Is a Body Lift Right for Me?
Losing a lot of weight is a major success, but people may be surprised at an unintended consequence: Loose and sagging skin.
Unfortunately, the greater the weight loss, the more likely the chance of sagging. Exercise may tone the muscles underneath, but if skin has lost its elasticity, it will not snap back to follow your body’s new contours.
The only way to get rid of excess skin is to undergo some form of body contouring, such as a body lift.
A body lift is actually several skin tightening treatments combined into one or a series of surgeries. Often it is a combination of tummy tuck, circumferential lower body lift, thigh and buttock lifts, breast lift, and upper arm lift. Additional treatments for the face and neck may also be done. The combination depends on the patient’s unique needs.
If you are considering a body lift and are looking for a plastic surgeon, Dr. Gregory Mesna, serving Minneapolis and surrounding areas, offers body lift, liposuction, and other skin tightening treatments to overcome the problems of poor skin elasticity.
Good Candidates
In general, body lift candidates are people who have lost a great deal of weight, usually more than 60 pounds, and have significant loose, inelastic skin on much of the body. Bariatric patients and post-pregnancy women fall into this group.
Patients who benefit from a body lift may exhibit loose skin in the following areas:
- Buttocks
- Back, front, or inner thighs
- Abdomen
- Upper arms
- Breasts
Health Factors
Good candidates for body lifts are in good health and committed to a healthy lifestyle, including a proper diet and regular exercise. Body contouring results are long lasting, but the benefits can be lost if you regain weight. Women who plan to have children should wait until after childbearing before undergoing a body lift.
Body lifts are not intended as a weight-loss surgery. In fact, good candidates are near a normal weight and have been there for a minimum of three months, though being at a stable weight for six months to a year is better. You should also be free of medical conditions that impair healing or increase risks during surgery. If you have had surgery for weight loss, you should wait at least a year to allow health problems associated with obesity to improve.
A good candidate will have realistic goals about what to expect after surgery. Every person’s body is unique and no two patients will have the same results. Uneven contouring is possible. In addition, body lift surgery requires extensive incisions that leave scars. Most scars will be placed strategically so they can be hidden by clothing or body creases, but hiding all the scars is not always possible.
However, patients - especially those who have lost a lot of weight and have multiple folds of excess skin - believe this is a fair trade off.
Next Steps
There are many factors in determining if you are a good candidate for body lift surgery and a consultation allows the most accurate assessment of what may work for you. If you are considering body lift surgery or some other form of body contouring, please call to make an appointment. We can carefully explain the options and help you match cosmetic techniques to your goals.
