When you age or lose weight, your skin becomes lax and loose, making you feel unattractive, and remaining as a reminder of the weight or youth you have lost. You may feel the frustration of wearing clothing that does not quite fit right in certain areas because your skin is no longer firm and smooth. If you have noticed your skin beginning to sag in areas like your thighs, arms, and buttocks, a body lift is the procedure that can help you look and feel young again.
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Sources of Excess Skin
At Marietta Plastic Surgery, we frequently provide body lifts for patients who have experienced massive weight loss, either from gastric bypass surgery or their own dedication to an improved lifestyle, and who now carry excessive loose skin in prominent areas. Body contouring procedures help by removing excess skin and fat to create a smoother silhouette. Most body lift patients are able to wear clothing two or more sizes smaller than before surgery.
Even if you have always maintained the same weight, aging and gravity will break down the collagen and elastin in your skin, causing it to stretch, droop, and sag. You may experience this most prominently in your upper arms, making you lose confidence when wearing short-sleeved tops or swimsuits. Whether you have lost weight or are simply experiencing the effects of time, a body lift procedure can provide several benefits:
- Better-fitting clothes
- More youthful appearance
- Improved results after weight loss
Types of Body Lifts
Arm Lift– An arm lift is the body contouring procedure that removes the excess skin and fat between the armpit and elbow by using incisions to separate the extra skin from the underlying muscle. The remaining skin is then sutured together, bandaged, and sometimes wrapped with a compression bandage or sleeve while it heals. An arm lift creates a smooth upper arm contour by pulling the skin tight around the circumference of the upper arm.
Inner Thigh Lift– An incision near crease in upper inside thigh is created and the excess skin and fat from the thigh pulled upward to smooth the inner thigh. The excess tissue is then removed surgically and the incisions sutured together. This creates a smoother, thinner contour to the inner thigh.
Outer Thigh Lift–An outer thigh lift is performed by removing a wedge of tissue, including skin and fat, from the upper portion of the outer thigh. The remaining tissue is pulled up and sutured at the incision line, typically below the waistline where it is well-concealed under most clothing.
Buttock Lift– One type of buttock lift involves removing skin and fat from the buttocks. One common technique removes excess skin from the buttocks and lower back, leaving a scar only in the buttock crease. Other times, a fat transfer is used to remove unwanted fat tissue from other areas of the body and then inject it into the upper curvature of the buttocks. This raises the lower portion of the buttocks upwards to create a smoother, rounder, more youthful contour. Sometimes this is described as a buttock augmentation or with the colorful loconyms Brazilian butt lift or Brazilian butt fill. A buttock lift is often combined with liposuction or a circumferential tummy tuck.
Full body lift— Commonly used after massive weight loss, this procedure can target all areas that have excess skin. The procedure may be performed in two or more stages. The most common form is the belt lipectomy, also called a circumferential lower body lift. This procedure combines a tummy tuck, buttock lift, and outer thigh lift.
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Contact Us Today!
If you are in the Marietta area and have experienced massive weight loss, or are interested in body contouring to help lift the unwanted skin and fat from your body, please contact our board-certified Marietta plastic surgeons today to schedule your consultation. We welcome patients from Atlanta, Marietta, Woodstock, and other areas of Georgia and surrounding states.
