Abdominal Lipo before Tummy Tuck?

Thanks for your question -- I get this every time I perform a Tummy Tuck on Snapchat -- "I heard that it's not safe to do lipo with TT." Not true. For experienced surgeons with proper technique, combining liposuction with Tummy Tuck  is a powerful contouring tool that safely allows us to achieve far better results in patients that are healthy and non-obese.
My belief is that a Tummy Tuck is not a Tummy Tuck is not a Tummy Tuck. In my practice I routinely perform 360 degree liposuction of the trunk with a Tummy Tuck procedure and often use the fat from lipo (I call it "liquid gold") for for transferring to the buttock area. This helps achieve a sexy, youthful figure much more than can be achieved with Tummy Tuck alone -- and who doesn’t want a sexier, more youthful figure? I also further thin the abdominal-tummy area with Tummy Tuck by sharply cutting out the deep fat layer.
Followers of my Snapchat (at DenverBodyDoc) are very familiar with Lipo 360 and BBL, with or without Tummy Tuck and I regularly perform this in patients from a BMI in the low 20s up to a BMI of 30:
 Lipo 360 is the concept of performing lipo of the entire trunk from the area that bulges at your armpit above the bra, to the bra-roll and back to significantly shaping in the waistline and abdominal-tummy area and the mons pubis or FUPA area -- in short I work to achieve a lean-appearance with thin, even layers all around. Some patients will benefit from lipo of a smaller area, but these are very lean patients that already have thin layers elsewhere.BBL or Brazilian Butt Lift uses fat from liposuction to shape the buttock area. I use it as an "addition" tool to extend my ability to provide contour more than can be achieve with the "subtraction" of liposuction alone. Many patients will benefit from even a small amount of fat transfer for providing a more youthful filling of the buttock area, where others desire more increase in size and shape.To achieve dramatic results with combined procedures, it is important that your surgeon have extensive experience with the preparation, execution and post-op care in their practice. With this appropriate care and technique, the safety of these procedures has long been well established and is widely published in the plastic surgery literature. 
Please take a look at photos of my patients at the weblink below. Many more patient examples and photos are shown on our Instagram and Facebook accounts as well @ DenverBodyDoc.
Hope this helps,

Wow, that's a lot of procedures to consider for one time.I think you are on the right track. I would save the tummy tuck for another day. Don't forget, you will need the full use of your arms and legs to help you after the tummy tuck. If you combined all those procedures at once, you will find it difficult to get out of bed and take care of yourself.A thigh lift, arm lift and Lipo/BBL is plenty for one surgery. Be careful and safe.

Hello and thank you for your question. This is a very good question and shows that you have been well informed! Liposuction and tummy tuck combined is a much more complicated surgery than just tummy tuck alone. In order to perform liposuction tummy tuck the plastic surgeon should have a very good understanding of the anatomy and blood supply to the trunk area. To date....100% of all the tummy tucks I do are combined with liposuction. Most of my patients will undergo liposuction of the flanks (lower back), bra region, hips and abdomen along with the tummy tuck. If someone states they do lipo-abdominoplasty make sure they are actually liposuctioning the abdomen and not just the hips. I do lipo tummy tuck together because I believe the results are FAR superior to tummy tuck alone. I also very frequently perform 360 lipo, tummy tuck and BBL all in the same operation. Now....if you chose to have liposuction of the abdomen and are ok with having some loose skin until you can go back and have the tummy tuck done at a later date, that is a VERY acceptable way to go about it. I have attached a link to a patient of mine who underwent 360 lipo, tummy tuck and BBL. I hope this helps and please make sure your are being evaluated by a board certified plastic surgeon!Ankur Mehta MDBoard Certified by The American Board of Plastic SurgeryS

Thank you for your question. Sounds like you are having a lot of procedures, so separating them out is a good idea to minimize the length of your anesthesia. Lipo with bbl, mini arm lift, thigh lift already is a lot of surgery and may last 6-8 hrs, so I think separating your tummy tuck for second stage is a good idea. Also during recovery from BBL you will need to spend more time on your tummy, while with tummy tuck you will be on your back, so from recovery stand point it's also better to have these two at different times. Good luck.
Sincerely,
Olga Bachilo, MD

Hello dear!!
Thanks for the question and provided information as well. 
It is hard to evaluate without pictures, but i would say you are good candidate for liposuction with a traditional tummy tuck. This combination has become very common. It is safe to combine both procedures. 
 I recommend to book a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss the best options for your goals. 
Good luck :)

With improved understanding of the blood supply to the abdominal skin, it is safe to perform liposuction and a TT at the same time.  I do not consider this a controversial practice and in our practice we perform the combination, lipoabdominolasty, in the majority of our TTs.Hope this helps.

I feel advantage of combining all procedures is that it is more cost effective and shortens the recovery time compared to say a two stage procedure. Tummy tuck should not interfere with the recovery from BBL. You can always lie in foetal position (curled up on your sides) or sit yourself up whenever possible. Even lying on your back for short period of time is not going to affect the final outcome of BBL.

Thanks for your question, BirdIsTheWord.
I don’t really see anything wrong with combining liposuction with a tummy tuck, since a tummy tuck essentially has a liposuction component.
The controversy you’re talking about may be coming from combining BBL with a tummy tuck, since it would be challenging to assume a good recovery position for these surgeries.
It would be best if you can undergo tummy tuck and BBL separately. You can combine them with an arm lift, thigh lift, and liposuction either way.
Still, the best thing to do is to consult a reputable and board-certified plastic surgeon so that he can create a personalized surgical plan based on your needs and desires.
Good luck!

Great question.  There are some who advocate doing a tummy tuck and BBL in the same stage.  Most patients want to avoid multiple surgeries, so this is very appealing to them.  And while I get that, attention must be paid to the fact that combining the procedures significantly increases the risk of a bad cosmetic outcome (for both procedures) AND increases the risk for severe complications such as clot formation and pulmonary embolism.  When the procedures are combined, you must recover by lying on your side.  This is extremely difficult and, in my opinion, risky.  I, therefore, would advise you do as you proposed - do the lipo to all of those areas with the BBL in the first stage, and a tummy tuck in the second stage. 

Thank you for your question. This is an area of some dissenting opinion on the part of plastic surgeons. Combining a tummy tuck with a BBL runs the risk of poor outcome and complication for both as there are competing interests. To have the BBL turn out well, you need to spend time on your tummy in recovery, and for a TT to turn out well you need to spend time on your back in recovery. In performing a BBL, fat is harvested from multiple areas and the abdomen is a good source, as well as back and thighs. Doing the BBL first will allow fat to be harvested from the abdomen. Waiting on the TT will allow the BBL to heal well knowing that you will be going back for the TT. Combining both procedures would entail a lengthy surgery which would put you at high risk of complications ranging from blood clots to pulmonary embolism (blood clot traveling to your lungs) and death.  Yes, death has been reported.Consult with an experienced, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in your area and get several opinions. I am definitely in the "staging the procedures" camp.Best wishes, Dr. Morrissey