How Much Weight to Lose Before Tummy Tuck and Liposuction?

Thank you for your question regarding weight loss before a tummy tuck and liposuction. It's great that you're already focused on improving your health and fitness. To get the best results from your surgery, most plastic surgeons, including myself, recommend reaching your goal weight or getting as close to it as possible before undergoing the procedure. Ideally, you should aim to be at your lowest stable weight and maintain it for at least three months prior to surgery. This will help ensure that your results are long-lasting and reduce the chances of needing further procedures.

At your height of 5'9" and weight of 190 lbs, it sounds like you're already making progress. Keep in mind that the closer you are to your goal weight, the better the outcome, as the surgery will primarily target excess skin and stubborn fat that doesn’t respond to diet and exercise.

As for combining procedures, yes, it’s quite common to perform liposuction on areas like the underarms at the same time as a tummy tuck. This can help contour your body and address those areas of flab that may not go away with exercise alone.

I recommend continuing your weight loss journey and consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon once you've reached a stable weight to discuss your options and create a plan that will help you achieve your desired results.

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

You want to get as close to your goal weight that you can maintain to get the best results from your surgery. If you are in good health there should be no problem for you to have a tummy tuck and liposuction under your arms. Be sure to see a board certified plastic surgeon. Good luck.

You should be at a stable weight prior to a tummy tuck. Whatever your goal weight may be, the number is not that important to the surgeon but it should be a realistic number for you. The more weight you lose prior to surgery, the better your result will be and fewer complications will occur; in general. If you are planning to lose weight, do this before your surgery and not after surgery. If you lose too much weight, too quickly after surgery, you may be left with loose skin which can compromise your result. Once you have lost the weight, have your arms examined by a board certified plastic surgeon to determine if you're a candidate for lipousuction of that area.
You should have medical clearance from your primary care physician or internist prior to your surgery.

The ideal candidate for liposuction is about ten pounds over the ideal body weight. Don’t go on crash diets which will make you unhealthy, and possibly risk you healing poorly. Liposuction can be done on the arms but there is a limit during one session of how much fat is removed for safety reasons. The surgeon should be able to tell you in consultation how many areas can be treated at the same time. A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is designed to tighten the muscle over the abdomen, or remove and tighten flabby skin of the lower abdomen. It may be safer, if you need both liposuction and a tummy tuck, to do them.

Thank you for the question. Tummy tuck and liposuction address different needs so it would help to conduct an in-person exam to give you an individualized answer. Given the fact that your BMI (body mass index) is below 30, you qualify for a tummy tuck. However, it's always a good idea to reach your ideal weight prior to the procedure.
A tummy tuck offers the most effective way to correct loose skin and muscle separation in addition to eliminating excess fat. Liposuction will also remove fat, but it can't address excess skin that typically persists after weight loss. For this reason, many patients who have experienced a massive weight loss or recent pregnancy tend to opt for a tummy tuck. This procedure can be combined with liposuction for maximum results.
An in-person exam with a board certified plastic surgeon is always the best way to fully assess your needs and address your concerns. Best of luck!