Having loose skin often is a consequence for patients who lose extreme amounts of weight. This excess skin can be unsightly, making a person who has lost weight still feel self-conscious while also making the weight loss less visually obvious.
Here's the good news... if you have achieved significant weight loss, you do not have to live with that loose, excess skin. Expert cosmetic surgeons, like our Doctors here at GLOW Surgical Arts, can perform a body contouring procedure to tighten loose skin and improve the shape of your midsection.
Get the 411 on body contouring procedures
Body contouring refers to an entire category of cosmetic surgery procedures that can improve the appearance of areas where excess fat or excess skin are present. A body contouring treatment can be completed on patients who already are at their normal weight or who achieved extreme weight loss through a regimen of diet and exercise or a surgery such as a gastric bypass.
Before undergoing any type of body contouring procedure, the patient preferably will remain at a stable weight as close to their ideal weight as possible for at least a full year. Weight fluctuations can affect the end aesthetic results of a body contouring, which may even require a secondary procedure.
Know the risks of a body contouring.
Like most cosmetic procedures, body contouring is a major surgery. Many of the complications can occur during wound healing, such as infection of the wound, wound breakdown, and seroma formation. Any issue with wound healing or scar tissue likely will require undergoing a revision procedure at a later date.
You also must make sure you are healthy enough to undergo a procedure of this type. Patients who have gone through extreme weight loss may also have developed other conditions due to their previous weight. These conditions may include, for example, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and diabetes—all of which could cause complications during a surgery.
Before any work begins on a body contouring procedure, you should have your overall health evaluated by your cosmetic surgeon, who ideally will conference with your regular physician. Anyone who smokes should quit before undergoing a body contouring, to reduce the risk of complications during wound healing. In fact, you should be totally nicotine-free for at least six weeks before undergoing any type of cosmetic surgical procedure. The review of your health also should include a nutritional assessment, as patients who had weight loss surgery often must deal with nutritional deficiencies that could hinder the healing process..
To learn more about any of our other body contouring treatments, call (650) 241-2209 to schedule a consultation.
Located in Redwood City, GLOW Surgical Arts offers expert cosmetic surgery services to patients throughout the Bay Area.
