Question:
How long after surgery can I have a tummy tuck??

I am almost 6 months post op, down 81 pounds and only 27 more to go till goal. I want/need a tummy tuck bad. Should I start now with the procedures or do I need to wait?? I feel that they could take about 25-30 lbs when they do it. Thanks in advance!!!    — Michelle M. (posted on September 1, 2003)

September 1, 2003
most plastic surgeons will tell you to wait until you have stopped with your weight loss. i mean losing in big chunks. i started looking into it when i was within 25 pounds of my goal. i had cut back to losing around 3 pounds a month.
   — candymom64

September 1, 2003
You can certainly start the process, but most PS won't do the procedure until you are at goal and your weight has stabilized for a couple of months...JR
   — John Rushton

September 1, 2003
I am in a similar boat in that I am looking into plastics and I will only be 7 months out on Wed. For me I am starting early because in October I need to make insurance decisions for 2004. I may end up having surgery by the end of the year if I can get my current policy to cover it, which is probably doubtful. I'm about as sure as I can be that the policies available to us next year won't cover it. I'm not even sure if they will cover WLS, so I am very thankful I did it this year. <p>While it would seem to be nuts for me to have PS at 10-1/2 months, because I would likely be 35-50 lbs from goal, I may end up doing it because it would be free. I may find out that no matter what the surgeon won't do it till I'm at goal which is 200 lbs. If that is the case then I may opt to go back to liquids for a few days and then advance things slow again and force myself back into ketosis to get the weight off by then. Not my first choice, especially with all the clothes I bought this weekend - LOL, but for free I just might be able to do it. I'd discuss it with my WL surgeon but based on previous conversations with him, about staying max ketosis long term, he will likely be okay with it as long as the fluids get in to wash the ketones out. If the plastic surgoen feels there is no way my insurance will cover it, then I will wait till the 1 yr mark and start the process then as I suspect I would be close to the 200 lb mark by then, assuming I do not hit a 5 month plateau. <p>With 27 lbs to go it would seem appropriate to start the process. From what I read it is rare that anyone loses 25-30 lbs from plastic surgery. Probably 10-15 is a more realistic #. Even some people who have started in the 500-600's don't always lose 30 lbs. Good Luck!
   — zoedogcbr

September 1, 2003
Original poster here....I meant to say 15-20 lbs not 25-30!!! Thanks for the input :)
   — Michelle M.

September 1, 2003
Michelle, thanks for asking this one. I am 5 months post-op and wondering the same thing. I have lost 103lbs and am only 27lbs to my ultimate goal. After having four children, there is NO WAY that my stomach will ever firm up....ever. LOL. I'm willing to wait on the plastics for my arms, legs, etc. since I feel that at 29 years old they may, firm back up after a few years. We'll see. I think I will start checking into this soon because I am still losing at about 4lbs per week which will put me at goal pretty quickly and I'm sure I will lose about 10lbs with a tummy tuck. Anyway, it looks like we are in a similar situation so perhaps we could keep each other posted. Good luck and congrats on such a great weight loss!!
   — denisel

September 1, 2003
I would wait until your weight has been stabilized for at least six months. This is based only on my own experience, because I overshot my goal weight by twenty pounds (which I never expected), and I have noticed that, now that my weight seems almost stable, my body shape is changing even though my diet and exercise regime (and weight) is pretty much the same. I am *so glad* I didn't rush into plastics, much as a big part of me really wanted to do so -- you really just want it over and DONE with, I know, but if you start checking into plastics, you'll realize it's as much an art as it is a science. Rushing into it could yield you some very disappointing results. If your body weight and type are still shifting and changing ... that's only going to make it harder for a good plastic surgeon to try to get you the results you want. A few months seems like a long wait, but it's not, in retrospect. And, I have to agree with the poster below -- I really doubt that there's even 15-20 pounds (or anything near that) that's gonna be removed on somebody whose weight loss is about 110 pounds (but the plastic surgeon will certainly be the best word on that). I've lost 140 lbs., and I'd be surprised if they get even 5 pounds of skin offa me in plastics (and I *never* woulda guessed that six months ago, believe me). Those last 27 pounds you're going to jettison are gonna be the most dramatic of all the pounds you lose, in terms of the change in your appearance (especially nekked!!). Give it time to see what you look like without them, before you go around for your consults. I wouldn't trust a plastic surgeon who'd be willing to operate too soon, either. Good luck!
   — Suzy C.

September 1, 2003
My surgeon simply said, "Wait until you are at goal before you have plastic surgery (why is it called 'plastic' surgery, anyway?)because it won't look as good." LOL A man of few words. It makes sense to wait until we have reached goal. Some surgeons won't do it until you have stabilized for at least 6 months. All makes sense.
   — Ginger M.

September 5, 2003
Your obviously a lighterweight. It might SEEM like they can remove 25 or 30 pounds of skin, but in someone who has lost about 100 pounds it's probably more like 5 pounds. That's how much I lost when I had my tt. I had mine done at 9 months post-op. It caused me to lose the remaining amount of my weight. A PS will be able to tell you how much skin he will be removing. I would start interviewing them now since you have less then 30 pounds to lose to get to goal.
   — Patty H.