Losing a tremendous amount of weight, whether achieved by bariatric surgery, a non-surgical weight loss procedure, diet, or exercise, can genuinely change one’s life. You now feel and look better and are in better health. You can do things now that you have never been able to do before. For most people, many experiences will be very different. Activities such as going shopping for new, smaller clothes, taking a flight, playing with your kids at the park, or fitting into a seat at the movie theater can now be done with ease and are pleasant experiences.
Your skin stretches when you put on weight. When you lose weight and excess fat, your skin is likely to stay stretched. Plastic surgery after massive weight loss is beneficial to most people and can address a myriad of issues. Today we are going to talk about plastic surgery after extreme weight loss and the procedures that can be done to correct aesthetic issues left behind.
What To Expect After Massive Weight Loss
Although the majority of the changes brought on by weight loss are advantageous, many patients find that their body does not look like they thought it would after losing all that weight. Many individuals are left with stretched-out skin and pockets of resistant fat. Sometimes the loose skin can fold over on itself to the degree that it can cause mobility or medical issues. Many women are left with deflated breasts that sag and hang down. This takes a toll on their self-esteem and can be discouraging after working so hard to shed all those pounds.
Unfortunately, this is an inevitable part of the process, and there isn’t much that can be done to prevent it. However, despite there being no way to completely avoid developing excess skin, patients do have different options to choose from to eliminate it.
Depending on the degree of the loose skin, there are a number of procedures available that can correct skin issues that result after weight loss. Plastic surgery is almost always necessary to eliminate moderate to severe excess skin, but many less-invasive procedures that do not require surgery can help address mild areas of loose skin.
Why Does Losing A Lot Of Weight Leave Sagging Skin?
When a person gains weight, it usually happens slowly, and their skin stretches out gradually to make room for the extra weight. Stretch marks can also form when the skin is stretched beyond a certain point.
Weight-loss surgery works by limiting portions, restricting how many calories a person can eat, and sometimes even preventing the body from absorbing all the calories ingested. This causes a substantial amount of the fat layer right under the skin to melt away very quickly, leaving the skin with no support. When the skin no longer has anything to support it and no longer has the ability to shrink back because it lacks elasticity, it becomes loose and saggy.
Will I Have To Have Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss Surgery?
It is hard to know exactly how much loose skin an individual will end up with after surgery. Each patient is different, and so are the factors that affect them. Genetics, age, height, smoking, the patient’s weight before surgery, and how much weight they lose are all factors that play a part in how much loose skin they will be left with. Basically, the more weight they lose, the more likely they are to be left with loose skin.
Loose skin can cause physical complications and make some patients self-conscious in social situations. Plastic surgery after weight loss is an option to consider if you’ve lost a significant amount of weight and are unhappy with unattractive loose or extra skin.
Plastic Surgery After Extreme Weight Loss
- Excess skin can be eliminated from the abdomen, arms, thighs, back, torso, etc.;
- Loose, sagging skin can be tightened up, restoring natural contours;
- Eliminates skin that is folding onto itself, possibly causing chafing, infections, or rashes;
- Can correct the volume lost from breasts and lift them up to their natural position;
- Extra fat deposits can be eliminated to provide smoother, more contoured areas;
- Your clothes will look and fit better;
- Your self-esteem and self-confidence will improve;
- Will provide more motivation to continue making healthy lifestyle choices.
What Types Of Plastic Surgery Can Be Done After Weight Loss Surgery?
After losing a great deal of weight, excess skin can make it challenging to exercise or may cause someone to feel uncomfortable in social situations. If a man has excess fat or loose skin remaining in their breast area, they may be embarrassed to wear certain types of clothing. If an individual wants to go work out at the gym but their excess skin flaps around, they are not going to feel comfortable socially, and they also may end up with chafing, rashes, or other unpleasant side effects.
Thanks to the advancements in cosmetic surgery, there is a procedure available to correct almost any type of issue. Depending on where the problem areas are and how extreme they are, the corrections may require surgery or possibly be addressed through a non-surgical procedure or a combination of different procedures.
