Submitted by Twin City Plastic Surgery
We have all heard countless success stories about friends, family members, and even total strangers who have lost significant amounts of weight. Maybe it’s even you who has dropped 100 pounds or more, either strictly by diet and exercise or interventional methods such as bariatric surgery. While either of these results in better long-term health, your initial appearance after weight loss may not be quite what you expected.
What happens after massive weight loss?
While you are carrying those extra pounds, your skin is stretched around areas of your body like the abdomen, arms, legs, breasts, and face. After significant weight loss, the skin often fails to shrink back, resulting in upper arms that may sag and appear loose or full, flattened breasts, excess abdominal skin that may lay apron-like around your sides and lower back area, and hanging pockets of skin around the buttocks, groin, and thighs.
Many individuals who have experienced a large weight loss are turning to plastic surgery to improve the shape and tone of underlying tissue that supports fat and skin and removes excess sagging fat and skin. The result gives your new body a more “normal” appearance, with smoother contours.
The skinny on post-weight loss plastic surgery
There are a number of procedures that may be of interest to an individual who has recently lost 100 pounds or more. They include the following:
Body contouring
Also called a body lift, this is the most commonly performed surgery after weight loss. According to the most recent statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 50,000 body contouring procedures after massive weight loss were performed in 2011. Body contouring is the removal of excess, sagging skin around the abdomen and a tightening of skin around the buttocks, abdomen, waist, hips, thighs, and arms.
Tummy tuck
A tummy tuck involves an incision at the bikini line and around the navel. The surgeon then manipulates the skin and tissues and repairs weakened abdominal muscles. In some cases, you may have an additional incision to remove excess skin in the upper abdomen.
Breast lift
During a breast lift, excess skin and tissue is removed and the nipple is repositioned. Implants can be added as well to improve shape.
Brachioplasty
This procedure removes excess skin from the upper arm area.
Face “lift”
This procedure involves removing excess skin around the face and neck.
Are you ready for the final step?
Many consider plastic surgery the “final step” in their weight loss journey. If your weight has stabilized for at least a year and you are in overall good health, if you don’t smoke and are committed to good nutrition, fitness, and an overall healthy lifestyle, you are likely to get the thumbs-up from your doctor as well as your plastic surgeon to make the desired physical tweaks. However, this process is not one to be entered into lightly. The results may be immediate, but the healing will take time, your activity will be restricted temporarily, visible scarring will remain, and it will be your job to maintain a stable weight and overall fitness for the remainder of your life.
No matter if your weight loss is due to diet or surgical means, you deserve to have the body you earned for a lifetime to come.
Board-certified plastic surgeons Laura C. Randolph, Chad Tattini, and Paige Holt, along with their professional and compassionate staff, comprise Twin City Plastic Surgery. Their office is located in Bloomington at 2502 East Empire Street, Suite C, one mile east of Veterans Parkway. For more information or to schedule an appointment, you may call 309-662-6772 or visit them online at www.twincityplasticsurgery.com.