Body Lift
Key Questions About Body Lift
- Have you had a weight loss surgery (Gastric bypass, lap-band, etc) and now have an abundance of excess skin now that you have lost the weight?
- Have you lost a significant amount of weight and are concerned with excess skin, sagging breasts, sagging thighs, arms, and/or buttocks?
- Do you feel like you can’t really appreciate the true shape of your body due to excess skin?
What is Post Weight Loss Surgery?
Post weight loss surgery is customized surgery for the patient who has lost a significant amount of weight and generally has a significant excess of skin. Often times the patient has lost weight following bariatric surgery such as gastric bypass, lap band, or other similar procedures. The surgical plan can be as simple as one procedure or as comprehensive as an entire body makeover including everything from the face to the breasts, arms, tummy, buttocks, and legs. At Partington Plastic Surgery, the objective of Post Weight Loss Surgery is to reveal the patient’s true shape beneath the skin.
Dr. Partington begins his approach to the Bariatric Patient with the concept that weight loss is a journey with Plastic Surgery as the light at the end of the tunnel. At the end of that tunnel, is a new body. This new body can bring better health, more confidence, better optimism, and more joy and appreciation in everyday life. Many post weight loss surgery patients describe feeling like a “new person”, “more alive” and even “born again.” Weight loss followed by body contouring leads to a transformed life.
Dr. Partington approaches each patient by listening and addressing what is most important to them. Most post Bariatric patients have several areas of concern. Once these areas are addressed, we able to come up with a surgical plan. As a general rule, you can think of the body in 2 compartments: the upstairs and the downstairs. The upstairs would consist of the breasts, upper arms, upper back, and face. The downstairs would consist of the abdomen; lower back, buttocks, and thighs. Sometimes when planning surgeries on post Bariatric patients, we plan more than one procedure. When more than one surgery is being planned, we try to keep the combined areas on the same stair level for optimal healing of the patient. For instance: we may do an Abdominoplasty and thigh lift in one surgery and an arm lift and breast lift in another. Careful surgical planning can yield the best possible surgical result for the patient as well as provide for the most expeditious healing.
The Procedure
The surgical plan will vary depending on the amount of weight lost, the amount of excess skin, the patient’s priorities and desires, and other individual considerations. Recovery is also going to vary depending on the area(s) treated and if there is more than one surgery. Expected recovery will be discussed with you in detail once a customized plan has been established for you. The surgery is usually performed in our state-of-the-art, accredited surgery suite in our Kirkland Clinic and is an outpatient procedure.
