Goal Weight for a Tummy Tuck? | Dr. Daniel Shapiro

Hi, I'm Dr. Dan Shapiro. I'm a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. I've been practicing in the Scottsdale [provincial 00:00:06] area since 1992, and that's all I do. I just perform cosmetic or aesthetic plastic surgery.
I do a lot of body contouring surgery, I do a lot of tummy tucks. People present to me from all shapes and sizes and weights, and a lot of people want to know, "Dr. Shapiro, what baseline weight do I have to be? How far do I have to lose weight prior to a tummy tuck?" The answer to the question is it really depends. There is no long, fast rule about weight and tummy tucks. I think somebody who is obese shouldn't have a tummy tuck. A tummy tuck is not a weight loss procedure, nor is liposuction a weight loss procedure.
I think, in terms of BMI, Body Mass Index, again, there's no long, fast rule. People come in to me and they say, "Dr. Shapiro, I'm planning on losing 25 pounds" prior to a tummy tuck, and I ask them, "How long have you been at your weight? Where have you been over the last year? Do you really think you're going to lose 25 pounds? What are the efforts how you're going to do it?" In those patients that I feel really that they can get to that target, that it's realistic, I will tell them to wait until they lose 25 pounds. That is great, but I see the vast majority of my patients fall in that range where they're not heavy, they've got some extra weight on.
The beauty of the tummy tuck is, when I do contouring, most often I'll do some liposuction in the back in the flanks, and I'll do some contouring of the abdominal wall. That together is such a stimulus for you to go on to lose more weight that a lot of people will present to me, and I tell them that they really don't have to lose more weight. As long as you're within about 20, 25 pounds of where I think that your basic weight is, I'm going to get a great result on your tummy tuck, and I'm going to give you a motivation.
It really resets your thermostat in terms of looking good. People feel that they have less appetite after I do a tummy tuck, the reason being is I'm sewing the muscles very tight in the abdominal wall, that makes it so you get fully faster. Really, what it does is it resets your thermostat. It makes you feel mentally like now you've got things more under control, that you can reach an objective. I think people feel much more motivated to get into the gym. Mostly people like the way they look, and that really feeds itself in a positive fashion.
The long story short here is that there is no real rule about weight and tummy tuck. There is no rule about getting to a target weight. It is really is what is realistic for you as a patient. If I feel as that you're at a weight that I can get a great result, I'll tell you that you really don't need to lose more weight. If I feel that you're too heavy, I'll ask you to lose weight, and we'll see if you can do it. There are some people that can't do it, and we go ahead and do the procedure, and the result is made better, I think, over time, as they gradually lose more weight after the tummy tuck.

For more information about finding the right surgeon to perform your tummy tuck, you can contact us by visiting our site http://www.shapiroplasticsurgery.com/ or contact us using the information below.

Shapiro Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and Skin Klinic
5410 N. Scottsdale Rd. Building F-100
Scottsdale, AZ 85253
Phone: (480)-451-1700