Do I look like I have more loose skin than fat? Will I need a tummy tuck to remove loose skin? (Photos)

The photograph shows both excess skin and fat. This would be best treated with a combination of liposuction and excision of the excess skin. A surgery is always better performed when an individual is near their ideal weight.

Dear healthebroken,

based on your photos, you look like a good candidate for a TT. Full tummy tuck should tighten your abdominal muscles and remove the excess skin. Flanks liposuction would give you a better shape. I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon because only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.

Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

CONGRATULATIONS on your weight loss. You have a great hourglass shape and YES, the abdominal skin wrinkles, horizontal belly button crease, fullness above the belly button, and soft projecting bulge below belly button and above your escutcheon is all mostly loose redundant skin that can be tightened by abdominoplasty. An example of a similar situation at the link below in our gallery of tummy tuck results.

Your issue is almost all loose skin on the tummy. Can't tell about hips/love handle area but a simple tummy tuck is probably all that's needed to get your tummy looking good.

Place your palms flat beneath your breasts and lift up towards your chin...that's sort of what tightening the skin alone would do for your tummy. If you see excess fullness, it could be muscle laxity or fat excess.

First off, congratulations on your weight loss. That is great! As far as expected results go, I would tell you that patients who experience weight loss as significant as what you have described often have decreased skin elasticity. The skin is stretched out when you were in the "mid 200s," but now that you've lost quite a bit of weight, the skin doesn't have the same tension on it. In the picture where you are standing up, you can see several areas where the skin has become more lax and doesn't contract down quite as tightly as it once did. It appears that there is excess skin above and below the belly button. In most surgeons' hands, you would likely get a smoother contour to the abdomen with a tummy tuck, because the skin is actually being cut out. Depending on how much elasticity your skin has, doing liposuction combined with a skin tightening procedure might be an option, but it's not going to make your skin have the same elasticity that it had prior to your weight gain.

Hello, and thank you for your question. In my opinion, you are definitely a candidate for a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty). It appears you may still have some fat pockets which will hopefully resolve while you continue on your weight loss journey. Otherwise, some liposuction can be done as well. I advise my patents to be at least 20% from their goal weight in order to achieve optimal results from their procedure. Best of luck to you!

Congratulations on your impressive weight loss! From the photos it appears you have some excess fat as well as skin laxity. You should have nice results from a full tummy tuck which would address both excess fat and skin as well as correct abdominal wall laxity. Liposuction could be added for contouring if desired. Once you reach your goal weight and are able to maintain it visit with a board certified plastic surgeon near you for a consultation.

Nice job on the weight loss. You are right though, with that weight loss you have excess skin and will likely need an abdominoplasty. That way you can get rid of the remaining excess fat as well as the skin. You could have a really nice contour. Best of luck! Dr. Mark Boschert, Renaissance Plastic Surgery.

Based on the posted photo, it appears you need a full abdominal excision with excision extra abdominal skin and combination with life of suction fee range $5000 to $8000. best of virtual consult with