stable weight. 
At this point, I would suggest that you  seek consultation with other professionals,  other than plastic surgeons.  Physicians who specialize in weight loss, nutritionists, personal trainers, and/or bariatric surgeons are professionals to consider.  
Having said this, there are some patients who despite all efforts, are not able to reach their long-term stable weight prior to undergoing abdominal wall contouring surgery. These patients benefit from operations such as panniculectomy ( which involves excision of the lower abdominal wall skin/adipose tissues.  For these patients, the panniculectomy operation may provide the patient a “jumpstart”  both physically and mentally (as he/she works towards achieving their final weight and health goals). 
I hope this, and the attached link, helps.