Upper Body Lift
Body lift surgery; also called Circumferential Torsoplasty; is a procedure that reshapes and recontours the body after a patient has lost significant weight. The goal of a body lift is to remove the excess skin and fat from the torso. It also treats sagging fatty tissue and cellulite. A body lift surgery is performed by specialized body contouring plastic surgeons. A lower body lift, or Belt Lipectomy, involves the tummy, the thighs, buttocks and back. An upper body lift focuses on the breasts, chest and middle back areas. A total body lift is a surgery that combines an upper and lower lift.A body lift surgery involves:
•Reducing the arm and chest laxity
•Reshaping the breasts
•Removing excess tissue from thighs, back, waist, and abdomen
Usually a body lift is performed after massive weight loss. A body lift can be done in one or two stages. The number of stages depends on the patient's age, health, amount of excess skin to be removed, length of the procedure, and past medical history. A body lift surgery can be complemented with other plastic surgery procedures such as breast lift, breast augmentation, buttock lift and buttock augmentation.
Body Lift Surgery
During the body lift surgery, skin is lifted from underlying tissues, excising what is redundant and then suturing the remainder closed. In this type of surgery; the navel is often removed and replaced in its new position. After a body lift surgery, surgical drains are needed for several days to weeks to evacuate excess liquids from the body, and patients are required to wear compression garments for weeks to facilitate a faster healing.
Often times the body lift surgery is performed in two separate operations. Each operation is approximately four months apart. In the first stage, the frontal tissue is removed. On the second stage, after the patient has healed from the first surgery; the back is addressed. For some patients not undergoing one very large operation is a better option. A body lift surgeon will be able to evaluate your case inform you of how many stages you would need.
A body lift is a surgery that is typically performed in a hospital. However, some body lift procedures may be performed in a fully accredited outpatient surgical center. This determination depends on the patient's body mass index (BMI) at the time of the body lift surgery. The time of a body lift surgery ranges from four to eight hours and it is performed under general anesthesia. This means that the body lift patient is asleep during the procedure.
Lower Body Lift
A lower body lift, or Belt Lipectomy, involves the tummy, the thighs, buttocks and back. A lower body lift starts with a belt-like excision above the outer thighs and buttocks (this is where it gets its name). Then the body lift surgeon may further separate the thigh skin to help with the procedure. Then the area is sutured. This procedure is often followed by a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) to give the patient better results.
The next step in the lower body lift involves a horizontal incision made along the pubic area. This step is followed by the removal of the tissues that span from the underlying muscles to the belly button. Then, the skin in between the belly button and central rib cage is separated. Next, the body lift surgeon may suction out any remaining fat in this area with liposuction.
After the extra skin is detached, the body lift surgeon will tighten the stomach muscles. The skin that remains is then repositioned and sutured at the pubic area; after which usually a new belly button is created and positioned in the original location. Also, women can undergo butt lift, butt augmentation of a combination of both as part of a lower body lift.
Upper Body Lift
An upper body lift focuses on the breasts, chest and middle back areas. It starts with a broad bra-line skin removal. After the body lift surgeon closes this excision, the back fat rolls are eliminated and the waist is narrowed. Any extra skin under the breasts or over the lower rib cage is then removed. Then, the body lift surgeon will tighten the skin under the breasts. The raised abdominal skin is then sutured to the lower rib cage. Also, men can undergo male breast reduction as part of an upper body lift, and women may have additional procedures done such as breast lift, breast augmentation or a combination of both.
Total Body Lift
A total body lift combines upper and lower body lifts. Sometimes it can be combined with supplemental plastic procedures. A total body lift can be done as one surgery, or at separate stages. This decision is taken by the body lift surgeon taken in consideration several factors such as the patient's age, medical history and extent of the procedure.
A total body lift may be broken up in several surgeries since surgery risks tend to increase when multiple procedures are performed at the same time. It also depends on the patient's needed recovery time. For some patients, it might also be more convenient to separate the procedures in stages with smaller recovery times than having one procedure with a long recovery time. The time intervals between surgeries are set by the body lift surgeon and they differ from surgeon to surgeon. Body lift surgeons have different methods for performing total body lifts, this makes the procedure vary from surgeon to surgeon.
Body Lift Candidates
A body lift candidate is a person who typically, either can't lose significant amounts of weight by other means such as dieting and exercising, or already suffers from loose (inelastic) skin on many or most areas of the body as a result of age, childbearing or extreme weight loss due to diet, exercise or bariatric surgery. A body lift can also help a mother get her pre-pregnancy body back.
The best candidate for a body lift is a person who has maintained a stable weight for at least three months although it this preferred that the weight has been maintained for six months to a year. It is also desirable that a body lift candidate exercises regularly and maintains a healthy diet.
Body Lift and Bariatric Surgery
For candidates who have had gastric bypass, Lap-Band or other gastric restrictive procedure should wait at least one year after their weight loss surgery. This will allow the patient to fully recover from their previous surgery; have more time to lose the weight, and it will also give the patient time to reduce the impact of the health problems associated with their obesity.
Body Lift and Pregnancy
For women who plan to have children, it is recommended that they postpone their body lift surgery until after childbirth. Normal-weight women in their 30s and 40s may opt for a body lift to remove remaining excess skin and fatty tissue after reducing excessive post-pregnancy weight.
Body Lift Recovery
Body lift is a major surgical procedure and requires significant recovery time. Most patients remain in the hospital for 1 to 3 nights after surgery. Most people require 4 to 6 weeks to recover from their body lift before returning to normal activities, and generally from 6 to 8 weeks before exercising.
After a Body Lift surgery, patients are encouraged to walk as soon as they are able. Exercise and other demanding physical activities (such as lifting more than 5 pounds) must be limited for about a month. These activities are not recommended until sufficient healing has occurred and your surgeon instructs you to resume them. Results from a body lift surgery are visible immediately. All the swelling from the body lift surgery should dissipate after 4 months.
Pain and discomfort right after surgery are first managed with intravenous or intramuscular medications, and later your body lift surgeon will prescribe oral pain medication. A specific dietary plan may be encouraged in case you are not already following one, or in case the one you have needs modification. The body lift surgeon will supply a complete instruction list that must be followed to reduce the risk of complications after a body lift surgery.
Drainage tubes are inserted to allow excess fluid to drain. This will require personal home care for up to two weeks. It is recommended that you have someone assist you during this time. These tubes are removed when the drained fluid is low. Your body lift surgeon may provide you with a medical compression garment. This garment should be used at all times except while bathing. The garment should be worn until your surgeon instructs you that it is no longer needed. Dressings are generally removed two days after the body lift surgery. Also, showering is allowed at that time.
