"Plus size" mommy makeover - am I candidate for the procedure?

Thanks for your question. There is a Body Mass Index (BMI) requirement that patients must meet for the mommy makeover surgery. At my practice, the mommy makeover max BMI is 33. This is based on your height and weight. Based on the height and weight you provided, you are at 35.5 and do not meet our BMI requirement, which means you do not qualify for surgery at this time. Since you are over the BMI limit, I would recommend consulting with your primary care physician on a proper diet for you to bring down your BMI in order to be able to undergo the procedure. Please always consult with a board certified plastic surgeon. Take Care, Moises Salama MD, board certified plastic surgeon

Thank you for your question regarding a plus-size makeover for someone with a high BMI. BMI's are important but not a single number that can exclude you for surgery. What's more important is your medical health. It's important that you have a thorough preoperative physical to include multiple labs, EKG, chest x-ray, and perhaps tests. If you are deemed healthy, it is still possible to undergo surgery, specifically a mommy makeover with a high BMI. Please consult a board-certified plastic surgeon who's experienced in patients with high BMI's.

If you have any more questions regarding a mommy makeover, tummy tuck, lower body lift, 360 circumferential lower body lift, belt lipectomy, belt abdominoplasty, or belt dermolipectomy please contact my office. Since a mommy makeover is a big procedure, please seek an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon with significant experience performing the lower body lift. Do your research. Make sure they have performed at least 100 mommy makeover surgeries and have the before and after pictures to prove it. Carefully examine their before and after pictures and check their reviews on RealSelf. If you cannot find an experienced, tummy tuck or lower body lift surgeon in your neighborhood, consider traveling out of state if you must.

Sincerely, Dr. Katzen. (“Verified” Plastic Surgeon, President of the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American College of Surgery, and International College of Surgery and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and RealSelf Hall of Fame.)

My cutoff for this surgery is BMI of 30. Patients at higher BMI's have much higher complication rates. High complication rates are not appropriate for patients.

At 5'6 and 220 lbs, your BMI is 35 which puts you in the obese category, as you already know. I recommend you begin with something safe such as liposuction. 10 lbs can safely be removed during 1 session of liposuction and the sessions can be repeated if needed. I also recommend you begin a low fat diet, core exercises such as sit-ups, planks, pilates and start wearing a compression garment. Once you get down to a BMI of 32 which would correspond to a weight of 200 lbs then you can consider abdominoplasty with mesh reinforcement, if you are not planning future pregnancies. The mesh creates a more hourglass figure by compressing the abdominal wall resulting in early satiety and helps maintain a reduced weight.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Dear Polite271293,
generally speaking, you want to reach your goal weight before you consider a mommy makeover, otherwise your results will be suboptimal if you continue to lose weight after the surgery.If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. 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

Hello,
And thank you for the questions. I always encourage my patients to be at their optimal weight prior to surgery, but sometimes, if they hit a plateau, it is still possible to proceed with surgery understanding that the risk of complications is higher with higher BMI.
I suggest that you seek an in person consultation with a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon to further discuss your options, specific techniques, concerns and expectations. Make sure you specifically look at before and after pictures of real patients who have had this surgery performed by your surgeon and evaluate their results.
I hope this helps.Best regards, Dr. Karanetz
Dr. Irena KaranetzBreast Fellowship-TrainedBoard Certified Plastic Surgeon

Every woman deserves to have a beautiful body. A plus-size mommy makeover is a customized set of procedures tailored to your needs, and can include surgical procedures or non-surgical treatments, or a combination of both. Although a plus-size mommy makeover usually combines breast enhancement and tummy tuck surgery, it can be designed to be whatever you need it to be. While there is no “one size fits all” for mommy makeovers, it is important to consider the timing of the surgery and how that fits into your life-style. And it is important to consider the overall safety of the procedure. Before proceeding with any mommy makeover, it is important to know that candidates for surgery must be in good health and have a BMI of less than 38. Based on a weight of 5'6" and a weight of 220 lbs, your BMI is 35.5. Following the procedures, mommy makeover patients see substantial improvements in their post-pregnancy bodies and have more confidence in general!

For elective plastic surgery it is recommended that a patient have a BMI of 30 or under. Those above this threshold have a higher risk of complications such as poor wound healing, seroma, and infection. The lower BMI also allows your surgeon to optimize your results. Though there are other health factors considered in addition to BMI in determining if someone is a candidate for a Mommy Makeover, weight loss would improve your chances of candidacy, lower your risks, and improve your results.

It is not uncommon for me to operate on a patient with a high BMI. Your BMI is 35.5. i operate on patients with much higher BMI's than you as long as your labs are normal and you have a good pre op clearance from a medical doctor. I do believe a surgeon will take on your case but you need a good exam in person with a board certified plastic surgeon. Good luck on your journey.

Yours,

Andrew Cohen, MD

You can probably find a surgeon willing to do the procedure. Money seems to sway decision making that way.

The fact that a surgeon is willing to do your procedure doesn’t change your candidacy.

Obesity increases risk for complications including wound healing and reduces aesthetic outcomes.

Consider the length of a tummy tuck incision and imagine doing a wound care for a wound that’s almost the length of the scar. That’s what happens when patients have wound healing complications.

Putting tension with sutures bringing the skin edges together doesn’t work well when the stitches are trying to pull through fat. The fat necrosis and the wound opens up. The less fat the surgeon has to bring together under tension the less likely the wound is to come apart.

There are also major medical complications like blood clots that are slightly increased in obesity not to mention that the procedure can take longer and longer operations are also associated with greater complication risks.

Decision to move forward or lose weight before the procedure isn’t really one the surgeon should make but rather the patient.

Do you want to be a better candidate for the procedure?

Are you willing to take the increased risk or is it better to lose weight first.

Weight loss can be challenging but lots of people have done it successfully.

I myself at one time weighed 250 pounds.

I remember picking up my son when he weighed 45 pounds. this was after I had successfully lost the majority of obesity I was carrying.

I remember thinking to myself I carried this amount of weight and body fat everywhere I went morning noon and night.

Once the weight has been shed we wonder why we didn’t do it sooner.

If you can’t do it on your own then find support and let others help you in the process. I know lots of people who have done well with weight watchers. Overheaters anonymous is free and having someone support you through the process can be helpful.

Obesity is a complex topic and often entails complex and at times uncomfortable history‘s. It varies from person to person why the individual struggles to maintain a healthy weight.

It’s up to you if you want to move forward and start consulting with surgeons or if you want to make yourself a better candidate first.

I suggest doing your part first. Doing so also helps legitimize the procedure further making it something that has truly been earned.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD