A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is known for its two big cosmetic benefits — tightening abdominal muscles and removing excess skin. But new research suggests the surgery may offer a surprising bonus: helping patients lose weight, not just immediately after surgery, but for years to come.

Patients continued to lose weight for up to five years after undergoing abdominoplasty, the study found. The effect was most pronounced in patients who started with a higher body mass or BMI, the calculation that uses a person's height and weight to estimate body fat.

The surgery may offer a surprising bonus: it can help reinforce longer-term weight control.

Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine reviewed the medical records of 188 patients, 97 percent of them women, who had undergone tummy tucks between 2018 and 2022. The goal: to track patients' long-term weight changes after surgery.

The average preoperative weight of the patients was about 168 pounds with a BMI of 27.7. Most patients underwent liposuction or a further procedure to remove excess fat (lipectomy) at the same time as abdominoplasty. Trends in body weight were assessed up to five years after surgery.

Their findings? Most patients not only maintained their weight loss post-surgery, they continued to lose additional pounds over time. On average, patients lost nearly 10 pounds within five years of surgery.

“We found that patients not only maintained their weight loss after abdominoplasty, but also continued to lose weight over time — up to ten pounds on average,” senior author, John Y.S. Kim, M.D., a plastic surgeon, said in a media release.

Here's how the weight loss measured up over time:

  • Three months post-op, the average weight loss was 5.8 pounds
  • Six months post-op: 5.3 pounds
  • One year post-op: 4.0 pounds
  • Two to three years post-op: 4.2 pounds
  • Five years post-op: 9.8 pounds

Nearly 60 percent of the patients continued to lose weight during long-term follow-up. Interestingly, those with higher BMIs before surgery tended to lose the most.

The study didn't track lifestyle changes directly, so it can't say whether patients were dieting or exercising more after surgery. But researchers believe there may be both behavioral and physiological reasons for the continued weight loss. It is possible that with excess adnominal tissue removed, many patients felt more mobile and motivated to maintain their new shape. Others may experience changes in how their body regulates fat and metabolism, although more research is needed to confirm this.

While a tummy tuck should not be considered a weight-loss procedure, it might do more than reshape your midsection.

As with any retrospective study, there are limitations. The researchers looked at patient records rather than tracking people in real time, which means there's no way to control for variables like diet, exercise or medications that may have contributed to weight loss. The study also didn't include a control group, so it's unclear whether these same patients might have lost weight without surgery.

Still, the results are encouraging.

Patients with a higher BMI appear to gain the most from abdominoplasty — both in terms of body contour and sustained weight reduction. The effects appear to grow stronger over time, the study found, suggesting the procedure could offer more than cosmetic value for patients struggling with excess weight.

While a tummy tuck should not be considered a weight-loss procedure, this study suggests it might do more than reshape your midsection. For some patients, particularly those starting with higher BMI's, abdominoplasty may help reinforce longer-term weight control.

The researchers are calling for prospective studies that track patient behavior, metabolic changes and hormonal responses to better understand why this weight loss continues — and for whom the procedure might provide the most benefits.

The study is published in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery.