Plastic surgeons who specialize in doing weight loss related plastic surgical procedures are the ones who have the most experience with this kind of surgery. Generally speaking having more experience tends to make people better, but some plastic surgeons weren’t good to start with and are never going to be great. Others can do an exceptional job at many different procedures, even if they haven’t done it for quite a while, tired For weight loss patient there are a few things to consider when contemplating this type of work. First is the extent of the procedure. Generally speaking the more skin laxity somebody has the more extensive the procedure should be, and when in doubt the surgery should be taken further around the back, sometimes a wraparound a.k.a. body lift. Some providers to do a flirt pattern, adding a vertical scar on the front. In my opinion, adding the vertical scar should be the last resort after a wrap around. Tummy tuck has been done first. Start quality Quality quality work is generally based on the design of the incision and how good the belly button and up looking on a regular basis. The biggest mistake I see is not having an extended or wraparound tummy tuck on individuals who have skin laxity and more than just the front of their abdomen. This leaves them with big dog ears that should’ve been addressed during the primary procedure. There are also other procedures to consider like thigh lift, arm lift, breast lift, facelift, etc. In the end, I suggest you screw a bunch of local plastic surgeons before, and after pictures on their websites and pick out the ones who seem to do good work and have high numbers of before, and after pictures. You may want to look through reviews to make sure they’re also getting positive reviews from people who had these type of procedures. Next plan on scheduling multiple in person consultations with those providers. There’s no correct number of consultations needed to find the right plastic surgeon. The more consultations you scheduled the more likely are to find the better provider for your needs. The more consultations you scheduled the better you’ll be at doing plastic surgery consultations as well. There are substantial differences in skill and experience for this kind of work. During each consultation, bring pictures of your body, the same way plastic surgeons take before and after pictures. Have someone else take the pictures or use the timer on your camera. Take the picture from about 8 feet away at the level of your upper abdomen. Crop the picture to include your entire torso, cropping it at your neck and just below the knees. You need pictures of your front side and backside. Bring those pictures with you to each consultation to use as a reference whenever you are reviewing before and after pictures. During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patients who had similar body characteristics to your own. Period Don’t let them show you pictures of regular tucks or people who don’t look like you. Being shown a handful of pre-selected images representing only the best results of a providers career may be insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider. Procedures a highly experienced surgeon should have access to 100 or preferably thousands of before and after pictures to choose from. Body lift surgery is not common, but it’s also not uncommon. I would say one out of eight tummy tuck surgeries ends up being an extended or wraparound in my experience. Assessing extremity skin surgery is more complex than the torso. Breast surgery is pretty straightforward. Finding the right provider is the most important variable to do that. I suggest patients have in person consultations exclusively, avoiding virtual consultations whenever possible. I also recommend patients have more consultations with more providers than they may think is necessary. The biggest mistake I see patients make is having only one consultation and then scheduling surgery. Having only one consultation, more or less eliminates the ability to choose a better provider. The process of signing the right provider takes time. I suggest patient spend a little less time on the Internet and a little more time actually making appointments and meeting with providers. Generally speaking people tend to not do a very good job at selecting plastic surgeons. Most of the information available on the Internet is highly biased, filtered and misinterpreted. Some of the absolute best plastic surgeons have virtually no Internet presence at all. I would stay away from providers who seem to have strong social media campaigns, excessive number of reviews, or those who seem to have paid consultants promoting their practice. Some of the best plastic surgeons I’ve known did not focus on self promotion. They have plenty of work and they are busy taking care of their patients not promoting their practice. When in doubt, slow down and schedule a few more consultations. Best, Mats Hagstrom MD