Drug companies want you on these injections for life. Dr. Vincent Gardner sees it differently — and if you’re planning cosmetic surgery on the other side of a major transformation, that distinction matters.
The combinations walking into our office at Eastern Shore are wild now. Someone had a Roux-en-Y a decade ago, regained, and dropped 50 more pounds on Wegovy. Someone else lost 160 pounds on Ozempic alone. Dr. Gardner explains why how you lost it matters as much as how much, and why medically supervised fasting hospitals in Europe show that gradual loss does something different for the dermis than a fast injection.
The biggest myth he wants to bust: that GLP-1s will replace cosmetic surgery. The opposite is happening. Collagen and elastin don’t snap back when they’ve been stretched past their limit, and the people now booking arm lifts, buttock revisions, and abdominal pannus removals aren’t going anywhere.
Plus: why he wants you 10 to 15 pounds from your goal before booking a tummy tuck, the two-week pre-op pause every weight loss medication user has to follow, and why a non-surgical skin tightening device is the wrong first move when you have stretch marks and a thin dermis.
Questions answered by this episode:
- Can I have skin removal surgery while still on Ozempic or Wegovy?
- How long do I have to stop GLP-1 medication before cosmetic surgery?
- Is the skin different after GLP-1 weight loss versus gastric bypass?
- Do I have to lose all my weight before booking a tummy tuck?
- How much weight do I need to lose before plastic surgery after GLP-1s?
- Will non-surgical skin tightening work for massive weight loss skin?
- What happens to my surgical results if I gain weight back?
- Why do people sometimes need a second surgery after GLP-1 weight loss?
- Can liposuction take the place of a tummy tuck after weight loss?
- Should I stay on a GLP-1 forever or wean off the dose?
Alabama the Beautiful is the cosmetic surgery podcast co-hosted by Dr. James Koehler and Dr. Vincent Gardner, surgeons with over 2 decades of expertise in cosmetic surgery and their trusty co-host Kirstin, your best friend, confidante, and the snarky yet loveable “swiss army knife” of Eastern Shore Cosmetic Surgery.
Have a question for Dr. Koehler, Dr. Gardner or Kirstin? Record your voicemail at
alabamathebeautifulpodcast.com and we’ll answer it on the podcast.
Eastern Shore Cosmetic Surgery is located off Highway 98 at 7541 Cipriano Ct in Fairhope, Alabama. To learn more about the practice or ask a question, go to
easternshoreplasticsurgery.comFollow the team on Instagram
@easternshorecosmeticsurgeryWatch Dr. Koehler, Dr. Gardner & Kirstin on YouTube
@JamesKoehlerMDAlabama The Beautiful is a production of The Axis:
theaxis.ioTheme music: Never Need a Reason, Guy Trevino and Friends
