I Have Decided to Get Tummy Tuck; but I Was Told That I Have Visceral Fat? (photo)

Your photos appear that you do have more than the usual amount of visceral fat. However, I also see "love handles" which makes me think that you have excess fat outside of the muscular wall as well, and your abdominal muscles appear very lax. I expect that an abdominoplasty would offer substantial improvement for you. It would remove the excess skin, the excess fat outside of the abdominal wall and tighten the muscles. Some liposuction would be necessary, but most tummy tucks require liposuction.

Through the years I have noticed that many patients had no incentive to lose weight because they continued to have a protuberant abdomen or an apron of skin hanging down. Often a TT has given them a new lease on life and they lost more weight after the surgery. Most patients have felt it was a very positive experience for them. It's important to have realistic goals.

Good luck, and thank you for your interesting question. I hope my answer has helped you.

Visceral fat is fat within the abdominal cavity as opposed to the fat that you can feel in your abdominal wall, which is subcutaneous fat.  You would benefit from a new technique called Abdominoplasty with Mesh Reinforcement.  This technique has recently been in Plastic and Reconstructive Journal literature.  The advantage of this technique is the mesh will provide additional support, which will help you lose weight and maintain the reduced weight.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Visceral fat refers to the fat within the abdominal cavity all around your abdominal organs.  This type of fat can NOT be reduce with liposuction or a tummy tuck.  A plastic surgeon can pinch your subcutaeous fat (that fat just behind the skin but outside of the abdominal muscles) to get an idea of its thickness.  This will give some indication of the amount of reduction in overall girth that can be obtained by surgery.  If needed, a CT scan can measure the thickness of the subcutaeous fat and also document the amount of visceral fat.  Then you and your surgeon can discuss how much improvement this surgery may offer you.  However, only diet and exercise can reduce visceral fat, and you should remember that an abundance of visceral fat would still bulge forward after a tummy tuck, detracting from the surgical result.