Overweight Tummy Tuck
There are many patients who need tummy tuck surgery, but who may be overweight. The good news is that when designed and performed properly, tummy tuck surgery for the oversight patient may be a wonderful option to help contour the abdomen and waist.
There are two classic reasons that overweight patients may think they are not good candidates:
1) concern about the final result
2) concern about healing issues
While these two issues are important to consider prior to surgery, carefully designing and performing the tummy tuck surgery for an overweight patient can create a wonderful result while doing so safely.
One of the most important aspects of getting a great tummy tuck result for the overweight patient is performing liposuction at the same time or prior to the tummy tuck. Doing so allows the needed thinning of the abdominal tissue which an overweight patient truly needs to get a great result. Proper discussion about the risks and consequences of doing liposuction at the same time as the tummy tuck should be held. When designed and performed properly, the chances of getting a great overweight tummy tuck result are increased and the chances of wound healing are kept low.
While having a patient at their goal weight prior to having a tummy tuck is the ideal situation, this is often not realistic. Many patients struggle to lose weight and in fact, have their excess abdominal fat and skin as a source of limitation to proper exercise activity. It is frequently the case that overweight tummy tuck patient go on to lose additional weight after their tummy tuck surgery. Because of this, the overweight tummy tuck surgery can be a great way to kick-start the process of a more active and healthier lifestyle.
