Beauty Doc Blog

November 19.2008

In order to improve the appearance of the lower body, specifically the buttocks, abdomen and thighs, many people are opting for a body lift, or lipectomy.  This procedure is done, in most cases, to remove skin and excess fat from these areas after an individual has experienced extreme weight loss, but it can also help in cases of aging skin or recent child birth.

Not everyone is suitable for a body lift.  The prime candidates are those who have been able to maintain a stable body weight for at least the previous 3 months, but usually the past 6 to 12.  They must be active in a healthy lifestyle, which includes both diet and exercise.  Those individuals who have had a gastric bypass or similar procedures are recommended to wait on the body lift for at least a year to allow their body time to recuperate.  Also, women who have plans to have children are usually advised to wait until after giving birth to undergo this procedure.

The procedure for a body lift is normally performed in a hospital.  There are some outpatient centers that have licenses to perform a body lift in-house, however, but you should ensure that the proper accreditation is in order.  The surgery usually takes anywhere from 4 to 7 hours, and the patient is put to sleep with general anesthetics for the entire operation.

As each patient’s needs are different, the procedure will follow a different order based on the targeted areas and the individual’s situation.  However, in most cases the surgeon will begin by removing excess fat and skin from the stomach/abdomen areas.  Skin is removed from the bellybutton to the public area, and the abdomen wall muscle is usually tightened.

The doctor first makes a horizontal incision across the pubic area of the body.  He or she lifts the tissue in the area from the bellybutton to the pubic bone in order to remove any excess fat and trim the skin in that area.  This is when the walls of the abdomen will be tightened.  Once this area has been cleaned, the skin from just above the belly button is brought down to the pubic area and sutured together.  The bellybutton often requires some repositioning.  This same procedure is repeated with some modifications for other areas that require work.

Some patients require more fat that is normally removed, so liposuction is usually performed directly before this procedure in those circumstances.  All of the incisions are made to be as inconspicuous as possible, so that the only results of your surgery will be positive ones.