Body Contouring After Weight Loss

With the problem of obesity approaching epidemic proportions, an increasing number of patients who have had bariatric surgery or who lost large quantities of weight on their own by healthy eating and exercises are now turning to cosmetic surgeons for body contouring to remove excess skin remaining after massive weight loss. These procedures are now in high demand.

After metabolic surgery or bariatric surgery, there is a massive weight loss. This is also possible after people have lost a lot of weight by strict dieting and exercise done over a very short period of time. As a part of this process, the subcutaneous fat along with the body fat is lost. This results in the 'deflation' of the skin envelop, leading to an ugly appearance of various soft tissue folds along the body. These can be dealt with body contouring surgeries collectively referred to as the “lifts”.

The parts of the body which need attention are typically the abdomen, chest, thighs, and buttocks in males, whereas it includes other apart from all the above areas, breasts and upper arms in females. The procedures need to be staged as all of them are major surgical procedures requiring general anesthesia and hospitalization after the procedure.

The first sitting involves abdominoplasty or the circumferential body lifts. In the females, this may be combined with Mons lift to deal with the droopy Mons. Secondly, the chest and the upper arms are done together in the chest lift and the brachioplasty. The last to be done is the thigh lift.

These procedures are typically staged at six monthly intervals allowing the body to come out from the stress of previous surgery and the wounds to heal in between. Following the procedure, the patient is given compression garments to wear over the operated area for a period of four to six weeks. All these procedures result in scars which are usually placed strategically so as to hide them in the undergarment lines or in the body creases.