Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

Abdominoplasty removes excess lower-abdominal skin and fat and tightens the underlying muscle wall, and these before/after photos show how that flattens the abdominal profile and addresses laxity that diet and exercise cannot. Outcome research reports high satisfaction and meaningful gains in body image, comfort, and in some studies core and pelvic function, especially after pregnancy or major weight loss. The trade-off is a permanent lower-abdominal scar, and results hold best when weight remains stable and any future pregnancies are complete. Abdominoplasty has a higher complication profile than smaller cosmetic procedures, with seroma, delayed wound healing, and scar issues among the most reported, and risk rises with diabetes, higher BMI, smoking, and procedures combined with other surgeries. Much of the literature below focuses on how technique choices and patient factors influence safety. The selection includes systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and prospective and patient-reported outcome studies.

Results vary from person to person; these photos show individual outcomes and are not a promise of the result any single patient will achieve.

1. The Impact of Diabetes on Abdominoplasty Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
   He Y et al. · Aesthetic Plastic Surgery · 2025
   Systematic review and meta-analysisPMID 39638902DOI
2. Combined Abdominoplasty and Ventral Hernia Repair: A Systematic Review of Surgical and Patient-Reported Outcomes
   Marcaccini G et al. · Aesthetic Plastic Surgery · 2026
   Systematic reviewPMID 42154256DOI
3. Impact of Abdominoplasty with Diastasis Recti Correction on Female Sexual Function: A 1-Year Prospective Study
   Toto V et al. · Aesthetic Plastic Surgery · 2025
   Prospective studyPMID 40634763DOI
4. A Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Protocols in Abdominoplasty
   Swanson E et al. · Annals of Plastic Surgery · 2026
   Systematic reviewPMID 41576238DOI
5. Ligasure Impact to Reduce Complications After Abdominoplasty: A Meta-Analysis of Comparative Studies
   Giordano S et al. · Surgical Innovation · 2026
   Meta-analysisPMID 40864103DOI

Compiled from peer-reviewed medical literature indexed on PubMed. This overview is for general education and is not medical advice. · Last updated 2026-06-15