Why Was I Turned Down for a Tummy Tuck?

     Although losing 20 lbs may allow for a better final result, I am not so stringent in the BMIs of prospective patients.  It would be nice for everyone to be at goal weight, but that is not realistic.  Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of tummy tucks each year.  Then look at the plastic surgeon's website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the results.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Thank you for your question. I recommend you see a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and get another opinion.  Every surgeon has their comfort zone and apparently this was not in that surgeons comfort zone.  If two tell you the same thing, then I would listen carefully to the advice.   I hope this helps.

Some surgeons prefer their patients to lose weight prior to body contouring. This is not necessary however in many patients incapable of losing weight will benefit from the procedure.

Hi themamma60, Statistically, heavier patients risk more surgical complications. BMI has been shown to be a poor overall predictor of health but carries some of the risks as mentioned. There are other factors, such as the fact that you may be "big" but may not have excessive body fat, to mitigate this risk.  If you know what these risks are, it is appropriate to consider going forward. It may be your doctors thinking that if you are committed to loose weight prior to the surgery, than you will continue to do so after your surgery. I have seen that most patients loose 10 lbs or so after their abdominoplasties. This improves the results. My experience is that for most patients, the abdomonoplasty helps them keep weight off and encourages changes in lifestyle. 

Your height and weight would not preclude me from operating on you.  If you are planning on losing more weight then weight loss should occur prior to a tummy tuck as the result will be lost if some one loses weight afterwards however if you are at a consistent weight which does not change then there is no reason to delay your tummy tuck.  There are increased risks to cosmetic surgery as the BMI increases and time under the knife increase.  The larger a patient is the longer surgery takes and therefore the riskier it is.  But if you have a clear understanding of the risks and choose to take them on then go for it.

I am not really sure why you were refused surgery.  I thought it was because of your BMI but your BMI currently is 30.7  PS try to not to operate on people with a BMI of greater than 30.

Dr. ES

Hello there. 

Your surgeon is trying to get you into a weight range where you can have the least risk of complications and get the best cosmetic result. 

Your current BMI is 32 and the upper range of ideal is 25 , which for someone of your height means a weight of about 140lbs. 

A tummy tuck is designed to remove excess skin and tighten your muscle wall. If you don't have muscle laxity or spare skin it's not really going to help you and if you are above a BMI of 30 then your complication risks go up considerably. 

So take your surgeon's advice , get your weight down and have a safe operation with a great cosmetic result. 

Good luck 

Terrence Scamp

 

 

 

I think you should ask your PS why he/she made the decision not recommend your tummy tuck surgery.  Higher BMI patients are at higher risk for slow healing or healing problems.  Perhaps he was concerned about excessive intra-abdominal fat?  Again, the question is best posed to the PS who examined you.  Best wishes.

Dr. Basu

Houston, TX

As you are finding out there are no absolutes in plastic surgery.  We all want the same thing to please our patients and perform safe surgery minimizing risk to our patients.  It is our duty to examine the whole patient and to make a decision based purely on the medical facts.  The biggest risk for an abdominoplasty patient is deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. 
There are may risk factors involved in determining operative risk.  It is possible that you have additional risk factors such as smoking, history of DVT or , use of oral contraceptives.   Stay safe, follow your plastic surgeon's advice and enjoy a successful surgical outcome.  

I agree with the other answers. Ask your plastic surgeon specifically why he turned you down. But there is your ideal weight, and the weight you can (or are willing to) achieve. I generally don't require my patients to lose weight prior to surgery unless I feel the operation will be unsafe at the heavier weight. 90% of people who diet gain it back. If you lose weight, then have surgery and gain it back, you will ruin your result. And I have never seen a patient ruin a result by losing weight postoperatively. It only makes it better. Different surgeons have different philosophies. Just don't compromise on safety.