An abdominoplasty or “tummy tuck” is a common surgical procedure desired by patients wanting to remove excess fat and skin from the abdomen. This helps to improve the contour of the abdomen. Contrary to what is often believed, this is not a weight loss procedure. Patients are encouraged to be near their ideal body weight as possible in order to achieve the best results possible. Overweight individuals are at higher risks for wound healing delay or surgical wound complications. Women who are no longer planning to be pregnant often want the loose skin and stretch marks removed. The abdominoplasty can achieve this. Also, patients who have had massive weight loss after bariatric surgery will often seek to have a tummy tuck. Insurance companies do not typically cover this procedure. The incision is from hip to hip and an incision is also around the belly button. A mini-abdominoplasty removes less skin and does not involve an incision around the belly button. This is best for women with only minor skin excess. The rectus muscle is also sutured during abdominoplasty to the midline (called plication of the rectus fascia) to further tighten the abdominal wall. Patients are of different shapes. So, if one’s shape is more rounded due to familial tendency or excess intra-abdominal fat storage, one can expect that this pre-op contour to remain despite doing an abdominoplasty. This can be improved by pre-operative weight loss. Weight gain will eliminate the gains achieved by the abdominoplasty.