Extended Tummy Tuck in Tijuana, Mexico
When a standard tummy tuck stops at the hips and the loose skin does not.
No image on this page depicts an actual patient or a surgical result. Editorial photography is used for illustration only.
Extended tummy tuck — also called an extended abdominoplasty — with Dr. Alfredo Chama, plastic surgeon board-certified by the Mexican Council of Plastic Surgery (CMCPER No. 2607), about 20 minutes from the San Ysidro border crossing.
What it’s for
What a extended tummy tuck is for, and what it isn’t
Between a standard tummy tuck and a lower body lift there is a middle ground, and it has its own name: extended.
A standard tummy tuck uses a low horizontal incision and treats the front of the abdomen. A lower body lift goes all the way around the body and reaches the lower back and buttocks as well. An extended tummy tuck sits in between: it carries the incision past the hips, out toward the flanks, without going all the way around. It is the usual indication for someone who lost a good amount of weight, but not so much that a lower body lift is called for.
How far it goes in your case is set at your consultation. “Extended” is not a standardized term in the specialty: different surgeons draw the line in different places. Dr. Chama tells you where the incision ends for you, which areas it treats and which it does not, and gives it to you in writing before you decide. If your anatomy calls for a standard tummy tuck or for a lower body lift instead, he will tell you that too.
About the names you will see advertised. Some clinics market a “360 tummy tuck”, others a “belt lipectomy”, others “extended”. The labels are not standardized across surgeons or across borders, so compare what is actually being done — where the incision ends, which areas are treated, whether liposuction is included — rather than the name on the quote.
Just as important is what it is not. It does not make you lose weight and it does not replace diet or exercise: it comes afterwards, once your weight has stabilized, and it depends on that weight holding to keep the result.
Benefits
What it changes
- Abdomen and flanks in one plan: the skin left over at the sides is treated in the same operation, not in a second one.
- A more defined waist: removing the excess at the sides brings the waistline back.
- Less chafing: the folds that get irritated when walking or exercising are gone.
- Clothes that fit: trousers and belts stop marking skin that settles over the waistband.
Candidacy
Who is typically a candidate, and who should wait
- ✓ Loose skin that carries past the front of the abdomen out to the flanks, without going all the way around.
- ✓ Stable weight. How long it should be stable is set by Dr. Chama at your consultation.
- ✓ Good general health, with no conditions that impair wound recovery.
- ✓ Non-smoker, or willing to stop before and after surgery.
- ✓ Realistic expectations: the scar is longer than a standard tummy tuck scar; it is planned to sit under underwear, and it does not go away.
- ✓ Able to stay in Tijuana for the first nights and return for follow-up, in person or virtually.
Tummy tuck, extended, lower body lift or fleur-de-lis:
| Tummy tuck | Extended | Lower body lift | Fleur-de-lis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where the skin excess is | Front of the abdomen | Abdomen and flanks | Abdomen, flanks, lower back and buttocks | Abdomen, top to bottom and across |
| Incision | Low horizontal | Low horizontal, longer out to the sides | Around the body | Low horizontal plus vertical midline |
| What else it treats | Muscle separation if needed | Waist and flanks | Buttocks and outer thighs | Upper abdomen and muscle separation if needed |
Consultation
Virtual or in-person assessment of your case
Preparation
Personalized plan, labs, and pre-op instructions
Procedure
Hospital setting, board-certified team
Recovery
Follow-up in person or remotely from the U.S.
How the process works, step by step
- Virtual consultation. Send photos from the front, the sides and the back plus a short weight history through WhatsApp; Dr. Chama tells you whether your case calls for a standard tummy tuck, an extended one or a lower body lift.
- Plan. The extent of the incision is set; whether liposuction is added to improve the contour; whether muscle separation is repaired; surgery date and travel dates fixed together.
- Surgery in Tijuana. In a certified hospital setting, usually under general anesthesia. Drains depend on the case.
- First follow-up. Check-up before you travel home; drains, if used, removed on schedule; compression garment fitted; written care instructions.
- Cross-border follow-up. Virtual check-ins from California or wherever you live while the scar matures, with in-person visits when needed.
