“Do I need to lose weight before surgery” is a very common question posed by patients to Dr. Vennemeyer. In short, to get the best possible results from your cosmetic surgery, regardless of what kind you have, it’s best to be at your ideal weight for two main reasons. First, the closer you are to your ideal weight, the lower your surgical risks, thus surgery is safer. Second, you will get a better result!
If you are close to your ideal weight, but are having trouble with excess fat in certain areas, liposuction can be very useful. We do not recommend liposuction as a method to lose weight! It is meant to be used as a shaping procedure if dieting and exercise don’t provide your desired results.
The purpose of tummy tucks is to flatten your tummy. Extra skin is removed and tightened to flatten your core. If you’re closer to your ideal weight, the skin on your abdomen gets maximally deflated and the tummy tuck will remove the most skin possible.
Keep These in Mind First Before Having any Cosmetic Surgery Performed…
Your “ideal weight” should be a realistic goal. If you don’t choose a realistic goal, you won’t be able to maintain your ideal weight. And if you can’t do that, you put your health in jeopardy.
If you go on a very low calorie diet, this slows down your metabolism and you start to experience rebound weight gain. If you exercise too frequently, that can cause an injury.
Before you have any type of cosmetic surgery, you should have a stable weight for 2-3 months. If you’re steadily losing significant weight prior to surgery, that may increase your risk of complications.
As you heal from surgery, your body needs to take in more calories and protein than it burns. That ensures you heal properly from your surgery. If you diet too soon before or after cosmetic surgery, you’re much more likely to experience wound healing complications.
Don’t Worry If You Can’t Get to Your Ideal Weight
You always get the best possible plastic surgery results when you are already close to your ideal weight. However, if you’re having trouble getting there, plastic surgery may still be an option.
Some patients may choose to have a procedure to get the best possible improvement for their current weight. Even though this may not give them their ideal result, it may be enough improvement to motivate you to eat healthier and exercise more regularly. It is important to understand that risks may be higher and subsequent weight loss may lead to loosening of surgically tightened skin. These are important points to discuss with your plastic surgeon.
Cosmetic surgery may be a good fit for you if you just want to improve your shape a little, or if you want to break your weight loss plateau. Whatever your goal happens to be, contact us when you are ready to take action.
