Am I Too Old For A Tummy Tuck?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Am I too old for a tummy tuck? I am 61 years old and am 5’5″ and 165 pounds. I have an abdominal skin overhang that has been there for years which will not go away with exercise or anymore weight loss. I had a consultation with a doctor who said that liposuction wasn’t right for me. I now know that a tummy tuck is the only thing that is going to work. Despite my age, I am healthy and take no medications. Do you think I can still have a tummy tuck done at my age. I don’t want to live the rest of my life with this overhang if I don’t have to and I don’t want to regret later if my health ever worsens that I could have had it done. I would value your opinion on this matter.

A: Age is a minor issue compared to your health when considering a tummy tuck. Many women over age 60 have successful body contouring procedures such as breast augmentation, breast reduction and tummy tucks. While twenty years ago this wasn’t that common, it is today. As the contemporary phrase goes…today’s 60 is yesterday’s 50. If one is concerned about the magnitude or length of the operation, tummy tucks can be done that do not include the muscle repair and just focus on removal of the skin overhang. That simplifies the surgery and removes much of the discomfort of it. The one thing that age does do in any plastic surgery procedure is to draw focus to the most efficient way to do the surgery to lessen operative time and sometimes actual recovery.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana