# Tummy-Tuck: Yay or Nay?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [December 8, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407 "2010-12-08T14:51:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Makeitstop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Makeitstop)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/1 "2010-12-08T14:51:48Z")
I’ve recently lost 130 pounds in order to join the armed services. But they won’t take me because I still don’t fit their weight and body fat regulations. One of the issues I have is my expanded waistline (About 48, when it needs to be 34-36). I’ve learned recently that an abdominoplasty or ‘tummy-tuck’ is a very common procedure for someone who has lost a lot of weight. It gets rid of the excess skin and fat around the abdomon that normal weight loss won’t deal with.
As the months have gone by, its become harder and harder to lose weight, and I keep wondering whether it might be time to go through this procedure.
I’m just asking if anybody here has gone through this procedure, and if so, what was your experience with it, did it work out, how much of your waistline did it eliminate, etc…
And just so you know, I’m 20 yrs old, ~230 lbs, with no outstanding medical problems of any kind. As far as I know, I’m a perfect canidate for this procedure. But I’ve never gone through surgery of any kind before, so I don’t know what my reaction to anesthesia will be, or how quickly I’ll heal.
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### Author:  [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/2 "2010-12-08T15:50:41Z")
I don’t have any experience with this procedure, but I say go for it.
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### Author:  [@andiepandie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andiepandie)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/3 "2010-12-08T15:58:16Z")
Congrats on the weight loss! I haven’t had the procedure done myself so I don’t have any useful first-hand info about recovery, etc., but my mother-in-law had a tummy tuck done a few years ago after losing a substantial amount of weight and was thrilled with the results. Rightfully so, she looks fabulous! I think she was in her late 50s-early 60s when she did it, and she’s had no major complications or problems. It was definitely the right choice for her.
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### Author:  [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/4 "2010-12-08T15:59:59Z")
I don’t know what to add about the procedure, but holy crap! You lost a third of yourself! Congrats are definitely in order.
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/5 "2010-12-08T16:06:36Z")
It sounds to me like you’d be doing it for the right reasons (i.e., not as a weight-loss solution but as a way to deal with what’s left after you lost all the weight.)
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### Author:  [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/6 "2010-12-08T16:11:05Z")
Adding to the congrats. That’s a major achievement.
Also a “Ask the Guy Who” thread would be great! I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering how you did it.
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### Author:  [@Makeitstop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Makeitstop)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/7 "2010-12-09T01:25:49Z")
Thanks for the replies! I’ve got an appointment with the doc, so I guess we’ll see where it goes.
Also, TruCelt, if I go through with the tummy-tuck(which is likely), I’ll post a “Ask the Guy Who”. That way, I’ll have more to say. That’s a promise.
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### Author:  [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/8 "2010-12-09T02:05:26Z")
Oh, wait-\* guy\*?? Never mind!
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### Author:  [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/9 "2010-12-09T03:22:37Z")
No one I know who has had one regrets it, or had serious complications. Keep us posted.
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### Author:  [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/10 "2010-12-09T16:03:51Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#):
>
> Oh, wait-\* guy\*?? Never mind!
I’m curious: what difference does it make?
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### Author:  [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/11 "2010-12-09T18:55:26Z")
Congrats! Nothing but positive thoughts from me. You’re a hero as far as I’m concerned! I’ve only had to lose 30 pounds in the past but boy was it close to murderous.
I say go for it. You owe it to yourself! You’ll look and feel so much better. I had a hair stylist who got a tuck after she lost a ton of weight. Not only did she feel better she looked better too.
Good luck!!
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### Author:  [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/12 "2010-12-09T19:55:27Z")
> [@Zsofia](#):
>
> It sounds to me like you’d be doing it for the right reasons (i.e., not as a weight-loss solution but as a way to deal with what’s left after you lost all the weight.)
The OP hasn’t quite lost all of the weight. If he is 6’, he is still nearly 50 pounds from breaking the “normal weight” line according to BMI. The army’s body fat regulation is less than 24% for new recruits, and might be more depending on his age. The OP has done very well to lose the weight, but he is still definitely in the obese category.
