What do they do with the excess skin after a tummy tuck?

Thrown Away: I've tried to get it used for medical purposes but no one wanted it. So it's incinerated.

Medical waste: The skin is discarded the same as any body tissue removed.

Tummy Tuck skin: The skin removed during a tummy tuck is typically discarded as 'medical waste'. However, there are some biotech companies and cell therapy companies who collect excess skin as 'tissue donation' . These companies extract cells from the skin, tissue, and fat, which are then used by clinical researchers for laboratory experiments. Note:written consent must be received from the patient.

Dispose or other use: In the vast majority of instances the tissues are discarded as medical waste and incinerated. On occasion the tissues may be used in the same individual as a pedicled flap as seen in the tram flap procedure for breast reconstruction. The component tissues can be used as a skin graft or the fat can be harvested and used for breast or buttock augmentation.

Usually waste : The majority of the time the tissue is medical waste. Rarely it can be used in reconstruction if it is done concurrently.