Your stay and follow-up (for patients crossing or flying in)
- Nights in Tijuana before driving or flying home: at least one night in Tijuana; Dr. Chama confirms the number for your case in your written plan.
- Follow-up: WhatsApp or video check-ins; in-person visits are about 20 minutes from the border.
- Records: you can request a clinical summary of your case before you leave, so any physician back home can continue your care if needed.
- Optional package for out-of-town patients: recovery-house stay, ground transport airport → clinic → recovery house → airport, and a medical-lane pass for the border crossing. You can book the surgery alone or a package built around your case — ask on WhatsApp.
Dr. Chama discusses every risk, complication rate, and realistic expectation at your consultation — before you decide. A medical site that only shows results and omits risk is not giving you complete information.
Does the loose skin carry past the front out to your sides? Schedule your virtual consultation. Message us on WhatsApp in English or Spanish; Dr. Chama reviews your case and tells you which operation applies.
Frequently asked questions
What patients ask us most
What makes a tummy tuck “extended”?
The incision carries past the hips, out toward the flanks, so the loose skin at the sides is removed too. A standard tummy tuck stops at the front. That said, “extended” is not a standardized term: different surgeons draw the line in different places, which is why you want to be told exactly where it ends in your case. Dr. Chama sets that at your consultation and it goes into your written surgical plan.
How is it different from a lower body lift?
By how far around it goes. An extended tummy tuck reaches the flanks and stops there; a lower body lift continues around the whole body and also treats the lower back and the buttocks, which are lifted in the same move. A lower body lift is a bigger operation with more recovery, and it is reserved for skin excess that genuinely goes all the way around. Which one applies is decided by looking at your anatomy, not by picking from a menu.
Where is the scar?
On a low horizontal line that carries out toward the sides, longer than a standard tummy tuck scar. It is planned so underwear or a swimsuit covers it, though that is not always fully possible. It matures and fades over time, but it does not go away. That is the real trade-off of this operation, and it is worth deciding with that in mind.
Is liposuction part of it?
It can be added when needed to improve the contour, especially at the flanks and back — that is what quotes and ads usually call lipo 360, or 360 lipo. It is not automatic: it is decided at consultation based on your anatomy. Liposuction removes fat and an abdominoplasty removes skin; they solve different problems, which is why they are often planned together.
Are drains used?
It depends on the case. If they are placed, they are thin temporary tubes that remove fluid from under the skin in the first days; Dr. Chama tells you when they come out and how to care for them. It is written into your surgical plan.
What are the risks?
This is major surgery. Risks include those of anesthesia, bleeding, blood clots, fluid collecting under the skin, infection, changes in skin sensation, poor wound recovery, widened or unfavorable scars, residual loose skin or contour irregularities. Dr. Chama goes through them with you before you decide, along with what is done to reduce them.
What is recovery like?
Progressive. The first days call for active rest, a compression garment and walking early to lower the risk of clots. For days to weeks you avoid bending, straining and lifting; you may be asked to sleep with your knees raised so the sutures are not stressed. Dr. Chama sets your exact timeline based on how you recover.
How many nights in Tijuana, and what does the package include?
At least one night. Dr. Chama confirms the number based on the procedure and how you are recovering, and you have it in writing before you book travel. If you want the logistics handled, there is an optional package: recovery-house stay, ground transport airport → clinic → recovery house → airport, and a medical-lane pass for the border crossing. You can book the surgery alone or a package built around your case.
About the surgeon
Dr. Alfredo Chama Naranjo
Dr. Alfredo Chama Naranjo — plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgeon in Tijuana, Mexico.
- Specialty professional license (Mexican Ministry of Education, SEP): 14854088 — plastic and reconstructive surgery, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), verifiable on the SEP public registry.
- Board certification by the Mexican Council of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery: CMCPER No. 2607, verifiable on the council’s website. The CMCPER is Mexico’s national board for plastic surgery — the counterpart of board certification in the United States.
- Operates in a certified hospital setting in Tijuana.
Last updated: 2026-09-22
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Last updated: September 23, 2026