Shedding the extra pounds can have a significant impact to a
person’s health, however, one downside is the formation of excess skin
especially around the midsection, upper arms, and bra line. This problem is particularly common for those
who have lost 100 lbs. of excess weight or more.
Because the redundant skin is quite common among massive weight loss patients especially
in the midsection, lower body lift is one of the most recommended plastic
surgeries for them. With this procedure,
surgeons can target the excess skin along the abdomen (just like in a tummy
tuck), and lift the sagging thighs and buttocks.
With this procedure, it would be like receiving tummy tuck, thigh lift, and butt lift all
at the same time. But one downside is
the relatively long and painful recovery which is common with any invasive plastic surgery.
Lower body lift
requires the use of a circumferential incision that results to a belt-like scar
that fades over time. This will cover
the hips, back, and abdomen of a patient, allowing plastic surgeons to excise
the redundant skin, lift the sagging buttocks and thighs, and contour the
midsection of the body.
Because the surgery is conducted under general anesthesia
which puts a person to sleep, nausea and vomiting are quite common especially
during the first to second day of recovery.
Meanwhile, some doctors recommend IV medications to control such
symptoms particularly vomiting as it can put stress on the surgical incisions.
While some body contouring surgeries such as liposuction and tummy tuck are usually
considered an outpatient procedure, this is not the case with lower body lift
due to its invasive nature. In fact,
most plastic surgeons would likely
recommend several days or weeks of hospital stay so the patients can receive
immediate care in case a complication occurs.
In most cases, patients are only discharged from the
hospital once they are already comfortable with oral pain medications. But still, they should avoid strenuous
activities and heavy lifting for several days to prevent wound reopening and
promote faster recovery.
Despite some discomfort, patients are advised to take a
short, gentle walk and/or perform light activities to prevent blood clotting
and encourage their body to heal faster.
To minimize swelling and promote quicker recovery, plastic
surgeons require their patients to wear compression garments that provide not
just support but also encourage the skin to heal closer to the body, further
defining the midsection.
