Body Contouring

Body contouring refers to a variety of procedures designed to remove excess amounts of fat tissue and skin. These procedures can be done for the arms, chest, trunk and thighs. Most patients who are candidates for body contouring are people who have lost massive amounts of weight, either through gastric bypass surgery or diet and exercise. Patients who undergo body contouring procedures report great satisfaction with the results and improvement in their quality of life.

Techniques

There are a variety of techniques and procedures available. A brachioplasty is an operation to recontour the arms. Chest recontouring can be done for men with excess skin and fat in this area. For women, a breast reduction or mastopexy ("breast lift") may be indicated. If there is an excess of skin and fat around the abdomen and lower back, a circumferential abdominoplasty is performed. This removes the extra skin and tissue completely around the body and restores the abdomen, waist and buttocks to a more pleasing size and shape. A thigh lift removes the tissues from the thighs and elevates the skin. Any combination of the above procedures can be done, depending on the individual patient. A full consultation is needed to determine which procedure, or set of procedures, is best.

Recovery

The recovery differs greatly depending on which procedure, or set of procedures, is done. In general, a total recovery time of approximately 3 weeks is needed before the patient can return to their normal activity. A detailed description of each procedure and its recovery is discussed during the consultation.

Results

This is a patient who underwent massive weight loss through diet and exercise alone. As you can see in the "Before" pictures, the weight loss has caused her abdomen, thighs and buttocks to appear deflated and "saggy." There is an excess of skin and fat tissue that has been left over. Gastric bypass surgery causes a similar appearance.

We performed a Circumferential Abdominoplasty. This is an operation which removes the excess skin and fat in a "belt" like fashion. The areas are then re-contoured into a more flat and smooth shape. These pictures were taken only a week after surgery. Some of the light dressings are still present. There is one scar that goes around the entire waist. The appearance of the scar improves substantially over time.