BODY CONTOURING AFTER WEIGHT LOSS
Losing weight with medications like semaglutide (Ozempic®, Wegovy®) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) can transform your health and confidence. However, significant weight loss often introduces new challenges, such as loose skin, volume loss, and changes to body contours. Not only is loose hanging skin unsightly but it can cause functional problems. Patients feel that despite losing weight they cannot fully benefit from it as this excess skin restricts them and is also a cause of social embarrassment.
Surgical body contouring is a term used to describe several procedures that smooth, firm, reshape, and tighten the body. Body contouring procedures are personalized to the individual’s needs. They may include procedures like tummy tucks, breast lifts, arm lifts, thigh lifts, and facelifts.
Body contouring – FACTS
| Length of surgery | 3-6 hours |
| Anaesthesia | General anaesthetic |
| Hospital stay | 1-2 nights |
| Risks/complications of surgery | Frequent: Bruising, swelling, temporary numbness, discomfort on movement/coughing Infrequent: Infection, bleeding, delayed wound healing, fat necrosis, asymmetry, poor scarring, seroma, skin/tummy button necrosis |
| Recovery | 7-10 days until socialising with close friends and family 3-4 weeks until return to work and normal social engagements 3-12 months until swelling disappears 6 weeks wearing specialized pressure garment and no children lifting 4 weeks travel abroad 12 weeks until return to gym and other strenuous activities 6-12 months until final result |
| Driving | 2-4 weeks |
| Sleeping position | Sleep on your back with pillow under your knees |
| Follow up | 1 week, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months |
| Duration of results | Permanent unless followed by pregnancy or weight gain |
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Body Contouring
Any plastic surgery procedure is a very personal choice and understandably there are a few questions that arise. This information sheet is a general guide for patients considering lower body lift under the care of Dr Mackenzie. It should provide the answers to some questions that you may have. There are many factors that can affect your individual operation, your recovery, and the long-term result. Some of these factors include your overall health, previous surgery, any bleeding tendencies that you have and your healing capabilities, some of which will be affected by smoking, alcohol, and various medications. Such issues that are specific to you need to be discussed with Dr Mackenzie and are not covered here. Please feel free to ask her any further questions before you sign the consent form.
Introduction
Body contouring is a new and exciting field and one that is especially popular with people who have lost lots of weight and now want to tighten, tone, and define their improved bodies. Body contouring can improve the appearance of loose or sagging skin giving your body smoother contours and an improved shape.
Following excessive weight loss (either by diet and exercise, bariatric surgery or weight loss medications), you may be left with significant residual folds of fat and skin, which can be quite distressing both cosmetically (as they may be quite unsightly) but also functionally as these can interfere with daily activities. Such individuals request excision of these excessive folds such as in the abdomen, breasts, thighs, arms etc.
For some, the extra folds of excess skin may cause problems, such as:
- Discomfort
- Swelling, rash or ulcers between the skin folds in your groin that can lead to an infection.
- Problems with hygiene in these areas, especially the groin
- Difficulty walking
- Trouble urinating
- Problems with sexual activity
- Poor self-esteem
It is important that you achieve your target new weight or at least are close enough before considering surgery.
It is also very important that you have realistic expectations of the results of surgery. Procedures performed after weight loss may not achieve the same cosmetic results and do have a higher revision rate when compared to the non-weight loss patient. One of the reasons for this is the marked loss of elasticity and therefore the less than ideal tissue quality.
Body Contouring Types
Body contouring procedures are individualized, so talk to your plastic surgeon about the best options for you. Body contouring surgeries include:
- Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)- it is a major aesthetic surgical procedure performed by a plastic surgeon to improve the shape and contour of the abdomen. The operation is undertaken to remove excess skin and fat, unwanted scars, stretch marks, and can tighten the underlying abdominal wall muscles
- Breast lift (mastopexy)- the purpose of a mastopexy or “breast uplift” is to make the breasts more shapely, firmer and better supported with a youthful and pert appearance whilst repositioning the nipple at its former height. Uplift surgery may also be combined with breast augmentation to restore the shape and the volume of the breast.
- Arm lift (brachioplasty)-it is a surgical procedure that reduces excess sagging underarm skin and fat, giving smoother contours. It can be combined with liposuction to help with the contours on the arm
- Thigh lift- it is designed to tighten the skin and improve the contour of the inner thigh, giving smoother contour
- Lower body lift- this is a more major operation aimed at lifting the thighs, buttocks, and abdomen all at the same time
- Upper body lift- this operation lifts the breasts, arms, and chest in a single procedure.