If I were the OP, I would wait until I am closer to a normal weight before having surgery. I don’t think they can lipo out the 50 pounds probably needed to get him back to a normal weight. You obviously know what you are doing in losing the weight. Just stick with what you are doing and have some patience.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/13 "2010-12-09T20:21:33Z")
> [@treis](#):
>
> The OP hasn’t quite lost all of the weight. If he is 6’, he is still nearly 50 pounds from breaking the “normal weight” line according to BMI. .
Bah. 180# at 6’ tall is thin, not “normal”. 230# is not bad, if enough of it’s muscle.
OP, can you spend the money without going into debt? If so, go for it.
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### Author:  [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/14 "2010-12-09T23:05:33Z")
> [@treis](#):
>
> The OP hasn’t quite lost all of the weight. If he is 6’, he is still nearly 50 pounds from breaking the “normal weight” line according to BMI. The army’s body fat regulation is less than 24% for new recruits, and might be more depending on his age.
These things are both true, but BMI and bodyfat percentage aren’t reliably correlated and the Army doesn’t much care about BMI (they only use it to screen for people who need their body fat tested).
All the OP has to do is get his fat down, his poundage is irrelevant. Removing large amounts of loose skin which tend to hold quite a bit of fat might get him down to ideal ranges.
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### Author:  [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/15 "2010-12-10T17:07:12Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Bah. 180# at 6’ tall is thin, not “normal”. 230# is not bad, if enough of it’s muscle.
230 pound 6’ guys with 48 inch waists don’t have healthy body weights. And it’s not because of muscle. It’s really fantastic that **Makeitstop** has lost so much weight, but nobody with a 48 inch waist is healthy yet and it’s not helpful to tell him otherwise.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/16 "2010-12-10T17:20:49Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#):
>
> 230 pound 6’ guys with 48 inch waists don’t have healthy body weights. And it’s not because of muscle. It’s really fantastic that **Makeitstop** has lost so much weight, but nobody with a 48 inch waist is healthy yet and it’s not helpful to tell him otherwise.
My response was about the body weight, and not the waist size. Indeed, the OP could be correct in that the extra inches in the waist comes from _excess skin and fat around the abdomon that normal weight loss won’t deal with._
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### Author:  [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/17 "2010-12-10T17:49:49Z")
I’d say go for it - I had a female friend who recently got a tuck because she had lost 100lbs, but had excess skin (from 280 to 180). The tuck took nearly 8 inches and 30 more pounds of skin and fat around her waist that would have been impossible for her to lose any other way and she is extremely happy.
She had to take a few weeks off work, and ended up taking more because of an infection, but despite all that, she is very happy and looks wonderful.
I don’t think it matters if the OP is male either. Do what you want!
And to those who are saying he should lose the weight or more weight and he isn’t healthy - you have no idea of why his waist in 48 inches and how large the excess skin can be. On my friend it looked like she was wearing a fat person’s skin on a normal person body - it was very saggy and it was not going to go away with out surgery.
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### Author:  [@slitterst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slitterst)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/18 "2010-12-10T18:12:00Z")
My only recommendation would be to consult a recruiter or army doctor to make sure the surgery won’t cause medical issues that will render you 4F.
Back when I was in AFROTC, I was planning on having corrective surgery to get my eyesight up to the required levels for flight school. I mentioned it in passing to my CO, who very quickly pointed out that said surgery would automatically disqualify me for flight school. (The state-of-the-art surgery at the time would weaken the structure of the eyeball, which could cause a problem if there was a pressure drop in the cockpit.)
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### Author:  [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/19 "2010-12-13T15:39:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Bah. 180# at 6’ tall is thin, not “normal”. 230# is not bad, if enough of it’s muscle.
No, that’s ridiculous. 6’ 230, unless you are a NFL linebacker, is clearly fat. 6’ 180 is a normal weight with a normal amount of muscle.
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### Author:  [@Makeitstop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Makeitstop)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tummy-tuck-yay-or-nay/563407/20 "2010-12-13T20:18:16Z")
OP here. Thanks for all the encouragement(and constructive critisism)!
I’ve been to the doctor, and now have an appointment with a surgeon. I’ll have to see how this goes, but I’ve liked the things I have heard from people about this surgery. And while it looks like I’ll have to pay through the nose to get it(cosmetic surgery isn’t covered by insurance), it’s looking worth it to me at this point.