What is body contouring after major weight loss?
Body contouring after major weight loss improves the shape and tone of your underlying tissue that supports fat and skin and removes excess sagging fat and skin.

Beauty for life
Enhancing your appearance with body contouring surgery
Following weight reduction surgery, or any substantial amount of weight loss, the skin and tissues often lack elasticity and cannot conform to the reduced body size. As a result, skin that has been severely stretched now is unsupported:

1. Upper arms may sag and appear loose and full
2. Breasts may flatten and hang with nipples pointed downward
3. Abdominal area may extend around the sides and into the lower back area, resulting in an apron-like overhang
4. Buttocks, groin and thighs can sag and cause hanging pockets of skin

Surgical body contouring following major weight loss improves the shape and tone of your underlying tissue that supports fat and skin, and removes excess sagging fat and skin.
The result is a more normal appearance to the body, with smoother contours. This is, in essence, the final phase of your total weight loss experience.
Is it right for me?
Before you decide to undergo body contouring following major weight loss, your weight loss must be stabilized.

1. If you continue to lose weight, sagging pockets will redevelop.
2. If you rapidly regain the weight, you will traumatically stress your already weakened and thinned skin, causing further stress to the skin, visible stretch marks and wide scars.

If you had weight reduction surgery, your plastic surgeon will work closely with your physician to determine when it is appropriate for you to begin body contouring.
Good candidates for body contouring are:

1. Adults of any age whose weight loss has stabilized
2. Healthy individuals who do not have medical conditions that can impair healing or increase risk of surgery
3. Non-smokers
4. Individuals with a positive outlook and realistic goals for what body contouring can accomplish

 Individuals committed to leading a healthy lifestyle including proper nutrition and fitness

What to expect during your body contouring consultation

The success and safety of your body contouring procedure depends very much on your complete candidness during your consultation. You’ll be asked a number of questions about your health, desires and lifestyle.
Be prepared to discuss:

1. Why you want the surgery, your expectations and desired outcome
2. The options available in body contouring surgery
3. Medical conditions, drug allergies and medical treatments
4. Use of current medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco and drugs
5. Previous surgeries

Your surgeon may also:

1. Evaluate your general health status and any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors
2. Examine and measure your body, including detailed measurements
3. Take photographs for your medical record
4. Discuss your options and recommend a course of treatment
5. Discuss likely outcomes of your surgery and any risks or potential complications

Body contouring procedure steps
What happens during body contouring surgery?
The procedures necessary to achieve your goals will be defined along with a plan for the timing of these procedures. Plastic surgery procedures that may be recommended by your physician include:

1.  Lower Body Lift

A complete lower body lift treats sagging buttocks, abdomen, waist, hips and outer thighs in one procedure or in staged procedures. Incision patterns vary, and may include a circumferential incision around the body to remove the "belt" of excess skin and fat.

Breast Lift
The incision patterns for lifting a woman’s sagging breasts will be determined based on the amount of excess skin to be removed.
These may include one or a combination of incisions in a circular pattern around the areola, in a line extending from the areola to the breast crease, and horizontally along the breast crease.
A breast implant also may be recommended to enhance breast shape and size.

Arm Lift
Sagging skin in the upper arms is treated with an incision from the underarm area extending along the inside or back of the upper arm. Additional incisions on the arms may be necessary anywhere excess skin has formed sagging pockets.
The smoother, tighter contours that result from upper arm contouring are apparent almost immediately, although initially obscured by swelling and bruising. In addition, skin quality is dramatically improved in both appearance and texture.

Thigh Lift
Reshaping of the thighs is achieved through incisions in the groin that can extend downward to the knee along the inner portion of the thigh.
Improving contours of the outer thigh may require an incision extending from the groin around the hip. Through these incisions your plastic surgeon will tighten tissues for a smoother, better toned thigh.

Body contouring recovery

After your body contouring procedure is completed, dressings or bandages will be applied to the incisions. A small, thin tube may be temporarily placed under the skin to drain any excess blood or fluid that may collect.
You will be given specific instructions that may include: How to care for your surgical site(s) following surgery, medications to apply or take orally to aid healing and reduce the risk of infection, specific concerns to look for at the surgical site or in your general health, and when to follow-up with your plastic surgeon.
Be sure to ask your plastic surgeon specific questions about what you can expect during your individual recovery period.

1. Where will I be taken after my surgery is complete?
2. What medication will I be given or prescribed after surgery?
3. Will I have dressings/bandages after surgery? When will they be removed?
4. Are stitches removed? When?
5. When can I resume normal activity and exercise?
6. When do I return for follow-up care?

Be careful
Following your physician's instructions is key to the success of your surgery. It is important that the surgical incisions are not subjected to excessive force, abrasion, or motion during the time of healing. Your doctor will give you specific instructions on how to care for yourself.

The results will be long-lasting

The results of a body contouring following aggressive weight loss are visible almost immediately.
However, it may take as many as one to two years or more for the final results of all the recommended body contouring procedures to fully develop. Visible scars will remain, but the overall results are long lasting, provided that you maintain a stable weight and general fitness.
As your body ages, it is natural to lose some firmness. However, most of your initial improvement should be relatively permanent.