I am doing my first plastics consult on Monday. I have put it off for a while because I wanted to see if I could zap the extra skin on the tummy area with working out (cross fit and running for me). Unfortunately, it is still there even though I am at an ideal body weight, have an athletic body fat percentage and have a lean muscular body composition (good inverted t upper body shape).

I am not a huge guy, but it have built up good muscle definition from consistent cross fit training combined with distance running over the last year. My stats are 5'11", 181 current weight, bf% @16% (according to WW scale). I am a size medium in shirts and a size 30-32 in pant size.

Yet I still stare at the skin around my belly button. And it is bothering me. I would like to have a good set of abs to match the rest of my body composition.

I know I have abs under there because my core strength is very good. I can do 5 minute plank holds and a lot of gymnastic exercises that require core strength like pull-ups, toes to bar, etc. I just cannot form any sort of pack whether that is 6 pack, 4 pack, etc.

For those vets that have done plastics and have had a measurable success,

What are some questions I should ask the doctor during the consult?

What additional information should I arm myself with?

I will try and do plastics locally as not wanting to travel to Mexico. From a recommendation given previously in this forum, I will be seeing Dr Harris @ Puget Sound Surgical Center in Edmonds, WA. The finances are not in place yet and will take a while to save up for, but I want to take an initial step and get the consult.

Thanks in advance.

Some additional information:

I had VSG on July 2nd, 2012 @360 # and reached goal @ 180# in February 2013. Since then. I have been reshaping my body with eating clean, exercising 5-6 days a week with cross fit and running. I have not been losing any more weight because my calories tend to be between 2000-2500 daily (7-8 "meals"). However, I have been trading body fat for lean muscle over the last year. There was a period of several months when my weight was between 170-175, but I have found 180-185 is better in order to maintain athletic build.

Edited January 18, 201412 yr by Fiddleman

Your a success story..Congrats...Keep us updated with your progress eh.....

Welcome to the plastic surgery elite club! Smile!!!

I would recommend asking if they have experience in doing tummy tucks in men after weight loss.

Also look at their men before and after pictures.

I had a excellent PS experience and I hope you will too.

I am sure you have a six pack under there, and it will definitely show up after your surgery.

Take care

Thanks sweet pee for your question suggestions. You are probably right that a male versus female TT are fundamentally two different approaches. I have not considered this. However, it totally makes sense given the extra T men are endowed with. I think men also focus more on abs as an outcome of TT than women, but, as in all things, there are exceptions, especially for the athletic women who want those abs...

Before and after pix....lots of them. Ask about realistic expectations of results, recovery time etc. Ask what is the risk of dog ears (one reason for the lower body lift for me). Ask what is included (ie how long follow ups etc.) Ask if he offers a way to buy complications insurance. Can't get that in Mexico but I would buy it in the USA.

I like dr harris but he is a cosmetic not plastic surgeon. Shouldn't make a difference for a tummy tuck, but just be aware.

I think you should next schedule with Dr Mary Peters who has an amazing results portfolio but is more costly. She had different recommendations for me than Harris so it was educational to meet both.

I plan on having my tummy tuck the end of May in MI. I have two friends who have had TT and one has pucker on her back side. It doesn't look good, my doctor said it was shabby work from a lazy doctor. My other friends incisions are very uneven in the back. On side is much high than the other. I am working with my doctor so these don't happen to me. Good luck with your TT.

I think that pucker is also called dog ears. I NEVER saw any evidence of shoddy work in Dr Harris photos BTW - so don't take it that way. My meaning is just that other surgeons recommended more aggressive work for me (lower body lift) over Dr Harris Tummy tuck recommendation. I am not an expert, just throwing out there the kind of things to ask about. Alot depends on how much skin you really have - i had a pretty goodly amount and was worried i would have puckers or dog ears. Also, my incisions are smooth and even... I have seen some that don't look that great on the internet so there really is a difference in surgeons. I really hated the idea of the lower body lift but now that i have had it, I am glad I did because my overall profile is so much improved.

Also, ask about revisions. If something does not meet your expectations after surgery, ask if they will do whatever Is necessary to fix the problem. Some plastic surgeons also offer scar revision. Ask if this is included once you are healed.

All went well with my surgery, but it felt good knowing these provisions were offered to me my my plastic surgeons. There are many plastic surgeons that offer this as well.

I had my TT with Dr Harris in Nov. I am 7 weeks out and my stomach looks great. My scars run all the way from hip to hip and from the pubic area to right under my breasts.he thought for the amount of skin I had that I would benefit from that procedure. They removed 6 lbs of skin and a liter of fat with lipo. My scars are flat and look wonderful! I did have a small pucker at the end of one of the incisions and he said he would do a scar revision that takes 15 mins in the office but it has since laid flat so I won't need to do that. From what I've read that is common. They will get u all set up with compression suit, meds, work notes and anything u need at the pre surgery appt. I will try to post some pictures so u can see his work, haven't been able to figure how to post pics yet.... this was my first plastic surgery but so far I am very pleased and plan on going back for breast lift and my arms.

I had my TT with Dr Harris in Nov. I am 7 weeks out and my stomach looks great. My scars run all the way from hip to hip and from the pubic area to right under my breasts.he thought for the amount of skin I had that I would benefit from that procedure. They removed 6 lbs of skin and a liter of fat with lipo. My scars are flat and look wonderful! I did have a small pucker at the end of one of the incisions and he said he would do a scar revision that takes 15 mins in the office but it has since laid flat so I won't need to do that. From what I've read that is common. They will get u all set up with compression suit, meds, work notes and anything u need at the pre surgery appt. I will try to post some pictures so u can see his work, haven't been able to figure how to post pics yet.... this was my first plastic surgery but so far I am very pleased and plan on going back for breast lift and my arms.

Thank you for the very practical real life report on being a DR Harris patient. It would be great to see any pictures of scar work you are able to share. Is it common to have a lipo with a TT after VSG? I do not need one, but find that an interesting option that is not talked about much with regard to post-WLS plastics. Seems like a good idea though.

Im wondering if Dr Harris even does lower body lifts? This was a limitation of surgeons in my area. So if they don't do them, they don't offer them as an option. I'm not speaking against Dr Harris. It's just worth knowing as you get consults and consider options.

Fiddle I'd also ask about the abdominal wall suturing. Most women who've gone through childbirth require it but men don't always need it unless they carried a lot if sub abdominal fat. You know those guys with the bowling ball bellies ? Mine was more of a hangy down belly and my abdominal a didn't need suturing. Greatly aids in recovery.

I'd also ask a specific schedule for about resuming activity because knowing you.... If they don't lay it out for you, you're gonna push it. My doc was very firm with me and did not leave it to my judgement. If he had I would have been doing too much too soon.

Also ask about drains. How many? Where will they be? I've known at least 1 person who's doc didn't use drains at all. He recovered fine but his initial swelling was alarming.

Fiddle I'd also ask about the abdominal wall suturing. Most women who've gone through childbirth require it but men don't always need it unless they carried a lot if sub abdominal fat. You know those guys with the bowling ball bellies...

Trying to remember. I think mine was more of a beach ball. Yup, just asked my wife and she agreed, no hesitation.

I had a good appointment with dr Harris today.

He stated that my body fat in the ab region is very low and he would not recommend any lipo work. It is all skin. He said that sutures to "fix " the ab muscles were unnecessary as my muscular definition, while hidden, is very well defined. He recommended either a standard TT or a body lift. The body lift would be a TT plus an incision around the back to pull up the skin over the buttocks and upper thighs. I am leaning towards the body lift.

Because my stomach expanded a bit horizontally, he stated that I could get an addition incision that extends from the TT incision vertically to the rib cage in order to pull the extra "side" skin horizontally. He did not recommend it though because the unsightly scar would offset any high definition ab work that comes out of it. And the reason I would get it to show off abs. An ugly scar for all to see while my shirt is off would not help that cause, so to speak. He stated that I would never have a Calvin Klein set of high definition abs even if he did this vertical incision due to genetics. I accepted that.

For this reason, my choices will be either TT (5500 cash) or a body lift (8000 cash). My body lift is much simpler than most, so the pricing reflects a discount of about 2000 dollars. The pricing is very competitive because he is relatively new in the Seattle area and looking for patients. He does, however, have 20-30 years of existing experience before moving here a few years ago.

For the body lift, I would have 3 drains: 2 in the pubic area and 1 in the back. He says I may even only need 1 in front.

TT is a 3 hour procedure and I can go home same day. Body lift is a 5 hour procedure and would have me in the surgical center overnight.

Time off is 3 weeks average, less for me if I choose because I have a desk job. I can return to cross fit by week 6 @ full capacity. He did state that recovery from VSG is a cakewalk compared to recovery from either TT or body lift and would require pain meds for about 1 week.

The only issue is figuring out how to pay for it with cash. I do not have it. It needs to be paid in full 2 weeks before a procedure.

Any feedback from y'all?

Sounds good. Did you see any photos of similar patients?

I am dubious about full strength at 6 weeks. I am at 12 weeks and now doing intense workouts - I was cleared to resume exercise beyond walking at 6 weeks, but was not full strength. I get a little swelling even now on days I exercise really hard.