Body Contouring After Weight Loss

Now that the holidays are over, many of us are thinking about losing that extra 10-15 lbs or more.  Unfortunately, as we age, the skin loses some of its elasticity, making it more difficult to retract to a youthful contour upon weight loss.   To correct this, several options are available for body contouring after weight loss: 

1) The upper arm skin may sag, creating a "bat-wing" deformity.  A brachioplasty or arm lift involves an incision which can be placed anteriorly, posteriorly or along the midline of the upper arm.  I recommend a midline incision, as the scar is least visible.   

2) Stages of ptosis or breast sag refers to nipple position relative to the inframammary fold.  Ptotic breasts may result from natural aging, breast feeding and weight loss.  A mastopexy or breast lift elevates the nipple to the youthful inframammary fold position.   

3) Skin excess in the abdominal region may have a vertical and horizontal component.   Vertical excess can typically be corrected with a standard abdominoplasty, which involves a bikini-line incision.  If there is vertical and horizontal excess, a fleur-de-lis type abdominoplasty may be required.  The fleur-de-lis abdominoplasty involves both a bikini-line incision and a vertical midline incision.   

4)  Interestingly, unwanted fatty deposits (lipodystrophy) may be present even at the ideal body weight.  Liposuction may be performed throughout the body to remove these unwanted deposits.  Liposuction may be performed alone or in conjunction with another procedure to optimize the overall aesthetic result.   

5) Loose, redundant skin of the inner thigh region can be corrected with a thigh lift procedure.   

I encourage anyone who is interested to explore these body contouring options further on my website: www.christianfordmd.com