Body Contouring After Weight Loss

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In Fort Wayne, Body Contouring Can Help Your New Shape Emerge

After you’ve successfully lost a great deal of weight, whether through diet and exercise or weight reduction surgery, you can be left with a substantial amount of excess skin that simply won’t shrink to your new size.

In Fort Wayne, Indiana, a body contouring procedure can help. Body contouring procedures, also performed in the Angola and Warsaw areas, can create noticeable results. Major body contouring is conducted through a series of several procedures, possibly including:

• Arm Lift
• Thigh Lift
• Breast Lift
• As well as the excision of excess skin around the midsection.

Body contouring might include the neck, back, buttocks, knees, and ankles as well.

Through these steps, you can be free of the sagging skin that’s holding you back from enjoying the new, lighter you. Body contouring after major weight loss can allow you to be more physically active, helping you maintain your new weight. Clothes will fit better, and you’ll feel better as you finally shed the last vestiges of the old you. It’s the final step in your transformation!

Before Your Procedure 

Knowing what to do and what to expect before your surgery will make for the best possible outcome.

If you’re a smoker, you will be asked to stop smoking well before surgery. You may need to get lab testing or a medical evaluation to take certain medications or adjust your current medications. You will need to avoid aspirin and certain anti-inflammatory drugs before surgery because they can cause increased bleeding. Dr. Lee will provide additional preoperative instructions.

Your surgery will be performed at the fully accredited Southwest Surgical Suites. Be sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after surgery and to stay with you at least the first night following surgery.

General anesthesia is often used, though intravenous sedation may be an option depending upon your procedure. Dr. Lee will recommend the choice most appropriate for you.

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Your Procedure 

Body contouring surgery varies greatly depending upon the individual. Your surgery might include a series of procedures such as an arm lift, thigh lift, breast lift, or addressing other areas of your body. These procedures may be performed at once, or they may be performed in stages.

Depending on how much skin to remove, your incisions may be extensive. Whenever possible, those incisions are concealed in the natural folds of your body. Small tubes may be inserted under your skin to help drain excess fluid.

After Your Procedure 

When your surgery is complete, you’ll be taken into a recovery area, where you will be closely monitored. You may be wrapped in compression garments to reduce swelling and smooth and support your tissue, or these may be added later.

You’ll receive detailed instructions for your post-surgical care, including drains if they’ve been used. You’ll go home in just a few hours unless you are admitted to the hospital for your procedure. You will need a caregiver to drive you home and to stay with you for the first 24 hours to watch for signs of complications.

You will be encouraged to walk beginning the day after your surgery. You may notice some temporary numbness in the area of your surgery. You’ll return to our office for weekly visits where Dr. Lee can monitor your drains and sutures and assess your progress.

Your incisions may not completely heal for a month or longer, and small scars will remain. You likely will have to wear a compression garment for the first month. You should be able to resume normal activities after four to six weeks. If you experience shortness of breath, chest pains, or an unusual heart rhythm, seek medical attention immediately.

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Understanding the Risks

 Dr. Lee is a board-certified plastic surgeon with decades of experience. But every plastic surgery comes with risk. The possible risks specific to body contouring after major weight loss include:

• Unattractive scarring
• Bleeding
• Infection
• Fluid accumulation
• Poor wound healing
• Skin loss
• Blood clots
• Numbness or other changes in skin sensation
• Anesthesia risks
• Skin discoloration and/or prolonged swelling
• Fatty tissue found deep in the skin might die (fat necrosis)
• Major wound separation
• Asymmetry
• Recurrent looseness of skin
• Pain, which may persist
• Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications
• Persistent swelling in the legs
• Possibility of revisional surgery

One of the keys to successful body contouring is maintaining open communication with Dr. Lee and adhering to pre and post-surgical requirements. Please share any concerns that you might have with Dr. Lee.

Results of Your Procedure 

Diet and exercise can do wonders but can’t affect the sagging skin left after a major weight loss. Thanks to body contouring, however, you can finally take that last step toward achieving the shape that reflects your new health.

The results will be visible almost immediately, and your appearance will only continue to improve as the swelling subsides. As long as your weight remains stable, your results will be long-lasting. You’ll find a healthy, active lifestyle easier to maintain thanks to the physical freedom that body contouring can offer. Clothes will fit as they should. You will regain normal proportions. And you’ll notice a boost in confidence as you uncover a smoother, more trim you.

The key to truly successful body contouring is maintaining an open line of communication with Dr. Lee. He and his team are eager to respond to your questions and can help provide skin care to maintain and enhance your results—they are your partners in achieving the results that you seek.

Sources: The American Society of Plastic Surgeons; The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Frequently Asked Questions about Body Contouring After Weight Loss

Request a Consultation 

If you are considering body contouring, the first step is to meet with Dr. Lee. He will take the time to get to know you and talk about what you hope to achieve with body contouring.

Be prepared to share your medical history, including previous surgeries, medical conditions, drug allergies, and current medications. Dr. Lee will conduct an exam to assess the elasticity of your skin, take measurements of the areas of your body to be treated and take photos for your records.

It is important that you be as close to your ideal weight as possible before undergoing body contouring. If you lose weight after your procedure, your skin will again be loose and sag. If you gain weight after your procedure, you will stretch your tightened skin, resulting in stretch marks; causing wide scars along your incisions; and possibly undoing the results of your body contouring. Before undergoing this procedure, you should be committed to a healthy diet and exercise.

Talk to Dr. Lee if you’ve undergone bariatric surgery. He can determine when you’re best ready for body contouring.

Your body contouring may be conducted in stages, depending on the number of procedures needed to achieve your final goal. Dr. Lee can help prepare a plan for you during your consultation.