Body Lift

Body Lift Plastic surgery is usually indicated in patients who have lost a large amount of weight – frequently referred to as massive weight loss MWL. The ideal is to lose weight through lifestyle changes with healthy eating and exercise. Many patients need to have Gastric Band or Gastric Bypass surgery in order to lose the large amount needed to regain a healthy state. The consequence of this MWL is large amounts of excess skin especially around the middle with sagging of the tummy and buttocks as well as thighs, arms and chest or breasts. At London Bridge Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Clinic our goal is to provide a Complete Aesthetic Package to address the excess skin and fat as well as the loss of skin tone. Body Lift Surgery is frequently the first and most important procedure to restore your body shape and confidence.

A: Body Lift surgery is a Specialist Plastic surgical procedure performed to remove excess fat and skin around the lower abdomen and lower back providing a combined Abdominoplasty, Tummy tuck with a Buttock Lift, to restore a shapely silhouette or body shape and achieve a natural aesthetic appearance.

A: Body Lift surgery is performed to remove the heavy lower abdomen, hips and sagging buttock region to enable you to wear the clothes you want and boost your self-esteem following masive weight loss, MWL. Body Lift Surgery can have significant benefits for your health and your posture and reduce lower back pain. The improvement in body shape can boost your self confidence and comfort enabling you to exercise effectively to maintain a good body weight and shape.

A: If you would like to improve your body shape following massive weight loss, gastric band surgery, because of skin laxity and excess fat in your abdomen hips and lower back, buttocks, which does not reduce with healthy diet and exercise, and you have been concerned by this for a long time, do not have any serious medical conditions and are not significantly overweight, then Body Lift Plastic Surgery is likely to be suitable for you.

A: We recommend that you should be as close to your ideal body weight as possible before you undergo Body Lift plastic surgery. However, many patients find it very difficult to exercise effectively with amount of excess skin and fat around their middle. It is important even in this circumstance that you maintain a healthy diet and exercise. Your weight should be stable or just losing weight slowly before your surgery.

A: Body Lift Surgery is performed under general anaesthetic commonly as an overnight procedure. Some patients may require 2 to 3 nights in Hospital.

A: Body Lift Plastic Surgery normally takes approximately 3 to 5 hours to perform.

A: Unfortunately, it is necessary to have a scar as a result of Body Lift Surgery in order to remove the large amounts of excess skin and fat, but every effort is made to minimize the scars and ensure that these are as inconspicuous as possible. The goal is to achieve scars which once fully healed are as inconspicuous as possible. The scar is placed within the pants line – bikini line usually from hip to hip and around the waist to the middle of the buttock crease. There will also be a scar around the umbilicus (bellybutton).

A: Stretching of the muscle in the abdomen occurs during pregnancy, massive weight gain and also with aging resulting in the widening of the youthful waistline. Therefore, at the time of your Body Lift Surgery, the muscles will frequently be tightened.

A: At LBPS, we believe that any blood or fluid under the skin leads to inflammation and scarring, which can prolong the healing and lessen the quality of your outcome. Therefore, drains will be placed at the time of your Body Lift surgery. These will normally be removed before you leave Hospital.

A: Yes. Commonly, liposuction, VASER Liposelection, liposculpturing is performed at the time of Body Lift Plastic Surgery especially around the hips, outer thighs or inner thighs to achieve an aesthetically balanced shape. Buttock enhancement can be included in Body Lift Surgery either with auto-augmentation or Fat Grafting, lipomodelling. What is possible and safe for you will depend on your goals and your individual circumstance.

A: At LBPS, we understand that Body Lift Surgery is an important and daunting decision for you and we aim to support you before, during and long after your surgery. Right from your first contact through to your 1 year follow-up visit, we will provide you with the highest standard of care to minimize risks as much as possible and provide the optimum results for you.

A: Moderate pain / discomfort is expected for 3 – 5 days. Patients can go back to their normal daily activities after 5 days, but avoid strenuous exercise / activity for 6 weeks. It will be necessary to wear a support garment for the first 6 weeks, day and night and the second 6 weeks during the day. The majority of swelling will resolve in 4 -6 weeks but it will take from 6 to 12 months to achieve the final result.

A: The results are first and foremost as natural as possible. The goals of Body Lift Surgery are to restore your proportions to achieve a natural aesthetic appearance with the minimal of risks. The result should boost your self-confidence; allow you to wear the clothes you wish and feel more comfortable.

A: Common to all surgical procedures there are always risks associated with surgery. However, Body Lift Surgery is a significant procedure which has some risks even when performed by a fully qualified and trained Plastic / Cosmetic Surgeon in Hospitals with a high standard of care. The common risks are bleeding (less than 0.5%), infection (less than 0.5%) delayed skin healing, and seroma collection (fluid under the skin). Each of these risks may require revision surgery. Other risks that may occur are poor scarring – hypertrophic or keloid, blood clots – DVT and PE (0.5%), asymmetry, numbness of the skin.

A: The results of Body Lift surgery are expected to permanent if performed in conjunction with a good diet and exercise. However, you should be aware that if you gain weight following your Body Lift Surgery, the results of your surgery will not be optimal.

A: At the present time there is not an alternative to Body Lift Surgery for a person who has significant excess skin and fat in the abdomen and back.