Unfortunately, some male patients feel embarrassed to investigate the procedure. A man who documented his tummy tuck online writes that he perceived a “stigma or shame associated with male tummy tucks,” that made him hesitate to inquire about the operation.  If you’re researching a tummy tuck, know that surgeons should be able to offer advice specific to your gender.

A male member of the realself.com forum asks about skin laxity on his abdomen due to weight loss:

I’m dealing with loose skin after a 50 lbs weight loss in my teens. I’ve totally transformed and I’m very athletic with well-defined abs, but have laxity mostly below the navel and around the lower back. The problem areas are very localized and I hide it under the belt line with no one suspecting I was obese. But I feel “unfinished.” The front skin is very thin and hangs, the back is mostly smooth. Is there a tummy tuck technique that would excise the abdominal skin and provide modest tightening in the lower back?

Washington DC plastic surgeon Chris Hess MD responds: “Even though we tend to have better skin tone than women, we can still end up with excess skin due to skin memory. It sounds like you could undergo a mild excision of the excess tissue–less than a mini tummy tuck.”

Some cases aren’t so simple. When a man has experienced a greater weight reduction, the full tummy tuck may be recommended. “Do not hesitate to use a full abdominoplasty for a male patient with extreme skin laxity; men tend to heal better than women after abdominoplasty,” advises Oklahoma cosmetic surgeon Angelo Cuzalina.

Others agree: a comprehensive approach may be necessary for a large number of men. Dr. Alan Matarasso, scientific editor of Aesthetic Surgery Journal discusses the procedure in Cosmetic Surgery Times: he says “you really need to treat men circumferentially, all the way around, because if you ask most men what bothers them, it’s the ‘love handles,’ and that goes all the way around to the back.”

For men, tummy tuck surgery might be discussed less frequently, but it is clear that cosmetic surgeons perform it on a regular basis. If you think you might be a good candidate, ignore any perceived “stigma” and ask a surgeon for the information you need.

• Tummy tuck surgery in Dallas, Texas