If you are considering undergoing a tummy tuck procedure, you will definitely need to have realistic expectations as far as your weight loss goals are concerned. Your consultation with Dr. Bloch will help you to understand whether you are a good tummy tuck candidate. The surgery does actually help patients to lose weight immediately and the results are actually long-term. However, you cannot opt to undergo tummy tuck as the only way to lose weight. In fact, you would be a good candidate if you have been exercising and observing the right diet to be near your normal weight. This is because tummy tuck will be needed to get rid of excess skin that remains folding and sagging around your abdomen. The excess fat that would be remaining can be transferred to any other areas of the body that may need shaping through cosmetic surgery.
Tummy tuck is therefore a procedure performed to help you achieve weight loss goals, but you should have been exercising and easting the right foods and continue doing the same after surgery. In order to achieve long-term weight loss goals, women who are planning to have pregnancies in the near future are advised to postpone their surgery. Pregnancy would of course stretch the skin and can reverse the gains of previous a tummy tuck procedure. People who are excessively overweight and not near the normal weight range cannot opt for tummy tuck for weight loss. They have to lose most of their weight through exercise and diet, so that all the excess skin left sagging around abdomen, butt and thighs can be removed during the surgery. You can discuss with Dr. Bloch your expectations on weight loss after surgery, and the Chicago plastic surgeon will provide answers to all your questions. You will see before and after pictures of other tummy tuck patients and have realistic expectations if you choose to undergo the surgery.
A tummy tuck is not a substitute for weight loss or an appropriate exercise program.
Although the results of a tummy tuck are technically permanent, the positive outcome can be greatly diminished by significant fluctuations in your weight. For this reason, individuals who are planning substantial weight loss or women who may be considering future pregnancies would be advised to postpone a tummy tuck.
A tummy tuck cannot correct stretch marks, although these may be removed or somewhat improved if they are located on the areas of excess skin that will be excised.
"Most Overweight Patients Show Lasting Weight Loss One Year after Abdominoplasty
Arlington Heights, Ill. – Undergoing abdominoplasty (“tummy tuck”) may lead to significant and lasting weight loss for many patients-especially those who were overweight or obese before surgery, reports a pilot study in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Long-term weight loss after abdominoplasty may be related to increased satiety-feeling full after eating-according to the study by ASPS Member Surgeon Dr. Rex Edward Moulton-Barrett of Alameda Hospital and colleagues. The researchers discuss possible “neuroendocrine mechanisms” that may promote weight loss after abdominoplasty.
