Body Contouring after Massive Weight Loss
After massive weight loss often times the amount of skin left is excessive. Unfortunately, skin does not always contract back to its initial position with weight loss. This results in the accumulation of redundant folds of skin that interferes with the usual smooth contours of the human form, the ability to wear certain types of clothing and, sometimes, maintenance of good skin hygiene due to skin on skin contact.
Breast lift, Breast Reduction, Abdominoplasty (Extended), Thigh Lift (Circumfrential, Extended or Medial), Facelift, Brachioplasty (Arm Lift), Upper and Lower Body Lift. Due to the great interest in body contouring after massive weight loss, new procedures and techniques are being developed to address patient's needs.
Facelift
It may seem unusual to consider a facelift as a procedure associated with massive weight loss but as the amount of subcutaneous fat in the face decreases the skin that is left behind is lax. The remaining lax skin produces jowls and fold of skin in the neck. A traditional facelift, which is effective in decreasing jowls and tightening the neck skin, improves the patient's facial appearance. More information regarding facelift procedures is available on the facelift page under Procedures.
Upper Body Lift
Upper body lift is a procedure that can be associated with either breast reduction or breast lift. This often utilizes patterns of excisions of skin that result in scars largely shaped like an anchor and a circular scar that goes around the nipple complex, extends from the 6 o'clock position of the nipple complex to the fold under the breast. This incision is often continued around the back following the bra line to allow excision of some of the folds of skin that occupy the mid and lower back. In an effort to improve these folds this requires pulling the skin in an upward direction. Everything is done both at the time of surgery and with postoperative management to minimize the length and the appearance of scars.
Abdominoplasty (extended)
This procedure differs from abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) in respect to the extent of the skin removed from the hip area, which lengthens the scar to reach around to the hip area.
Lower Body Lift (Torsoplasty)
Often after massive weight loss the redundancy of skin extends in the hip area and then produces laxity of the buttock area. Incorporating much of the same features as an abdominoplasty the patient is turned into a position allowing access to the posterior aspect of the trunk. Excision of some of the redundant tissue of the hip area as far as the lower back and upper buttock area is accomplished as well. This scar encircles the middle torso. This procedure requires somewhat more recovery than many other procedures due to the length of the incision and the associated muscle tightening of the abdominal wall. It, however, offers benefits in the upper lateral thigh and hip as well as elevates the droop (ptosis) of the buttock area. After massive weight loss the loss of subcutaneous tissue from the buttock no longer provides the normal rounded attractive contours associated especially with the female shape. The upward pull of the lift flattens the rounded contour of the buttock as well. Some of the tissue that would otherwise be excised from the posterior hip area can be maintained and then repositioned so as to add greater volume to the buttock contour (AUTOLOGOUS BUTTOCK AUGMENTATION).
Thighlift
More information regarding medial thigh lift and the extended medial thigh lift are described in the procedures page described as thigh lift. The circumferential thigh lift extends the procedure around the entire thigh and is designed to improve the appearance of the outer thigh as well. It has an increased recovery time due to the more extensive nature of the procedure.
