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A no-commitment intro call to talk through what is bothering you and whether a full consultation makes sense. It is a conversation, not a medical evaluation.
Tummy Tuck · Abdominoplasty · Bethesda, MD
Tummy Tuck in Bethesda, MD
Some things diet and exercise cannot fix, and that is not a failure of willpower. Dr. Kasandra Dassoulas performs tummy tuck surgery — abdominoplasty — for patients in the Bethesda area.
If you have been putting off asking about it, the first step is not surgery. It is a low-pressure 15-minute call to find out whether a tummy tuck is even the right conversation for you.
Request a consultation
Prefer to send a message first? Fill out a quick form below.
Where to Start
Most People Arrive With One of These Three. Which Sounds Like You?
A tummy tuck is not one operation applied the same way to everyone. What it involves depends on what is actually going on — loose skin, separated muscle, or both. Dr. Dassoulas will tell you which of these applies to you, and whether surgery is the right answer at all.
Loose Skin After Pregnancy
Skin that stretched during pregnancy and did not draw back afterwards, often with a shelf above a C-section scar.
Separated Abdominal Muscles
A stomach that still pushes forward however much core work you do. Often diastasis recti, which is a structural separation rather than a fitness problem.
Skin Left After Weight Loss
Excess skin that remains once the weight has gone, whether that came from surgery, medication, or years of effort.
Why This Practice
What Makes This Practice Different
Muscle Repair, Not Only Skin Removal
A full tummy tuck addresses two separate problems: excess skin, and abdominal muscles that have separated down the midline. Liposuction removes fat but does nothing for either. Whether your muscles need repair is something that has to be assessed in person.
Awaiting copy · Dr. Dassoulas
Two to three sentences on how you approach the muscle repair — what you actually tell patients in consult about why it matters. Please keep it to what you can stand behind clinically; this replaces the general description above rather than adding to it.
Combined Into One Surgery
Patients who want more than one area addressed can often have those procedures combined under a single anaesthetic, with one recovery instead of two. Dr. Dassoulas performs mommy makeovers that pair breast and body surgery this way.
Awaiting copy · Dr. Dassoulas
Which procedures do you most commonly combine with a tummy tuck, and is there any combination you decline to do in one sitting? Being specific here is worth more than the general statement above, and patients ask about it constantly.
Breast and Body Specialist
Dr. Dassoulas focuses her practice on breast and body procedures. This is not a general plastic surgery practice that does everything.
Renuvion
Dr. Dassoulas has access to Renuvion technology.
Awaiting copy · Dr. Dassoulas
A plain-English description of where Renuvion fits into your body procedures specifically — patients considering a tummy tuck ask whether it is an alternative to surgery. No outcome claims, just what it is and when you would and would not use it.
Results
Real Results From Real Patients
Every abdomen starts from a different place, so the honest version of this section is the one Dr. Dassoulas gives you in person: results from patients whose starting point resembled yours.
Awaiting image · Practice team
Four before/after tummy tuck composites in the same branded 2x2 square format as the breast set, plus the signed photo release for each. Until they arrive this section renders as this note. If releases are the hold-up, say so and we will drop the section rather than leave a gap.
Individual results vary. Any images shared are published with patient permission and are intended to illustrate the range of outcomes, not to promise a specific result.
Worth Knowing Before You Book
There Is a Right Time for This Operation, and It Might Not Be Today.
A tummy tuck is usually best done once your weight has been stable for a while and you are not planning another pregnancy — a later pregnancy can undo a muscle repair. None of that means waiting in silence. It means the call is worth having now, so you know what you are working toward.
Awaiting copy · Dr. Dassoulas
Confirm how you actually counsel patients on timing — weight stability, future pregnancies, and how long after giving birth you will operate. The wording above is deliberately general because these are your criteria, not ours.
The Process
How to Get Started
- 02
Come in for a consultation.
Dr. Dassoulas will examine you in person, tell you whether loose skin, muscle separation, or both are in play, and walk you through what she would recommend.
- 03
Get a clear plan.
You will leave knowing which procedure is recommended, what recovery involves, and what it will cost.
Awaiting copy · Practice team
Same question as the breast lander: is the 15-minute call with Dr. Dassoulas herself or with a team member? Whichever it is, we should say it plainly here so nobody is surprised when the phone rings.
Your Surgeon
About Dr. Dassoulas
Dr. Kasandra Dassoulas is a board-certified plastic surgeon practising in the Bethesda, Maryland area, with more than fourteen years of surgical training and experience. Her practice focuses on breast and body procedures.
She completed a six-year integrated residency in plastic surgery at the University of Virginia, followed by a fellowship in microsurgery and aesthetic surgery at Mercy Medical Center.
Questions
Questions We Hear All the Time
What is diastasis recti? Can a tummy tuck repair it?
Diastasis recti is a separation of the two vertical bands of abdominal muscle down the midline, most often caused by pregnancy. It is a structural separation rather than a matter of fitness, which is why sit-ups do not close it. A full tummy tuck typically includes stitching those muscles back together. Whether you have it, and whether repair is appropriate for you, is determined by examination.
How do I know whether I need a full tummy tuck or a mini?
Awaiting copy · Dr. Dassoulas
Which variations do you perform — full, mini, extended, fleur-de-lis — and how do you decide between them? We have deliberately not listed variations we cannot confirm you offer, so this answer is currently blank rather than guessed.
Will a tummy tuck remove my C-section scar or stretch marks?
A tummy tuck removes a section of skin between the navel and the bikini line, so marks and scars on that skin are removed along with it. Marks above the navel generally remain. A tummy tuck also leaves a scar of its own, low across the abdomen, which Dr. Dassoulas will show you and explain before you decide.
Awaiting copy · Dr. Dassoulas
Confirm this is how you would describe scar placement and what is and is not removed. Patients ask this constantly and it is the answer most likely to be heard as a promise, so we would rather have it in your words.
How long does recovery take?
Awaiting copy · Dr. Dassoulas
A plain-English answer on typical recovery — time off work, restrictions on lifting and exercise, and when patients are usually back to normal. Please keep it general, with no guaranteed timelines, and point people toward asking at consultation.
Is a tummy tuck covered by insurance?
A tummy tuck is generally considered a cosmetic procedure and is typically not covered. Some plans treat certain related procedures differently where there is a documented medical need. The practice can tell you how they handle this, but you should not plan on coverage.
Awaiting copy · Practice team
Review this with whoever handles billing. It is written conservatively on purpose — it tells people not to expect coverage. Confirm that matches how you handle these enquiries, and tell us if you ever pursue insurance for a panniculectomy so we can word that properly.
Can I combine a tummy tuck with other procedures?
Yes. Dr. Dassoulas combines breast and body procedures for patients who want more than one area addressed in a single surgery. Which combinations make sense for you is a consultation question.
Request a Consultation
Tell Us What You Are Considering
A few quick questions so the practice can reach you the right way, at a time that actually works. If you would rather book straight away, you can put a 15-minute call on the calendar on the next page.
Ready to Find Out What Is Actually Going On With Your Abdomen?
No pressure, no commitment. Just a 15-minute call to see if it makes sense to move forward.