Why Are my Clothes Actually Tighter After a Tummy Tuck? (photo)

Question

I'm kinda upset. I guess I expected that I would've lost a little weight from the skin, and an inch or so maybe? But its been a little over a month now and I guess I expected things to fit differently. And I actually gained 8 pounds. And yes, I know it isn't a weight loss surgery at all, but I figured the skin would weigh -something-. Will it change eventually? The pic is what was removed.

Christopher V. Pelletiere, MD · Answer

This is not unusual for patients to say.  It really takes a good 3-4 months for all the swelling to go down, everything to tighten, etc.  With regards to the weight gain, after a month your weight should be back to normal with regards to weight changes.  I doubt it would still be enough swelling to register 8 pounds more.  You may have gained a few pounds due to the inactivity that an abdominoplasty imposes on you during the healing process.  This is normal as well, and usually goes away once someone is recovered fully and back to being active.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD · Answer

Judging from the pictures this was a significant procedure and if only the skin were removed, it could resuilt in no signficat change in cloting size

Peter A. Aldea, MD · Answer

I am sorry your expectations were not met by your operation. It is unclear WHAT OPERATION you had undergone. In the enclosed ?BEFORE picture you appear to be a very large woman with excess skin and fat both above and below the belly button.

	If you had undergone an insurance sanctioned PANNICULECTOMY (Apron removal) the only loose skin and fat tissues removed would be those under the belly button. The muscles are not repaired and the belly button is not relocated higher to allow removal of all the loose skin of the tummy. The result - removal of the overhang to allow better hygiene but it does NOT result in a much flatter tummy and looser fitting clothes.

	A FULL Tummy Tuck does remove all the loose skin of the tummy and the 6 pack / rectus muscles are repaired. Although it does result in a dress size drop, the results in an obese woman are not nearly as rewarding and pretty as they are in a woman close to her ideal weight.

	Without an AFTER photograph, I suspect you had a Panniculectomy, not a Full Tummy tuck, and the results are not what you expected. If that is the case, should you lose a large amount of weight, you can have a Full Tummy Tuck and get the figure you deserve.

William J. Welsh, MD (retired) · Answer

You need to submit a post op photo to assess properly what is going on. From the pre-op photo you should have had at least 8-12 lbs of tissue excised. You may be "third spacing" fluid which means very simply put, that fluid is not in blood vessels nor cells, but in the spaces around those structures. That could be accounting for the weight gain. A diuretic may help, but check with your surgeon first.

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Why Are my Clothes Actually Tighter After a Tummy Tuck? (photo)

Answers (4)

Answer: Bigger AFTER Abdominoplasty?

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Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.