Will A Tummy Tuck Help You Lose Weight?
Patients often ask me how a possible weight gain might affect the results of a tummy tuck. Well, I have some great news: the majority of women who participated in a recent study actually lost weight after the procedure.
Some initial weight loss is generally expected after any tummy tuck due to the removal of excess fat and tissue. But this new research suggests that there may be an intriguing long-term relationship between having a tummy tuck and weight loss, because removing fatty tissue seems to trigger the body into feeling more full.
Three-fourths of the women in the study reported increased satiety—that feeling of being full—after their tummy tucks. Hormones in the fatty tissue related to appetite seem to be the key to feeling less hungry; the less fatty tissue in the body, the less hunger one might feel. Interestingly, the women with the highest body mass index (BMI) ratings saw the best results one year after surgery.
I’m excited about the possibilities these findings present for long-term health and wellness after a tummy tuck. If you’ve been thinking about this procedure but were concerned about maintaining the outcome, this news should be reassuring. The results from this pilot study were published in the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons; read more about the study here.
