Lipo-suction/tummy tuck

I am a 23 year old mother of one child. When I was pregnant with her I gained about 54lbs. and developed terrible stretch marks. She was 9lbs. 5oz. 22in. when she was born, and I had her naturally! It has been a year since I had my baby and my body has horribly changed. I have so much excess skin on my stomach, that it just hangs there and I have a few little fat pouches, that have been there since my pregnancy, on my lower stomach area. I have lost 26lbs. so far, but cant get the extra baby weight off. I definitely do not find my self attractive anymore. Also, my sex life with my husband has taken a downward spiral since delivery. I am not the person I used to be and even with all the diet and exercise I do, I still cant make all the extra flab and skin go away! I was wondering if maybe a tummy tuck and some lipo-suction would be the way to go? If so, how much would an operation like that cost me?

[Howard Rosenberg, MD]

A tummy tuck would definitely remove the loose skin and tighten the underlying muscle fascia to dramatically improve the contour of your abdomen.  Liposuction alone would not be effective.  Since you are only 23, the big issue is should you undergo this procedure if your family is not complete.  Undergoing a tummy tuck and then getting pregnant again would likely lead to deterioration of the contour and shape of you tummy again.

I have undertaken this procedure in a very few young patients who were so devastated by their tummy appearance, that they were willing to take the risk of the consequences if they became pregnant again.

The costs of this procedure depends on what area of the country you live in and the local facility and anesthesia charges.  You can readily obtain this information by calling the offices of several local plastic surgeons.