- Panniculectomy
- To restore a smoother, more aesthetically pleasing look, any skin left hanging below the naval (pannus) can be eliminated. Removing this loose skin will significantly reduce skin chafing, issues experienced during physical activity, and the way your clothes fit. The extra skin is removed during a panniculectomy; however, this does not tighten the abdominal muscles as a typical tummy tuck would.
- Full Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)
- The surgeon will cut away any excess skin and then mend any muscles in the abdomen that are torn or damaged. A tummy tuck procedure can remove extra skin from the whole abdominal region as well as correct damage caused by a separation of the abdominal muscles. If necessary, the surgeon may also move the patient’s belly button to make the results look natural.
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Removing excess skin with a tummy tuck - Upper Arm and Bra Line Lift
- Arm lift and bra line lift both target excess skin and fat on the upper arms and back. When combined with liposuction, it not only gets rid of extra skin but also makes the body look smoother, firmer, and more contoured.
- Breast Augmentation
- After losing a considerable amount of weight, many women lose volume from their breasts, and as a result, their breasts droop or hang much lower than normal. Breast implants are a great option to restore lost volume, and a lift removes extra skin, restoring their shape and symmetry. Combining breast implants with a lift can produce optimal results.
Men who have lost a considerable amount of weight may also experience droopy breast tissue or localized fat deposits in this area. Gynecomastia surgery can flatten and improve the definition of the chest and eliminate this extra skin. Male breast reduction surgery frequently includes surgical correction of the areola size or location.
- Thigh Lift
- Excessive skin that is saggy or loose is not physically appealing and may even hinder your everyday life. Too much extra skin in the thigh area can impede mobility, result in rashes and chafing, and even make it hard to fit into clothing. A thighplasty, or thigh lift, can correct issues with excess skin. Often used in conjunction with liposuction, a thigh lift will result in the removal of loose, crepey-looking skin and excess fat, leaving the patient with smoother, more proportionately shaped thighs.
- Buttock Lift or BBL
- A buttock lift improves the gluteal region by eliminating or reshaping saggy, loose skin and re-contouring the cheeks to add or remove volume. A typical buttock lift eliminates excess skin and fat through surgery and liposuction.
A Brazilian butt lift uses implants or a fat transfer procedure to add volume and produce a more contoured, shapely backside with tight, smooth skin.
Beneficial Cosmetic Treatments After Weight Loss Surgery
Individuals who undergo bariatric surgery and end up with a large amount of loose skin will benefit most from plastic surgery after weight loss.
People who have lost a moderate amount of weight and have a small amount of mildly loose skin may benefit from a non-surgical cosmetic treatment such as BodyTite, Evolve, or PHYSIQ. These treatments can smooth and tone loose skin and areas of localized fat without the use of general anesthesia or extended recoveries.
Set Up A Consultation To Discuss Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss
Many people who have had bariatric surgery are surprised to be left with extra skin after their weight loss. Before undergoing weight loss surgery, it’s advisable to consult with both a bariatric surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon so you know what to expect from both a weight loss standpoint and an aesthetic one.
Knowing what to expect and having a plan for dealing with loose skin or other problems that might come up as a result of losing weight will make the journey to wellness go more smoothly.
SurgiCare Arts & Aesthetics offers plastic surgery after weight loss surgery in Atlanta to eliminate loose skin and address other cosmetic issues. As a division of the IBI Healthcare Institute, they offer ongoing support to weight loss patients to address their aesthetic needs.
Dr. Angelina Poestoev, a triple board-certified cosmetic surgeon with Surgicare Arts & Aesthetics, is an expert in performing skin excision surgery and is one of the nation’s only cosmetic surgeons specializing in thigh lift surgery.
Surgicare Arts & Aesthetics also offers a vast array of non-invasive and minimally-invasive cosmetic treatments that smooth and tighten skin. Set up a consultation today online or at one of our convenient locations in Loganville, Buckhead, Duluth, and the surrounding areas of Atlanta, Georgia.
