Tummy Tuck

The cost of tummy tuck surgery varies depending on the complexity of the procedure, the amount of skin laxity present, and whether liposuction is included as part of your surgical plan. During your consultation at Jacobson Cosmetic Surgery, Dr. Jacobson will perform a detailed evaluation and create a personalized treatment plan with individualized pricing.

In general, a traditional tummy tuck typically ranges from approximately $10,000–12,000 and usually involves about 3–4 hours in the operating room.

A more comprehensive approach combining a tummy tuck with Lipo 360 — addressing the abdomen, waistline, flanks, and back for full torso contouring — is typically a 5–6 hour surgery and generally ranges from $15,000–16,000 on average.

Pricing includes multiple factors such as:

• Surgeon fees
• Operating room and anesthesia costs
• Postoperative garments and supplies
• Follow-up care and recovery visits

We also offer financing options through third-party financing companies, including Cherry and PatientFi, and the outpatient surgery center accepts these payment plans as well to help make surgery more accessible for patients.

Recovery after tummy tuck surgery is a process, and it is important to give your body time to heal properly. Swelling, tightness, soreness, and fatigue are all normal parts of recovery during the first several weeks after surgery.

Most patients at Jacobson Cosmetic Surgery take approximately 10–14 days away from work for their initial recovery period. After that, many patients are able to return to work on light duty or resume lower-demand daily activities, although energy levels are still typically reduced during the first month as the body dedicates significant energy toward healing.

For the first 10–14 days, most patients benefit from having assistance at home with children, pets, errands, household responsibilities, and general daily activities. During this early recovery phase, patients are walking slightly bent at the waist to protect the incision and minimize tension on the repair.

By around 2 weeks postop, most patients are independently performing normal activities of daily living, but fatigue and swelling can still fluctuate for several weeks afterward. Strenuous exercise, core workouts, and heavy lifting are typically restricted for approximately 4–6 weeks depending on healing progress and the extent of surgery performed.

While everyone heals differently, most patients feel significantly more functional after the first 10–14 days and gradually return to regular routines over the following several weeks, with some lingering fatigue and swelling being completely normal during the healing process.

A tummy tuck can improve or remove some stretch marks, but it depends on where they are located on the abdomen.

Stretch marks are essentially an area of damaged or thinned dermis (the deeper layer of the skin), often resulting from pregnancy, weight fluctuations, or rapid stretching of the skin over time. During a tummy tuck, the excess lower abdominal skin is surgically removed — meaning any stretch marks located within that skin are removed as well.

In most patients, this includes stretch marks located below the belly button, since that is typically the portion of skin excised during surgery.

Stretch marks located above the belly button are usually not completely removed, but they are often repositioned lower on the abdomen as the upper abdominal skin is pulled downward during the tummy tuck. As a result, many patients notice improvement in the overall appearance and location of their stretch marks even if they are not entirely eliminated.

At Jacobson Cosmetic Surgery, Dr. Jacobson will evaluate your skin quality, stretch marks, and abdominal anatomy during consultation to help determine what improvements you can realistically expect from tummy tuck surgery.

This is one of the most common questions we receive during tummy tuck consultations at Jacobson Cosmetic Surgery — and understandably so.

A tummy tuck does require a lower abdominal incision, but Dr. Jessica Jacobson takes meticulous measurements during surgery to ensure the scar is positioned as low as possible along the bikini line so it can typically remain well concealed beneath underwear, lingerie, swimsuits, and most clothing styles.

Because a tummy tuck incision is naturally a high-tension closure — which is necessary to achieve the flattest and tightest abdominal contour possible — postoperative care plays a very important role in how the scar ultimately heals. During the early recovery period, patients are instructed to remain slightly bent at the waist (often jokingly described as walking “like a taco”) to reduce tension and pulling on the incision line. This helps prevent the scar from migrating upward over time and may also help minimize widening or thickened (hypertrophic) scar formation.

Dr. Jacobson also utilizes specialized internal closure techniques designed to support optimal scar healing. She uses absorbable INSORB® staples placed underneath the skin to help distribute tension away from the surface of the incision. These deep dermal staples can support thinner, more refined scar healing and often help the incision mature into a fine, pencil-thin line over time.

At JCS, we are also very proactive about scar management after surgery. Patients receive guidance on the use of medical-grade silicone scar gel and silicone scar tape, both of which have been extensively researched and shown to help scars heal flatter, softer, and less noticeable over time.

While every patient heals differently depending on genetics, skin type, and aftercare, meticulous surgical technique combined with proper postoperative scar care can make a significant difference in the final appearance of your tummy tuck scar.

In short: yes — tummy tuck scars are designed to heal very low and are typically well hidden beneath bikini bottoms and swimwear once healed.

Yes — and in modern body contouring surgery, liposuction is very commonly and safely combined with a tummy tuck to create a more sculpted, feminine result.

Historically, there was concern that performing liposuction at the same time as an abdominoplasty could compromise blood supply to the abdominal skin and increase healing complications. While protecting the blood supply is still extremely important in every tummy tuck procedure, surgical techniques, technology, and safety protocols have evolved significantly over time.

Today, when performed thoughtfully and by an experienced surgeon, liposuction can safely be incorporated with tummy tuck surgery to enhance contour, improve waist definition, and create smoother transitions throughout the torso. In fact, combining the two procedures often leads to a much more natural and aesthetically pleasing result compared to a tummy tuck alone.

At Jacobson Cosmetic Surgery, all of our tummy tuck procedures include VASER liposuction for high-definition sculpting. This allows Dr. Jacobson to contour not only the front of the abdomen, but also the waistline, flanks, and surrounding areas to accentuate the body’s natural curves and feminine anatomy.

Without liposuction, a tummy tuck can sometimes leave the abdomen appearing flat but boxy or rectangular, what many patients describe as a “window shade” or even “SpongeBob”-type appearance to the torso. Strategic liposuction helps avoid this by creating shape, narrowing the waist, and blending the abdomen seamlessly into the hips and back.

In short: yes, liposuction and tummy tuck surgery are not only compatible, but often work best together to achieve the tightest, smoothest, and most sculpted overall result.