A new study shows that many people who undergo tummy tuck surgery, also known as abdominoplasty, continue to lose weight for years after the procedure.
This finding comes from a study published in the July issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
The surgery, which is often done to remove extra skin and tissue after major weight loss, seems to offer more than just cosmetic benefits.
According to senior author Dr. John Y.S. Kim from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, patients not only keep the weight off after surgery but also lose even more over time—on average, up to ten pounds.
The study found that people with higher body mass indexes (BMI) before surgery experienced even greater weight loss.
Abdominoplasty is a popular procedure in the United States, with over 170,000 performed in 2023 alone. Many patients who get this surgery have lost a lot of weight and are left with loose, sagging skin around their midsection.
While plastic surgeons have often noticed continued weight loss in these patients, there hasn’t been much research to back up this observation—until now.
To explore this further, Dr. Kim and his team studied 188 patients who had tummy tuck surgery between 2018 and 2022. Most of the patients were women, with an average starting weight of 168 pounds and a BMI of 27.7.
Nearly all of them also had liposuction or a similar fat-removal procedure during their surgery. The researchers tracked their weight for up to five years afterward.
The results showed consistent weight loss. Within the first three to six months, patients lost around five to six pounds. This translated to a roughly three percent drop in BMI.
Between one and four years after surgery, patients maintained a weight loss of about five pounds. By five years, the small group of patients who had long-term data showed an average weight loss of nearly ten pounds and more than a five percent BMI reduction.
About 60% of patients lost weight during the follow-up period. The researchers found a steady pattern of weight loss over time. Certain groups were more likely to keep losing weight, including older patients, people who never smoked, and those who had additional fat-removal procedures.
People who started with a higher weight or BMI also tended to see more results. A few patients in the study also took the weight loss drug semaglutide, which may have helped as well.
The study has some limitations, such as differences in follow-up time and other factors that might influence weight changes. Still, the findings offer strong support for the idea that abdominoplasty can lead to long-term weight loss.
Dr. Kim and his team say they can’t yet fully explain why this happens, but they believe that the surgery may motivate people to adopt healthier habits. Many of the patients who lost weight said they improved their diets and became more active after their procedures.
The researchers say more studies are needed to fully understand this link and to create guidelines for how tummy tuck surgery might be used to support lasting weight management.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies about Scientists find secrets to long-term weight loss success and findings of Weight loss surgery linked to this mental disease.
For more information about obesity, please read studies about Obesity drugs can help prevent weight regain after weight loss surgery and findings of Research shows big hidden cause of obesity.
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