Body Lift After Weight Loss Los Angeles

Body Lift After Weight Loss

Body contouring after major weight loss improves the shape and tone of your underlying tissue that supports fat and skin and removes excess sagging fat and skin.

Enhancing your appearance with Body Lift After Weight Loss surgery

Following weight reduction surgery, or any substantial amount of weight loss, the skin and tissues often lack elasticity and cannot conform to the reduced body size. As a result, skin that has been severely stretched now is unsupported:

		Upper arms may sag and appear loose and full
		Breasts may flatten and hang with nipples pointed downward
		Abdominal area may extend around the sides and into the lower back area, resulting in an apron-like overhang
		Buttocks, groin and thighs can sag and cause hanging pockets of skin

Surgical body contouring following major weight loss improves the shape and tone of your underlying tissue that supports fat and skin, and removes excess sagging fat and skin.

The result is a more normal appearance to the body, with smoother contours. This is, in essence, the final phase of your total weight loss experience.

Is it right for me?

Before you decide to undergo body contouring following major weight loss, your weight loss must be stabilized.

		If you continue to lose weight, sagging pockets will redevelop.
		If you rapidly regain the weight, you will traumatically stress your already weakened and thinned skin, causing further stress to the skin, visible stretch marks and wide scars.

If you had weight reduction surgery, Dr. Vartany will work closely with your bariatric surgeon to determine when it is appropriate for you to begin body contouring.

Good candidates for body contouring are:

		Adults of any age whose weight loss has stabilized
		Healthy individuals who do not have medical conditions that can impair healing or increase risk of surgery
		Non-smokers
		Individuals with a positive outlook and realistic goals for what body contouring can accomplish
		Individuals committed to leading a healthy lifestyle including proper nutrition and fitness

The success and safety of your body contouring procedure depends very much on your complete candidness during your consultation. Dr. Vartany will ask you a number of questions about your health, desires and lifestyle.  He will also show you before and after photographs of procedures that he has performed.

Be prepared to discuss:

		Why you want the surgery, your expectations and desired outcome
		The options available in body contouring surgery
		Medical conditions, drug allergies and medical treatments
		Use of current medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco and drugs
		Previous surgeries

Dr. Vartany will also:

		Evaluate your general health status and any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors
		Examine and measure your body, including detailed measurements
		Take photographs for your medical record
		Discuss your options and recommend a course of treatment
		Discuss likely outcomes of your surgery and any risks or potential complications

Preparing for surgery

Prior to surgery, you may be asked to:

Special instructions you receive will cover:

		What to do on the day of surgery
		The use of anesthesia during your body contouring surgery
		Post-operative care and follow-up

Dr. Vartany will also discuss where your procedure will be performed. Body contouring surgery may be performed in an outpatient surgical center, or a hospital.

Procedural Steps:

What happens during body contouring surgery?

The procedures necessary to achieve your goals will be defined along with a plan for the timing of these procedures. Plastic surgery procedures that may be recommended by Dr. Vartany include:

		Lower body lift: to correct sagging of the abdomen, buttocks, groin and outer thighs
		Breast lift: to correct sagging, flattened breasts
		Arm lift: to correct sagging of the upper arms
		Thigh lift: to correct sagging of the inner, outer and mid thigh

Step 1 – Anesthesia

General anesthesia is used for most body contouring procedures and it will be administered by a board certified anesthesiologist. 

Step 2 – The incisions

All body contouring procedures require incisions to remove excess skin. In many cases, these incisions may be extensive.

Incision length and pattern depend on the amount and location of excess skin to be removed, as well as personal preference and your doctor’s surgical judgment.

Advanced techniques usually allow incisions to be placed in strategic locations where they can be hidden by most types of clothing, but this is not always the case.

Body Lift

A complete lower body lift treats sagging buttocks, abdomen, waist, hips and outer thighs in one procedure or in staged procedures. Incision patterns vary, and may include a circumferential incision around the body to remove the “belt” of excess skin and fat.

Breast Lift

The incision patterns for lifting a woman’s sagging breasts will be determined based on the amount of excess skin to be removed.

These may include one or a combination of incisions in a circular pattern around the areola, in a line extending from the areola to the breast crease, and horizontally along the breast crease.

A breast implant also may be recommended to enhance breast shape and size.

Arm Lift

Sagging skin in the upper arms is treated with an incision from the underarm area extending along the inside or back of the upper arm. Additional incisions on the arms may be necessary anywhere excess skin has formed sagging pockets.

The smoother, tighter contours that result from upper arm contouring are apparent almost immediately, although initially obscured by swelling and bruising. In addition, skin quality is dramatically improved in both appearance and texture.

Thigh Lift

Reshaping of the thighs is achieved through incisions in the groin that can extend downward to the knee along the inner portion of the thigh.

Improving contours of the outer thigh may require an incision extending from the groin around the hip. Through these incisions Dr. Vartany will tighten tissues for a smoother, better toned thigh.

Important facts about the safety and risks of body contouring surgery

The decision to have body contouring surgery is extremely personal and you’ll have to decide if the benefits will achieve your goals and if the risks and potential complications are acceptable.

Dr. Vartany will explain in detail the risks associated with surgery. You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure you will undergo and any risks and potential complications.

Possible risks of body contouring following major weight loss include:

		Unfavorable scarring
		Bleeding (hematoma)
		Infection
		Fluid accumulation
		Poor wound healing
		Skin loss
		Blood clots
		Numbness or other changes in skin sensation
		Anesthesia risks
		Skin discoloration and/or prolonged swelling
		Fatty tissue found deep in the skin might die (fat necrosis)
		Major wound separation
		Asymmetry
		Recurrent looseness of skin
		Pain, which may persist
		Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications
		Persistent swelling in the legs
		Possibility of revisional surgery

My recovery

After your body contouring procedure is completed, dressings or bandages will be applied to the incisions. A small, thin tube may be temporarily placed under the skin to drain any excess blood or fluid that may collect.

When you go home

If you experience shortness of breath, chest pains, or unusual heart beats, call Dr. Vartany immediately. Should any of these complications occur, you may require hospitalization and additional treatment.

The practice of medicine and surgery is not an exact science. Although good results are expected, there is no guarantee. In some situations, it may not be possible to achieve optimal results with a single surgical procedure and another surgery may be necessary.

The results will be long-lasting

The results of a body contouring following aggressive weight loss are visible almost immediately.

However, it may take as many as one to two years or more for the final results of all the recommended body contouring procedures to fully develop. Visible scars will remain, but the overall results are long lasting, provided that you maintain a stable weight and general fitness.

As your body ages, it is natural to lose some firmness. However, most of your initial improvement should be relatively permanent.

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