Choosing the correct procedure should be based on having a clear understanding of what the underlying problem is. In other words, the first step in the process is to make an accurate diagnosis or assessment. There are four variables that determine what someone’s abdomen looks like. Each of these four variables has its own way of being treated and determines what is the best procedure. The Ford variables determine what someone’s abdomen looks like our abdominal scan laxity typically do to previous pregnancies for weight loss, excess, subcutaneous, fat, muscle separation from previous pregnancies, and lastly, access, visceral, or in the truck domino fat. A tummy tuck primarily treats, abdominal scan, laxity, and muscle separation from previous pregnancies. Liposuction reduces subcutaneous fat. Excess visceral fat can only be reduced through weight loss. I’m all the information that you listed. What is not included, is a history of previous pregnancies or not. This is paramount in order to make a quality assessment. Muscle separation only happens from previous pregnancies. Patients should also consider if future pregnancies are part of the picture and if so, patients should not have a tummy tuck until they’re done having children. Liposuction will reduce subcutaneous fat, and I will do some extent mimic, successful, weight loss. It will not treat abdominal skin laxity, regardless of what form of Liposuction is used. I suggest having multiple in person, consultations with local board-certified plastic surgeons in your community to get an accurate assessment and better understanding of treatment options. There is significant variation in outcomes, depending on which surgeon you choose. For that reason, I recommend patients have multiple consultations to properly vent to each provider to find the best, most talented and most experienced provider for your needs. This is true, regardless of what procedure you choose. Liposuction seems to have particularly large variation in scale among different providers. During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before and after pictures for the procedure, you are interested in. As providers just show you examples of previous patients who had similar body characteristics to your own. For a reference and experience surgeon should have no difficulty showing you were at least 50 sets of before, and after pictures of commonly performed procedures, like abdominal liposuction, or tummy tucks. Best, Mats Hagstrom, MD