Body contouring after weight loss can help you achieve a profile and body contour that’s consistent with the life you envision for yourself. Some of life’s great forward movements, such as weight loss and pregnancy, can leave us with a suit of sagging skin. And despite our best efforts at regaining fitness, stubborn areas of fat may still remain, just at the time when we’re ready to embark on an important new chapter of life.
Though body contouring usually focuses on the torso, arm lifts and breast lifts are often considered, too. In fact, body contouring after weight loss usually refers to procedures that shape the abdomen, thighs, and buttocks.
Even though body contouring doesn’t entirely take the place of weight loss itself, these body areas might be the ones that inspired your weight loss in the first place, and body contouring may be just the finishing touch you need.
What You Can See Today and Tomorrow
The results of body contouring are apparent right away. What some find surprising is that improvements continue for months, because the skin and its new foundation of underlying tissue continue to work together for an even better profile. And if you maintain your weight, you can expect the results to be permanent, because fat cells that have been removed never return.
Patient satisfaction after body contouring is among the highest in all of plastic surgery. An informal poll conducted by RealSelf found that 97% of people who had body lift surgery said their procedure was worth it.
A Procedure That’s Right for You
Whether the scope is a mommy makeover, a tummy tuck, or comprehensive help after a significant weight loss or bariatric surgery, the basics of body contouring surgery are similar.
Depending on the skin’s elasticity, liposuction may be the best way to begin, by removing remaining fat so the skin can conform to the new contour rather than pull it tight. Then, with careful incisions, your plastic surgeon removes excess tissue and reconnects the skin to fit your new contours. Many times, the incisions that reshape the waist, groin, thighs, and buttocks can be hidden under the bikini line.
Good Candidates
People in generally good health can be candidates for body contouring surgery. So, if you’ve born a child, worked a program of weight loss, or embarked on a lifestyle of proper nutrition and exercise, then this very likely includes you.
Sitting down with an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon may make sense for carrying on the positive outlook that inspired these choices in the first place. Ask the surgeon about his or her experience and point of view on body contouring surgery. Your first conversation can tell you a lot more than whether you are indeed a candidate for a body lift. A vital element in successful surgery is the feeling of trust you develop with your doctor.
