Tummy tuck eligibility after weight loss? (photos)

Thank you for your inquiry! You have excess abdominal skin making you a great candidate for an Abdominoplasty procedure. We would love to see you in person and help you reach your goals. Schedule a consultation with a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon like myself and we can create a surgical plan for you!

Thanks for your question. From your pictures, you seem to be a good candidate for Liposuction. A tummy tuck address excess skin and fat of the abdominal area, while liposuction address the excess fat without the need to remove excess skin. I recommend scheduling a consult for a proper evaluation. Please always consult with a board certified plastic surgeon. Take care, Dr. Moises Salama, board certified plastic surgeon.

You are a great candidate for a traditional tummy tuck. What you're seeing is the looseness of the tissues between your ab muscles with a bit of excess skin (diastasis recti). I would usually recommend at least 6 months, but more commonly, at least a year after having a child before having a tummy tuck, though longer may allow for more retraction of the skin. Don't forget about the enormous amount of work a child under 1 year old takes and decide whether recovery from a tummy tuck is something you want to undertake at the same time.

It can take a year or two for the mid-section to return as close as possible to its pre-pregnancy state. And since you’ve also lost weight in a short amount of time, you may find it takes a little longer. You mention that it’s “not terrible” so you may want consider waiting a year or so to see if your skin tightens back up.

Thank you for your question regarding tummy tuck eligibility after weight loss. There’s no strict timeline for when you should evaluate your skin for surgery after weight loss, as every patient’s body responds differently. However, most plastic surgeons would agree that you should wait at least 4 to 6 months after significant weight loss to allow your skin to naturally tighten as much as possible before considering a tummy tuck.

Based on your photos, you don’t appear to be an obvious candidate for a tummy tuck, especially since your abdomen still looks flat when standing. However, if you have rectus diastasis (separation of the abdominal muscles), a tummy tuck can help address that. In the meantime, focus on healthy eating and daily exercise to continue improving your overall body composition.

Good luck, and thank you for your question!

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

When your weight is stable, after 6 months you get the maximum of skin retraction. If you have stretch marks, that means a tear in the elastic part of the skin and the skin will not retract as well. It all depends on what is bothering you since you already have a flat abdomen. How often you walk bent over?

Part of the pouch is abdominal wall laxity, which can only be fixed with surgery. Same with skin laxity; these are the things a tummy tuck fixes. Combine that with some hip and waist liposuction and you'll have your pre-baby body back. The trick is finding a surgeon who is willing and able to place the scar, the thing that most women balk at, in the right place: way down low where it will disappear. If you hear the words 'you don't have enough skin', walk away; that surgeon still hasn't caught on to newer concepts.

I'd recommend that you complete one year since you gave birth and with sport, the tummy are will get much better, but in case after completing one year and doing sport if you still have some loose skin that is making you unhappy, a mini tummy tuck or standard tummy tuck can be done.

Deciding between the mini tummy tuck and normal tummy tuck can be discussed in the physical examination because the skin laxitiy needs to be checked.

I'll leave a link to my video that explains the mini tummy tuck and you can check my channel to know more about tummy tuck options.

If it has been 8 months and you have lost 50 lbs. then it is most likely most of your skin has retracted as best as it can. You may benefit from a mini tummy tuck or perhaps a tummy tuck depending on extensive it is on physical examination.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Your skin has done an impressive job contracting after three pregnancies, and it doesn’t appear that you have any more weight to lose. This is likely your final state. Since it’s not as severe as others might experience, it may make your decision more difficult. However, if the excess skin and looseness are bothering you, a full tummy tuck would be the best solution. During a tummy tuck, the extra skin below the belly button is removed, the muscle separation is repaired, and the upper abdominal skin is lowered to cover the entire area. By using a sequential tension suture technique with no drains, we can ensure that your abdominoplasty scar is positioned low, and stays low during the healing process, keeping the incision in the ideal position.

I’d advise against just repairing the muscle separation endoscopically, without addressing the excess skin, as this could cause skin bunching and lead to a more noticeable issue.

Dr. B.