60 more pounds to lose - Would a tummy tuck and lipo be beneficial? (Photos)

It is more helpful to mention your height and weight in numbers so we could know your BMI. My comments relate to patients with a BMI of 33 or less, occasionally up to 35.
Sometimes patients like yourself are concerned about the problems that the overhanging abdominal skin and fat pose, like rashes under the skin, real obstacles to working out, quality of life issues. The 60 lbs. more to lose are not all on the abdomen, and all the extra fat and skin on the abdomen, and the fat on the waist and flanks, along with the bra rolls can be removed with a lipoabdominoplasty, 360 lipo plus tummy tuck.
The extra weight will be on the rest of the body where you store fat, usually hips, thighs, buttocks, and some intra-abdominally. By having an abdominoplasty and losing the rest of the weight, you won't "mess up" the abdominoplasty, because the "weight" you lose afterwards will not be from the abdomen (see attached photo). Your question: "would a tummy tuck with lipo make a difference in appearance". Yes, and a difference in your workouts. You can see patients on my website with BMI's over 30 and determine if this approach would be appropriate for you. You have to go to a surgeon who is comfortable doing both extensive liposuction and a tummy tuck at the same time. Obviously, the concensus is to wait until most of the weight is lost. This can be very difficult or take a very long time for some patients. In my practice, timing is dependent on goals and expectations, tempo of weight loss, quality of life, acceptance of some trade-offs in immediate vs later results.

A full tummy tuck with liposuction would significantly improve the contour of your midsection by removing excess skin and fat from the lower abdomen, tightening separated abdominal muscles, and sculpting the waist with liposuction. However, if you plan to lose more weight, it’s best to lose it before surgery because losing significant weight after a tummy tuck can lead to loose skin again and affect your final result.

Dear Loving979103,

congrats on the weight loss! Generally speaking, you want to reach your goal weight before you consider a tummy tuck, otherwise your results will be suboptimal if you continue to lose weight after the surgery.

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

Thank you for your question. It’s best to hold off on a tummy tuck until you’re closer to your goal weight because losing more weight after the tummy tuck can lead to additional loose skin which can affect your final results. However, if the hanging skin is making things difficult for you, a procedure called panniculectomy that includes removing just the overhanging skin could be an option to improve comfort and mobility while you continue losing weight. Once you're closer to your goal and have maintained it for a while, a full tummy tuck with lipo will give you the best contouring and skin tightening. Meeting with a surgeon for an in-person consultation will give you the best idea of what will work for your body.

I think a 60 pound weight loss after a tummy tuck may loosen the skin a bit, but say 20 pounds probably would not. If working out becomes so difficult with the large overhang, sometimes it is not a bad trade off to time the surgery earlier and except a little loose skin when you have reached your goal weight.