Common Body Contouring Questions Answered

Body contouring is the term for the set of cosmetic treatments that sculpt and shape your body to improve your appearance. Some trim excess fat that can remain in stubborn bulges after you’ve lost weight with diet and exercise or that may form as you age. Some tighten loose skin and weakened muscles that have stretched with weight changes or pregnancy. Some reshape parts of your body to improve your figure.

If you’re unhappy with the shape or appearance of some part of your body and aren’t getting the results you want through healthy eating and exercise habits, you might be a good candidate for body contouring. And if you’ve considered body contouring, you probably have questions about the many options.

Here are answers to some common questions about body contouring:

Can Body Contouring Help Me Lose Weight?

This may be the most common question about body contouring, and the simple answer is: not directly. Body contouring treatments are intended to sculpt and shape your body when you are reasonably close to your ideal weight. They aren’t a weight-loss method and don’t work to remove significant amounts of fat over large areas of your body. That said, many body-contouring procedures do remove fat in specific parts of your body, which can eliminate a pound or two — even several pounds — of excess flab and a half-inch to three inches from your waistline. The results can also make you feel better about your body and yourself, which, for some people, is a motivation to put on exercise clothes and be more active. In that way, body contouring can have an indirect effect on weight loss.

How do I decide which body contouring procedure is right for me?

The choice of body contouring procedure will depend on your body and your goals, as well as your willingness to have surgery with its resulting downtime.

• If distinct pockets of extra fat are your main concern, and you have good muscle tone and smooth, resilient skin, a non-surgical fat reduction treatment like CoolSculpting might get you closer to your ideal body. You may need more than one treatment session, and the results will take a few weeks to appear after each treatment, but you’ll have no downtime for recovery.
• To remove larger bulges of fat with faster results, liposuction might be a better option. As minimally invasive surgery, liposuction does require a few days for recovery.
• If your concerns include loose skin on your belly and over-stretched abdominal muscles, a tummy tuck may be the best choice. This surgical procedure removes extra skin and repairs abdominal muscles for a firm, flat, smooth midsection and a trimmer waist.
• If you’re bothered by sagging breasts or by the size or shape of your breasts, you might add breast surgery to your body contouring plan.

A consultation with a skilled and experienced plastic surgeon is the best way to understand your body contouring choices and find out which will best address your needs. A combination of procedures might be the best solution for you.

How long do the results of body contouring last?

The results of body contouring are long-lasting if you maintain a steady weight. The fat cells removed with CoolSculpting or liposuction are gone from that part of your body forever, and new cells will not grow there. But fat cells in the treated area and elsewhere on your body will increase in size if you gain weight, which can undo some of the positive effects of your treatment. In much the same way, you can lose the smooth, firm abdomen you get with a tummy tuck if you gain significant weight or have more children.

To maintain your results, make healthy eating and exercise habits part of your normal routine and avoid the cycles of weight gain and loss that can result from extreme dieting.

Learn More About Body Contouring in Beverly Hills

Dr. David Kim and Dr. Eugene Kim at Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery have developed an impeccable reputation for stunning, natural-looking cosmetic treatment and plastic surgery results, attracting patients from all over the world. Contact our practice today at (310) 746-5475 or send an online request to schedule a consultation.