:: Body Lift

Following loss of a substantial amount of weight or sometimes simply from aging, excess skin can accumulate leaving the body looking loose and shapeless. Common areas of excess skin include the upper arms, breasts, back, abdomen, buttocks and thighs. A body lift is not a specific procedure, but should be thought of as a plan to remove excess skin and tighten areas that are specific to an individual patient.

It is important for you to sit down and discuss with Dr. Brown the areas that are of greatest concern to you. Often these areas can be treated in one procedure, but sometimes Dr. Brown may recommend a staged approach.

Body lifting is not intended to correct obesity. Patients should be at normal or near normal weights before surgery. It is important that patients are in good general health and refrain from smoking.

Surgery
Incisions for a body lift will of course depend on the specific areas to be treated. Surgery will involve excision of excess skin and tightening of underlying muscles when necessary. For smaller procedures, surgery can be performed as an outpatient but for larger procedures, an overnight stay will be required. Usually body lift surgery is performed under general anaesthesia.

Complications and Scarring
While body lift surgery requires incisions that result in scarring, Dr. Brown will make every effort to ensure that they can be covered by bathing suits and undergarments. You can discuss the type of scarring you should expect at the time of your consultation. The most common complications of body lifting are haematoma (an accumulation of blood under the skin), fluid accumulation (also under the skin) and numbness of the skin. Areas of delayed healing may also occur but are rare.

Normal activities can be resumed approximately two weeks after surgery and many people return to work in the third week.

It can take 6-12 months to see the final result of body lift surgery, and outcomes can be maximized by continuing to eat healthy, managing weight and having a regular program for exercising and toning.