Extreme Weight Loss: Choosing the Lower Body Lift Over Abdominoplasty

Weight loss of 10, 20, or even 30 pounds is impressive, but weight loss totaling 100 or more pounds is an astounding feat. After massive weight loss, however, many men and women have a hard time celebrating their new form due to all the excess skin that diet and exercise do not correct. These people may weigh less, but the sagging skin makes it hard to find clothing that fits well.

There are two surgical procedures that excise the rolls of loose, sagging skin, but only one is truly suited for extreme weight loss.While a tummy tuck will tone and shape the abdomen, it doesn't address the back, buttocks, hips, and thighs. For that reason, many plastic surgeons recommend that weight loss patients opt for the lower body lift over the tummy tuck.

Understanding the Lower Body Lift

With an abdominoplasty, the incision is made along the pubic line from one hip bone to another. With a lower body lift, the incision is more extensive in order to accommodate what is essentially three different procedures combined to tighten skin and improve the appearance from the waist to the knees. The abdominal and lower back incisions are connected across the top of the thigh oriented within garment lines.

The first step is performing the abdominoplasty. Excess skin is surgically removed, and the abdominal muscles are tightened. The incision continues around the hips to help lift the buttocks and outer thighs. If there are still fatty deposits that diet and exercise haven't addressed, liposuction is useful in removing those deposits. Excess skin is also removed from the lower back.

Due to the fact that the lower body lift is a more extensive surgery, patients must stay overnight in a surgical facility. A registered nurse is on hand to monitor your recovery. Some doctors ask you to spend a second night, too. After this point, you go home with pain medications in hand and strict instructions about taking it easy during the recovery.

You must wear compression garments while you heal. This helps to limit swelling and keep bruising to a minimum. You will return to the surgeon's office in two weeks to have drains removed. At that point, you should no longer need pain medications.

At the two-week mark, you should receive clearance to return to work, but you still need to avoid strenuous activities. It takes a month for the incisions to fully heal, so you will not be back to normal routines for five or six weeks following the lower body lift.

Other Procedures That Can Help

You may also have excess skin hanging from your upper arms or sagging breasts following extreme weight loss. To reshape the upper arms, you may want to undergo a brachioplasty, also known as an arm lift, to excise the loose skin and help bring new definition to the arms. Breast lifts and possibly implants restore the appearance of the breasts, creating a more uplifted and symmetrical appearance. 

As a body lift takes upwards of eight hours to complete, your plastic surgeon may schedule these procedures for another day. Remember that you didn't lose the weight overnight, so don't worry about needing a few months to recover from these surgeries.

Newport Beach plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Kessler specializes in body contouring after extreme weight loss. View before and after pictures of some of his lower body lift patients. Celebrate your weight loss by consulting with the doctor about the changes this surgery makes in terms of physical appearance and self-esteem. You can reach Dr. Kessler's California plastic surgery office by calling (949) 644-6544.