Had my consult a few days ago....

[Methodman]

Ok well I had my consult a few days ago
My story was that I used to be 307 lbs at the age of 15, but by the age of about 16 close to 17 I had lost down to about 200 and now at the age of 17 and almost 18 Im down to about 185 lbs.
Well I of course have some loose skin, the surgeon actually told me that for how much weight I lost, its really amazing that my loose skin isn't noticeable through a shirt.

Well the good news is I am having surgery in December over my christmas break from school.  The bad news is that my doctor said in my best interest I should only do a tummy tuck or gynecomastia surgery and he suggested tummy tuck first so I listened to him.  While I was a little depressed we already worked it out so that I will probably have my tummy tuck and recover for three months and then in another 3 months after that probably towards my spring break I will have the gyne surgery.

My big question is, and I understand that no one may know, but if I have a tummy tuck and they pull the skin down will that help the sagging skin under my chest a little and possibly flatten it a little.  My surgeon I never got into detail with him I just asked if it would help, and he couldnt give anything specific, he just said somewhat.  So if anyone is possibly in the same situation as me can you tell me how much it helps?

[George Pope, M.D.]

No, I'm afraid to say that the tummy tuck won't help the chest situation at all.  Would he consider doing both at the same time?  Not unheard of.

Dr. Pope, M.D.

[Methodman]

He said because of the amount of loose skin on my chest that he would actually need to make incisions above the chest to pull the skin up (rather than down in a tummy tuck), and he said he would prefer not to pull the skin down with a tummy tuck and up with the gyne surgery in the same surgery

[Dr Kapoor]

To echo Dr. Pope's thoughts, the tummy tuck won't help your gynecomastia. But I also think you could do both at the same time depending on how much time would be required in the operating room under anesthesia (my general cut off for any large body contouring case is about 6 hours)- after this your rates of complications can go up. So if your gyne involves primarily lipo and gland excision (but no major type of breast lift), then you might be able to do both at the same time - again this is at the discretion of your surgeon and his / her comfort level. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this in stages, but it's just more inconvenient for you. Good luck. Post pictures of your gyne if you can so we have an idea of how severe it is....

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

You have youth on your side -- the younger you are, the more elasticity you have in your skin.  On the negative side, once you have been very obese (no matter how young you are), your skin has been stretched out and you have lost some elasticity.Only a physical exam by an experienced gyne surgeon can determine whether you could expect your skin to tighten on its own after routine gyne surgery (lipo and excision) or whether you would have to have excess skin removed as well (a much larger operation with a lot more scars).

A tummy tuck alone is a major operation -- it takes the starch out of you!  I tend to be more conservative and recommend the two operations be done separately -- for safety's sake -- and they can be done in either order.

Dr Jacobs

[DrBermant]

Ok well I had my consult a few days ago
My story was that I used to be 307 lbs at the age of 15, but by the age of about 16 close to 17 I had lost down to about 200 and now at the age of 17 and almost 18 Im down to about 185 lbs.
Well I of course have some loose skin, the surgeon actually told me that for how much weight I lost, its really amazing that my loose skin isn't noticeable through a shirt.

Well the good news is I am having surgery in December over my christmas break from school.  The bad news is that my doctor said in my best interest I should only do a tummy tuck or gynecomastia surgery and he suggested tummy tuck first so I listened to him.  While I was a little depressed we already worked it out so that I will probably have my tummy tuck and recover for three months and then in another 3 months after that probably towards my spring break I will have the gyne surgery.

My big question is, and I understand that no one may know, but if I have a tummy tuck and they pull the skin down will that help the sagging skin under my chest a little and possibly flatten it a little.  My surgeon I never got into detail with him I just asked if it would help, and he couldnt give anything specific, he just said somewhat.  So if anyone is possibly in the same situation as me can you tell me how much it helps?

After Major Weight Loss skin and supporting tissues retract only so much leaving sagging and drooping.  These are usually global factors affecting most regions of the body.  For men, the sagging chest is often the biggest concern.  However, there are often issues of the stomach, thighs, buttocks, arms, and more.  While a Tummy Tuck Abdominoplasty can help with the front, a Lower Body Lift helps deal with the stomach, thighs, and buttock sagging.  Male Mastopexy Chest Lift can help with the gynecomastia and lift drooping chest tissues.

My chest lift patients use their stomach and lower body to help get around.  My lower body lift patients use their upper body to help mobilize.  Performing both at the same time means much more discomfort and less mobility.  I prefer to perform my lower body contouring first permitting tissues to adjust, and then doing the chest lift.  Lifted chest tissues can be pulled down if the lower surgery is done second.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Tummy Tuck Abdominoplasty Surgery

[Cole1992]

I have no comment on this subject, other than congrats on losing so much weight! It's very inspirational. It'd be even more inspirational if I was overweight.

[kingboob]

I know this is an old tread... but I can say for sure that it CAN be done at the same time.  I had a chest lift for gyne and a lower body lift done at the same time.   The recovery isn't fun but at least you only have 1 recovery period and you save a lot of money by doing the two procedures together at one time.

[DrBermant]

I know this is an old tread... but I can say for sure that it CAN be done at the same time.  I had a chest lift for gyne and a lower body lift done at the same time.   The recovery isn't fun but at least you only have 1 recovery period and you save a lot of money by doing the two procedures together at one time.

Combining both operations at the same time really increases risks such a blood clots in the legs that can kill patients. I prefer to really lower such risks by improving the mobility of my patients.  My Male Mastopexy Chest Lift patients use their stomach muscles to help get around after surgery.  My Lower Body Lift and Tummy Tuck patients find having working arms helps them get around during recovery.  Knock off both, and you have a patient with decreased mobility at much higher risk and usually a lot more uncomfortable after surgery.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Body Lift Surgery