Losing a large amount of weight through bariatric surgery or diet and exercise is a fantastic accomplishment. However, it can also leave you with a large amount of excess skin around the abdomen, arms, thighs, breast, buttocks and face.
This is because skin can lose its elasticity as a result of being stretched over a long period of time. Unfortunately, once this elasticity has been lost, it is unlikely that your skin will shrink to suit your new body shape.
For these patients, Dr Moradi offers a range of procedures like abdominoplasty, arm lift and thigh lift. During your initial consultation, Dr Moradi will work with you to create a tailored treatment plan to help you achieve a more sculpted silhouette.
Candidates for body contouring
The most suitable candidate for body contouring is a patient who has lost a large amount of weight following a weight loss procedure or through diet and exercise. However, if you are considering undergoing treatment, it is important to consider if you:
- Have been sitting at a stable weight for at least a year
- Are considering losing more weight
- Are in good overall health
- Are psychologically prepared
- Have realistic expectations
What areas of the body can be treated with body contouring surgery?
When you lose an extensive amount of weight, it’s generally not all from one area. As Dr Moradi says, this means that your surgery can become a bit of a “shopping list”. In the video below, Dr Moradi explains what areas can be treated during your post-weight loss body contouring surgery.
Treatment Areas
Arms: An arm lift, also known as brachioplasty, aims to treat a patient’s “bat wings” or “tuckshop lady arms”. During this procedure, an incision is made at the armpit and generally extends down to the elbow.
Abdomen: Known as an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck, this procedure removes excess skin around the abdominal area along with tightening the underlying muscles and abdominal wall. An incision is made from hip to hip, just above the pubic area so it can easily be hidden below the pant line. For people who have undergone extreme excess weight loss, Dr Moradi also performs corset abdominoplasty.
Breasts: Dr Moradi offers a range of breast procedures including breast reduction, breast lift with implants, breast augmentation and breast reconstruction. All procedures are designed to keep your body shape in mind to give you a beautiful, natural result. View Dr Moradi’s breast gallery here.
Buttocks and upper thighs: A thigh lift is designed to remove excess skin from the upper leg. An incision will be made along the inner thigh starting at the groin and extending as far as the knee. If a larger amount of skin needs to be removed, a body lift may be more appropriate. This procedure aims to treat both the thighs and buttocks.
Face and neck: Contouring the face and neck after weight loss is similar to a traditional facelift or neck lift. However, you can expect more excess skin to be removed. Seeing that the face and neck is a very visible area, Dr Moradi needs to plan each incision carefully to make sure any scarring is concealed. This is something that will be discussed in your initial consultation.
Possible risks of body contouring
Before you undergo surgery, it is important to understand that all forms of surgery carry risks. Some risks associated with body contouring include:
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Separation of incision
- Skin laxity (looseness)
- Skin (tissue death)
- Seroma (a lump caused by fluid build-up)
- Deep vein thrombosis (blockage caused by a restriction in a vein)
- Pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung)
- Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
- Pneumonia
After your procedure, you should also expect some swelling and bruising and soreness around the incision area. Dr Moradi is a specialist plastic surgeon and will use his expertise to minimise scarring. However, because he will be making surgical incisions, scarring in this type of surgery is unavoidable.
Reasons why you may need more than one procedure
Body contouring post-weight loss needs to be conducted in stages to minimise complications. Although some surgeries can be combined, like an arm lift with breast surgery, combining too many surgeries can be unsafe.
During your consultation, Dr Moradi will work with you to form a suitable treatment plan to address your needs in a safe, efficient manner.
Touch-up surgeries are also often required at a later date as your skin can become lax after surgery or you may continue to lose weight.
Recovering from a body contouring procedure
Post-weight loss body contouring is a complex procedure so expect to take a significant amount of time to recover. Immediately after your surgery, tubes are placed in the wound to drain excess fluid and you will experience some discomfort. Dr Moradi may prescribe you something to help control any pain. It is normal to experience some swelling and bruising. This will begin to subside between two to four weeks post-op.
About Dr Moradi – Specialist Plastic Surgeon
“I am a consultant plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon working as a visiting medical officer at Prince of Wales, Royal Women’s and Sydney Children’s Hospitals, and an associate lecturer at UNSW Medical School.
Having studied medicine at UNSW as a Sam Cracknell Sport and Academic Scholar, I was then awarded Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2005 and Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic surgery.”
Learn More about Dr Moradi.
Body contouring post-weight loss surgery, Sydney
Having large amounts of excess skin after weight loss can cause a range of issues like limiting mobility, rashes, infections and a host of other medical and hygiene problems.
Unfortunately, once you have lost skin elasticity, it is likely that you will need to have it surgically removed. If you would like to evaluate your options, book a consultation with Dr Moradi. As a specialist plastic surgeon, he will work with you to create a personalised treatment plan to help you achieve your goals.