Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss

Whether through surgical intervention, strict diet, and exercise, or a combination, losing 100 or more pounds is life-changing. Beyond simply losing the weight, many patients often adopt healthier diets and more active lifestyles.

While losing a significant amount of weight certainly promotes patient health, the loss of excess adipose tissue can leave behind loose and heavy skin. Beyond making it difficult for patients to fit clothes properly, it can be an unpleasant reminder of a former lifestyle. Many individuals who’ve lost upwards of 100 pounds turn to plastic surgery as a way of complementing their new, healthier lifestyle.

Post-Surgery Plastic Surgery’s Role in Weight Loss

For weight loss patients, plastic surgery isn’t simply about the cosmetic appeal. For many, the journey to a healthy weight is a long one that will continue even after their bodies are transformed, and the development of excess skin keeps these individuals from truly feeling their best. Furthermore, drooping tissue in the wrong places can interfere with a person’s ability to stay active and maintain their weight. For these individuals, removing loose tissue is another step to achieving their best selves.

What are My Options?

As with any other surgery, removing excess skin post-weight loss requires a tailored approach. Patients don’t always have the same degree of skin laxity in the same places, and each has their own aesthetic goals. Post-weight loss plastic surgery also requires that patients maintain their healthy body weight for a specific time before considering skin removal procedures.

Techniques developed over recent decades have allowed experienced plastic surgeons to address loose skin across the entire body and create natural-looking contours. Multi-procedure treatment plans for body contouring make it possible to remove excess skin from the body rather than just one area. During the consultation, patients identify which combinations of procedures would best help them achieve their goals. Some of the most popular options included within a body contouring treatment plan include:

Tummy Tuck

While most patients associate tummy tucks with post-partum recovery, abdominoplasties are an important step in helping weight-loss patients achieve ideal contour of the midsection. Often combined with a panniculectomy, or the removal of skin that hangs over the waistline, this body contouring procedure helps tighten the abdominal muscles, remove loose skin, and even minimize localized fat deposits.

Arm Lift

Sagging upper arms are another common side effect of significant weight loss. To create lean and smooth arms, the plastic surgeons at BHPS offer brachioplasty. This popular plastic surgery treatment removes extra skin while tightening the muscle tissue below, adding definition to the upper arm that would be difficult to achieve without surgical intervention.

Buttock Augmentation

Even if your new lifestyle includes many squat days at the gym, significant weight-loss can cause the glutes to flatten or appear deflated. Buttock augmentation, either on its own or as part of a lower body lift or fully body contouring plan, removes tissue that has lost its elasticity while adding shape and tone to the buttocks.

Breast Augmentation and Reduction

Weight gain and subsequent weight loss often have a lasting impact on the appearance of the breasts for both men and women. For men, excess tissue can create the appearance of breasts even after weight loss, while women may find their breasts are disproportionate to their new body size. Breast reduction for men and lifts or augmentation for women are common solutions that help every individual improve their figure and self-confidence.

Schedule Your Consultation Today

Losing a significant amount of weight provides patients with a new lease on life – why not look as good as you feel? Contact the plastics surgeons at BHPS today and schedule your consultation to learn about available body contouring opportunities.