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!

You should be at your long term stable weight which is generally within 20 pounds of your target weight for optimal results. Generally, patients can have tummy tuck and liposuction at the same time.

Thank you for the question.

There is no magic number of pounds to lose.  You will know physically (when you are at your baseline weight) and emotionally when you are ready to proceed with this major operation.  This planning would involve making sure you have enough help for your kids and yourself during the recovery period (approx. 3-4 weeks).  

I do however have another  word of advice for you. Patients who are about to undergo tummy tuck surgery spend a lot of time thinking about the physical preparation for the procedure (for example weight loss issues) but do not spend a lot of time thinking about the emotional aspects.
It is not uncommon for patients who undergo the procedure to experience severe “mood swings”. These emotions may range from depression ( “why did I do this to myself”) to elation  (which may lead to over activity). I think it is helpful to be aware that these emotional swings do occur postoperatively. 
Suggestions I have for patients undergoing this procedure: 1. Make sure you have a strong support system in place who have time/patience to take care of you. 2. Be patient with the healing process, understanding that it will take several weeks to months to feel “normal” again. 3. Be prepared to distract your mind with things of interest such as books, magazines, and movies. 4. Expect less of yourself; do not go back to work too early and let others take care of you (for a change). 5. Keep in close communication with your surgeon and do not hesitate to communicate questions/concerns and the emotional swings that you may experience. 6. Keep in mind the end result!

I hope this helps.

At your present height and weight of 5'9" tall and 190 lbs. your BMI( body mass index) is 28.1. I ideally like to operate on patients with a BMI of 25 or less and in order for you to be there you would have to lose another 20 lbs. I would consider scheduling you after you lost 15 lbs.
Other health related factors such as high blood pressure, pre-diabetes etc. would have to be taken into account and I would want to have you cleared for surgery by your primary physician. I usually suggest that my patients get on a simple weight reduction program such as weight watchers and start walking 30 minutes per day. You will lose the weight in a matter of months.
Also, I would suggest that you find a plastic surgeon that is performing Slim lipo especially for your arms. Traditional liposuction for the arms may result in more sagging of the skin and make matters worse. Slim lipo specifically melts the fat and shrinks the collagen resulting in tightening of the skin.

Hi AikenMom! If you're healthy and your primary doctor is agreeable, you would do well with a tummy tuck and liposuction. I find that post-partum tummy tuck patients are amongst the happiest of my cosmetic surgery patients. With regard to preoperative weight loss, any weight you can lose before surgery is in your best interest. Your results will be that much better if you are able to lose weight. Also, the complication rate is decreased. There is no set amount of weight to lose--this should be discussed with your surgeon and keeping the goal realistic is key. You can have liposuction of the arms at the same time, but if some of your "flab" is excess skin, then aggressive liposuction in this area will likely contribute to your "flab". You may have less bulk, however, the skin will only tighten a small amount. Again, this is a discussion for you to have with a board-certified plastic surgeon as a physical exam is mandatory to go into details. Good luck!
Dr. Singer

Ideally, before any body contouring procedure, you will be within 10-15 pounds of your proper weight.  That way, you will get the best result and won't become lax by loosing alot of weight after the surgery.