Body Contouring Following Major Weight Loss
So you finally acheived your weight loss goal. Fantastic!!
Yet, even after acheiving an ideal body weight, many men and women struggle with excess skin after significant weight loss that can hinder their final results. Therefore, post weight loss body contouring procedures are increasingly becoming part of the weight loss health and fitness journey. The key is to plan your procedure just right to maximize your results.
Before your post weight loss body contouring procedure, you should reach and maintain your target weight, be in good health, have realistic expectations of body contouring preocedures, and consult a board cerified plastic surgeon. All of these things will help you acheive your best possible outcome. Let's go through them one at a time.
Reach Your Target Weight and Maintain a Stable Weight
Ideally, you should first reach (or come as close as possible to reaching) your target weight prior to deciding to move forward with body contouring procedures. Whether you have achieved major weight loss through bariatric surgery or through diet and exercise, it is also important that you are able to maintain a steady weight long-term. Significant weight fluctuations can negatively affect your outcome after body contouring.
Be in Good Health
Most people who are in general good health and who can maintain a stable weight are good candidates for body contouring after weight loss. However, if you have recently had bariatric surgery, your body has had to adjust to your new diet and the way in which it absorbs nutrients. Therefore, if you are a post bariatric surgery patient, you may be lacking in some nutrients vital to your postoperative recovery and your surgeon may obtain preoperative laboratory tests to insure your body is ready for your body contouring surgery.
In addition to being in good general health, it is vitally important to maintain healthy eating habits in the preoperative and postoperative periods. You will need to make sure that you are fueling your body with the right foods it requires to properly heal and recover.
Have Realistic Goals and Expectations
For most people, the primary goal of a body contouring surgery such as abdominoplasty after major weight loss is to remove uncomfortable and unsightly excess skin and tighten the abdominal musculature. With the addition of liposuction, your procedure could also address small areas of stubborn fat that often accumulate in areas such as your hips. Other body contouring procedures such as mastopexy (breast lift), brachioplasty (arm lift) or thigh lift are also often used after significant weight loss to maximize the aesthetic outcome after acheiving an ideal body weight.
However, body contouring procedures do have limitations. For this reason, it is important that you have clear, realistic goals about what body contouring can and cannot do for you before moving forward with plastic surgery.
Consult a Board Certifed Plastic Surgeon
If you feel that you are at a good place in your weight loss journey to start planning for body contouring, the next step is to consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Dr Grasee or Dr Bergman can help you plan the most appropriate body contouring timeline for your unique situation, as well as explain your options and help you decide which procedure(s) might be right for you. Contact us.
