Body Contouring After Weight Loss

Body contouring after weight loss offers many advantages for the person who has just lost a lot of weight. The main advantage is that the contours that are created are not only more natural looking, but also more effective in reducing the appearance of sagging skin and other flaws. The other major advantage is that the procedures do not take as long as they did before.

The most popular type of body contouring after weight loss surgery is called an arm lift. This procedure is performed under general anesthesia and can be performed on an outpatient basis. It can be done on patients with small scars or on patients whose scars are deep. The cost is between two thousand dollars and six thousand dollars.

The process begins with a series of cosmetic procedures to remove excess skin and tighten muscles. The areas affected by sagging skin will be lifted using customized apparatus. Afterward, a plastic scar will be applied to cover the surgical site and the surrounding tissue. The remaining skin and underlying tissue will heal and be repositioned using dissolving stitches.

The arm lift should be done under local anesthesia and recovery time for this procedure can last from three weeks to several months. Patients who have experienced significant weight loss will be able to return to work, their usual activities, and their usual health conditions within this time frame. However, patients who require longer healing time should be advised by their physician. They should expect to go home on their own, with a slight chance of limitation for walking and lifting activities for up to three months.

For patients who have significant amounts of excess skin or fat to lose, bariatric surgery is often recommended. The procedure will involve making a large incision and moving the stomach and duodenum through the surgery area. During the procedure, a large amount of the stomach and duodenum is removed, along with a large amount of connective tissue. Afterward, the remainder of the body can be reshaped using customized devices.

The upper body, including shoulders, arms, legs, and back, can be treated through upper body lift procedures. These are usually only performed on patients who are severely obese. This procedure is completed using flexible silicone bands that are used to tighten the upper body and lower body after significant weight loss. Many physicians recommend performing the upper body lift on patients who have at least one or two more health conditions that restrict normal movement. These conditions include diabetes, heart disease, stenosis, and excessive facial or neck laxity.

After a significant weight loss, the procedure of breast lift can be combined with other surgical techniques to rejuvenate a woman's figure. This allows for maximum results and reduced risks. In some cases, women experience excessive sagging, especially in the upper body. In addition, some women have excessive breast size that decreases their natural beauty. In conjunction with bariatric surgery, the use of a body contouring technique may be recommended to restore the volume in these areas.

A number of plastic surgeons also offer liposuction as a means of removing excess skin after a dramatic weight loss. Liposuction uses a vacuum to remove fatty tissue from the body without requiring any incisions. This procedure can be used for removal of fat from the thighs, abdomen, and hips. For some patients, especially those with excessive skin or fat deposits, liposuction offers a safer way to remove these troublesome areas because it is not invasive. Additionally, it does not require removal of lymph nodes, sweat glands, or blood vessels.

When the patient has achieved a stable weight, she may consider having body contouring surgery to reduce the size of her breasts. Although many plastic surgeons prefer to perform this operation on patients who have achieved a stable body weight, there are patients who need help with self-esteem issues due to their large breast size. It is not uncommon for a woman to have been dissatisfied with her large breast size since puberty. Some women have used breast reduction surgery to feel more confident in their overall appearance, while others use the operation to treat functional asymmetry, which means that some parts of their body do not look the same on one side as they do on the other.

Before a plastic surgeon performs body contouring on a patient, she will carefully evaluate her physical health, as well as her medical history. During this evaluation, he or she will ask questions about prior surgeries, medications that she is taking, any underlying medical conditions, medications that she is currently on, and other information that may impact her recovery. A good plastic surgeon will be able to determine if it is advisable to conduct a body corrective surgery during the recovery process. The surgeon will also discuss the procedure with the patient ahead of time and will make recommendations based on the patient's goals and recovery timeline. Sometimes patients will try to get the surgical procedures done at a different time than planned, which can lead to complications and even increase the risk of the surgery if it is not performed properly.

After weight loss surgery, many patients experience some immediate and postoperative symptoms such as soreness and pain, swelling, numbness, and bruising. These symptoms generally resolve within a few days to a few weeks. Occasionally, however, additional medical treatments may be needed. If additional treatments are necessary, the plastic surgeon will discuss these options with you and your doctor before proceeding.