Along with the cosmetic improvement of plastic surgery after weight loss, lose skin is surprisingly heavy and its removal can contribute to your overall weight loss goals. Also, plastic surgery after weight loss surgery will allow you to not only look better, but feel better physically as well. Hanging skin, notably around the abdomen can cause discomfort. Any physical activities, including standing and sitting sometimes causes chaffing. This is quite uncomfortable and annoying. It is also very difficult to properly clean the areas subject to heavy folds; this leads to rashes, skin irritation pain and possibly infection. Removing these unhealthy skin flaps improves your looks, your health and your comfort.

Weight loss patients need to wait between six and 18 months before undergoing bariatric plastic surgery. This allows for you to lose extra weight and give your body time for tissue and skin to stabilize. Before having plastic surgery visit your physician to make sure that you do not have a medical problem that will prevent you from having the procedure.

Doctors who do plastic surgery for bariatric patients should have special training and extensive experience in this field. Make sure that you choose a surgeon who is a board-certified plastic surgeon by

the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). This is an assurance that the doctor is correctly trained and has kept up training. In addition, for your safety, check that the facility where you schedule surgery has accreditation from the Joint Commission on Health Care Facilities. Although all surgery has risks (your plastic surgeon will discuss them with you), having your procedure done in an accredited facility by a board-certified surgeon makes it more likely that your surgery and recovery are uneventful.

Some people who have carried an excessive amount of body weight for a long time find that losing weight results in a lot of sagging skin folds. If you have lost weight and are unhappy with skin that has not retained it’s elasticity, a few plastic surgery options are available.

• Body Lift: This plastic surgery procedure can tighten the the buttocks, abdomen, waist, hips, thighs, and arms with one operation. A single incision is made in the abdomen to remove excess skin and fat. This surgery can provide permanent results if you can maintain a consistent weight.
• Abdominoplasty: More commonly known as a “tummy tuck”, this surgery creates a smoother and firmer looking stomach. During a tummy tuck, skin and excess fat is removed and the abdominal muscles are often tightened.
• Mastopexy: If your weight loss has left you with sagging or deflated looking breasts, a mastopexy, or breast lift, can lift and reshape your breasts. This operation may involve a breast implant to improve the shape, as well as nipple repositioning.

Plastic surgery after weight loss may be a good option if your weight has stabilized and you are physically healthy enough to undergo major surgery. It’s important to discuss with your doctor what type of results to expect so that you have realistic goals for your operations.

What makes body-contouring surgery different from other cosmetic procedures like tummy tucks or breast lifts is the sheer volume of skin removed. Also, body-contouring surgeries usually involve more than one area of the body, which makes for a longer and more expensive procedure.

Possible types of body-contouring procedures include a lower body lift (which covers the outer thighs, tummy, and the area around the midsection), an upper body lift (which includes the back and breasts), and lifts for the arms, inner thighs, face, and neck.

Many body-contouring surgeries are performed by a team of two or more surgeons working together on one patient. The goal is to decrease the amount of time the patient needs to spend under anesthesia, which may decrease the total recovery time needed after surgery. Even with this team approach, it’s not uncommon for body-contouring surgery to last for eight or more hours.

As with any surgery, body-contouring surgery comes with potential complications. Possible risks include wound infection, reopening of wounds requiring surgical drainage, and excess bleeding requiring additional surgery. In rare instances, blood clots have developed. About 15 percent of body-contouring surgical patients will require a blood transfusion as a result of the surgery. Waiting at least a year after weight loss surgery or dramatic weight loss should significantly decrease your risk for complications.

Significant weight loss does not necessarily lead to body-contouring surgery. First of all, whether to not to have the procedure is a personal choice. Second of all, some people are more prone to sagging skin than others. There are several factors that can determine whether or not you’ll need body-contouring surgery after you lose weight.

Factors That Contribute to a Need for Body-Contouring Surgery:

• Age: People over 40 are more likely to experience sagging skin.
• Level of sun exposure: Sun-damage reduces the skin’s elasticity, which can result in sagging.
• Distribution of weight loss: If you lose a significant amount of weight in one area, you’re more likely to need contouring surgery there.
• Genetics: Some people are genetically predisposed toward loose skin.
• How you feel: Ultimately, it comes down to how comfortable you are with your appearance.

If you do find yourself with excessive, sagging skin that you’re unhappy with, body-contouring surgery may be your only option for addressing it. Exercise and creams simply can’t tighten skin; however, it’s important to consider that body-contouring surgery is expensive, costing upwards of $30,000 for a total body lift.

Before You Undergo Body-Contouring Surgery:

• Stabilize your weight: You should be at your goal weight for at least three months before undergoing body-contouring surgery.
• Establish a support system: Make sure to have a few people who can help you during recovery.
• Consider recovery period: Plan to be in recovery for four to six weeks after the procedure.
• Decide on problem areas: Focus on the parts of your body you’re most uncomfortable with and concentrate your surgical efforts there first.
• Quit smoking: Quitting smoking will reduce your risk of complications.
• Eat 50 to 70 grams of protein a day: Protein can help you heal more quickly.

Whether or not body-contouring surgery is right for you ultimately comes down to how you feel about yourself and how much time and money you’re willing to invest in making cosmetic changes to your appearance. Body-contouring surgery, while expensive, is often seen as the final investment in your overall weight loss plan.

Because of this, some people may choose to undergo body sculpting surgery after their weight loss procedures. Body sculpting surgery involves having the excess skin surgically removed from the body. In order to qualify for body sculpting surgery, a patient should meet a few criteria.

What are the qualifications for body sculpting surgery after weight loss procedures?

• Stable weight and diet habits. In most cases, body sculpting surgery should not be done for at least 2 years after a weight loss procedure. The patient should ideally have reached their goal weight and demonstrate that they can maintain their weight through diet and exercise.
• Overall good health. As with any surgery, a candidate should be in relatively good health. People with diabetes or heart disease may not be eligible for body sculpting surgery.
• No smoking. A patient should be smoke-free for at least 6 weeks prior to body sculpting surgery.

There are, of course, risks associated with body sculpting surgery.  If you’re considering undergoing body sculpting surgery, you should talk to your surgeon about any possible risks.

In most cases abdominoplasty is accompanied by some liposuction in order to even out the look of the body once the excess skin is cut off. There may be a need to create a new belly button depending on where the excess skin is taken from. After the procedure, there is a mandatory rest period so that the incision can close and heal properly. In most cases there will be a surgical drain in place for approximately ten days in order to drain any excess fluid from the surgical site.

Generally, an abdominoplasty takes between one to five hours depending on the amount of skin being removed and whether liposuction or belly button reconstruction are done in addition to the tummy tuck. It is important to have someone able to not only drive a patient home after surgery, but stay over for the first night or more after surgery.

Abdominoplasty is generally performed by a plastic surgeon. If considering this procedure, you should first consult with Dr. Stewart to ensure you have reached an appropriate level of weight loss for the procedure. Dr. Stewart can also refer you to surgeons that are experienced in performing abdominoplasty on patients that have had gastric bypass surgery.