Everyone deserves to look and feel their best, and maintaining a healthy weight is a key part of that. However, despite the many benefits of weight loss, there’s a potential downside: losing weight could leave you with sagging skin.
Loose skin left behind after weight loss can make it harder to enjoy the benefits of the new you, instead causing you to feel self-conscious about your physical appearance. Fortunately, there are solutions. Depending on the part of your body you’d like to tighten and firm, there are a number of plastic surgery procedures that can reduce the appearance of sagging skin. Read on to learn about the plastic surgery treatments that can address sagging skin and bolster your confidence after weight loss.
Lipectomy or Lower Body Lift
As a result of weight loss, you might have sagging skin in your thighs, abdomen, buttocks, and waist. The sagging skin might also be accompanied by some fat you wish to get rid of. During a lower body lift surgery, your plastic surgeon removes excess skin and fat to tighten these areas. This operation makes it possible for the surgeon to stretch the remaining tissue to create a smooth and even final appearance.
Breast Uplift
Also known as mastopexy, a breast uplift can help restore the appearance of sagging breasts. Since breasts are made of fatty tissue, breast size is likely to reduce when you lose weight. In addition to losing volume, the breasts could also become uneven or lose their shape.
During a breast uplift, your surgeon will remove excess skin from around the breasts to raise their position on the chest. In addition to restoring sagging breasts to a more youthful experience, you may also be interested in restoring your breasts to their pre-weight loss size. To help restore breasts to their original size or to make the breasts proportional to your body, a breast uplift could be conducted in tandem with a breast augmentation.
Liposuction
Weight loss doesn’t always occur evenly. You might find that your exercise routine has helped firm and tone certain areas of your body, while other body parts aren’t as slim as you’d like. Liposuction aims to remove stubborn fat deposits to give you the body shape you desire. To remove fat, the surgeon makes tiny incisions in the areas where fat removal is desired. The fat is then suctioned out of the body using hollow rods known as cannulas.
Upper Arm Lift
Extreme or rapid weight loss could leave sagging skin on your upper arms. If you’ve reached your goal weight but are still unhappy with the appearance of your arms, an arm lift can help you achieve a more toned appearance.
During the procedure, your surgeon will remove excess skin from the area above the elbow to the underarm. Upper arm lifts help restore proportionality, and for individuals who also have exercise-resistant fat in these areas, the procedure could be conducted in tandem with liposuction.
Tummy Tuck
The stomach is one of the areas most commonly affected by extreme weight loss. While your weight loss regimen may have helped you shed extra pounds and slim your waistline, it’s normal to still have excess skin and fat deposits in the stomach area. Opting for tummy tuck surgery can help you achieve an abdomen with a flat and smooth appearance.
Some Caveats on Plastic Surgery after Weight Loss
While there are many options to address cosmetic problems that arise after weight loss, there are critical considerations to consider before selecting a procedure.
First, while surgeons go to great lengths to restore your skin to the best possible condition, some scarring is inevitable. While some scars will disappear with time, you should be aware that some may be permanent.
Secondly, pregnant women, smokers, and people with underlying medical conditions might not be ideal candidates for plastic surgery. Therefore, your surgeon must get your complete medical history and record the medications you are taking. Should you plan on scheduling multiple surgeries, it’s important to work with your surgeon to decide the order in which they’ll be conducted.
While the risks associated with most plastic surgery procedures are minimal, it is of the utmost importance to find a certified and experienced plastic surgeon to carry out your procedure. A trusted plastic surgeon will be able to help you choose the right procedure for your lifestyle and expectations.