Hi, I'm Dr. Elizabeth Morgan. I'm a board certified plastic surgeon here in Atlanta and today what I'd like to talk to you about is the difference between a panniculectomy and a tummy tuck. The reason that it's important is that your insurance may, and I say may, pay for a panniculectomy. It will never pay for a tummy tuck.

A tummy tuck is an operation done to tighten loose skin and the muscle and remove excess fat at the sides and the top of your tummy after the changes that are common after pregnancy or sometimes seen after having tummy surgery. Insurance will never pay for that. It's a cosmetic operation, but a panniculectomy means removing excess skin and if you lost a lot of weight, your main problem may not be actually the tummy itself, but all of that excess skin hanging down below your tummy and, in some people, it can go as low as the knees, and that's really a problem, both in hygiene and in walking. So, insurance may pay for it.

The panniculectomy uses, however, an incision like the tummy tuck, which is a long incision here, but in the panniculectomy, it removes that excess skin. In a tummy tuck, the incision is used to go up to repair the muscle and remove the excess skin of the tummy. So, remember, if you lost a lot of weight and you're hoping to have some improvement from insurance, you want to look into a panniculectomy. If you've got changes in your tummy itself that you want to tighten the muscle, you're going to consider a cosmetic operation called a tummy tuck.

So, we'd love to help you. Just give us a call.

Will Insurance Pay For My Tummy Tuck?

Dr. Elizabeth Morgan explains the differences between a tummy tuck and a Panninculectomy, which is the removal of excess skin following massive weight loss. She also explains how to know which surgery is right for you.