Body Contouring Surgery after massive weight loss

after massive weight loss

Losing a very large amount of weight will nearly always leave you with excess fat and tissue. This is because the skin has stretched beyond its ability to retract, leaving it to hang on the body. The excess skin often contains stubborn areas of fat that obscures your slimmer figure. Areas that are most affected usually include the abdomen, upper arms, thighs, and breasts. The only way to reduce this excess skin and fat is through surgical removal.

Massive weight loss corrective surgery

or body contouring procedures, are plastic surgery operations that restore a more normal body shape after extreme weight loss from exercise and dieting or bariatric surgery such as a gastric bypass. Giving shape to the body, trimming extra skin, and creating more balanced proportions are the major goals of these procedures.

Body Contouring can include the following procedures:

  • Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), all types
  • Body lift surgey including total body lifts
  • Arm Lift (Brachioplasty)
  • Thigh lift (Thighplasty)
  • Liposuction, or fat removal, in various regions of the body
  • Breast augmentation or Breast lift
  • Facelift, necklift

Candidates for this type of body contouring have lost a massive amount of weight, usually 100 pounds or more. As a result, they have a large amount of sagging skin that results in abnormal body contours. It can also be physically uncomfortable, as the pockets or rolls of skin can chafe, pinch, and generally weigh you down. If you want to be free of excess skin following significant weight loss, you may be a candidate for body contouring.

To qualify for surgery, you should already be at your goal weight. You should delay surgery for several months until you are sure your weight has stabilized. In addition, as a candidate for body contouring, you should have overall good health. If you have an autoimmune disease, diabetes, a blood disorder, or some other condition that may compromise healing, it can affect your candidacy for treatment.

The benefits of body contouring after massive weight loss can be truly life-changing. Hanging skin will no longer rub together or weigh you down. In fact, the surgical removal of the loose skin will generally result in a loss of an additional 10-15 pounds. You will have more options in choice of clothing, and your clothes will fit better and highlight your new figure. Abnormal contours will no longer detract from your weight loss success, and patients can look forward to an improved body image and a boost in self-confidence.

All surgical procedures involve some degree of risk. Body contouring risks can include infection, bleeding, blood clots, scarring, numbness, and anesthesia risks. Candidates for body contouring after massive weight loss also face additional surgery risks. The loss of elasticity in the stretched skin changes its quality and can lead to complications such as delayed healing. These patients may also be at a higher surgery risk because of health concerns related to their former obesity, and post-bariatric patients can have surgery risks related to nutrition. It is extremely important to choose a surgeon that is aware of the special risks of body contouring after post massive weight loss and can carefully plan to mitigate them.