I’m at my heaviest at 293. My stomach literally flaps on my thighs. I’ve been told that when I lose weight by exercise, diet & possibly lap band surgery that my stomach will not shrink up. My question is, how much weight do I have to lose before getting a tummy tuck & how much will it cost?
0 Answers
Dr. Charles Spenler wrote on :
Hi Anonymous,
Without knowing how tall you are, I cannot tell you at what weight your BMI will be 30 or less, which is our target for post-massive weight loss body sculpting. You can check this page (http://www.mayoclinic.org/bmi-calculator/itt-20084938) for a tool–insert your height and keep inserting different weights until your BMI is 30 or lower. That’s your target weight. Having surgery with a BMI above 30 increases your risk of complications and poor healing.
Since you have at least 100 lb of weight to lose, it’s unlikely that a tummy tuck alone will give you the results you want. A belt lipectomy, combined with a tummy tuck, will lift the sagging skin & excess tissues around the sides and back of the abdomen as well as the front.
Without seeing you in consultation at our Torrance plastic surgery office, I cannot quote a price. A tummy tuck alone is one price, and a tummy tuck plus a belt lipectomy is another. Further, your insurance may pay for part of the body sculpting, so it’s best that we meet in consultation to see what can be done after you have lost the weight and kept it off for at least six months.
Good luck to you! It’s hard work to lose this much weight, but you’ll be healthier for it!
Dr. Regina Rosenthal wrote on :
Would you please provide your height?
Dr. Diana Ghosh wrote on :
It is best to be within 15 to 20 pounds of your goal weight. An estimate for the tummy tuck is in the $10,000 range. Hope this is helpful.
Dr. James Wethe wrote on :
It is always “best” if you have lost pretty much all the weight you are planning to lose prior to doing the surgery just so that your surgeon can accurately estimate what amount of skin and tissue is truly “extra” and what is needed to provide a nice closure. There is no magic number of pounds but what I tell my patients is that I would like them to be at a stable weight prior to the surgery. I hope this helps you…and that all goes well.
J. Wethe, M.D.
Dr. M. Bailey wrote on :
In general, the more weight a patient loses, the better the result will be. The risks of surgery, such as blood clots and infection will be lower (though the state of controlled starvation after bariatric surgery may increase wound healing problems).
Having said that, it is important to be at a weight that you can maintain long term. If you gain a significant amount of weight after surgery, it may cause major problems, such as the muscle repair giving way in the upper abdomen so that you no longer have a waist, and your slacks do not stay up.
The costs of a tummy tuck vary widely, and in some cases after massive weight loss will be partially covered by insurance. A preliminary consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon should give you a preliminary estimate.
Dr. Curtis Wong wrote on :
You should be at a weight that you can easily maintain. And if you qualify for gastric procedures and are willing to accept the risks, it would be beneficial to help you lose those extra pounds. But you have to be at your stable weight that you can maintain with your lifestyle and diet. In addition, when your BMI is over 30, you have more risks for complications from surgery. Good luck.