If you have recently lost a lot of weight, it’s possible that your body may have excess skin or unsupported tissue that is still causing you to look large. If this is the case, undergoing a body contouring procedure may be right for you.
A body contouring procedure removes excess skin after a weight loss and also supports underlying tissue and skin to suit your new frame. Skin often loses its elasticity following a large weight loss and cannot reform to a new body size. This can cause skin to hang from upper arms, breasts to flatten, and skin in the abdominal and buttocks regions to sag. By having a body contour procedure done, your skin will better suit your new size and is essentially the final phase of your weight loss experience.
Before you undergo this procedure, consult a physician to find out if it is right for you. To prevent further sagging or extra skin, you must be near the end of your time losing weight. If you should gain a large amount of weight after undergoing the surgery, it may cause your skin to be stretched too thin and can result in stretch marks, scars, or stress to the skin.
On the day of the surgery, you will be given intravenous or general anesthesia for your comfort. The doctor will then perform one of the four most common body contouring procedures: a lower body lift (which involves the abdomen, groin, outer thighs, and buttocks), a breast lift, an arm lift, or a thigh lift. The procedure you chose and how extensive the surgery ends up being will determine how much recovery time you will need. Usually you will stay at least one night at the medical facility where the surgery took place. You will be bandaged and a tube may be placed at the site of the incision so excess fluids can drain.
While the physical results of a body contouring surgery are visible almost immediately, it will take a while for your body to fully heal from the procedure. Monitor your eating and exercise habits and talk to your doctor about how to care for your incisions.
For more information about body contouring, call our office at (702) 671-5110 or schedule your appointment online today.