Body Contouring Surgery After Significant Weight Loss
in Tunbridge Wells, Kent
What is body contouring surgery?
Body contouring surgery is surgery to reshape your body and remove loose and overhanging excess skin. It is a crucial part of the journey for patients who have lost large amounts of weight whether from diet and exercise or after bariatric surgery or weight-loss medications as they usually have significant areas with loose skin that causes problems with comfort, clothing, exercise, skin hygiene and body image. After large weight loss, it is transformative and the next stage of the journey for those who have already achieved so much with their weight loss and healthier lifestyle.
What is different after significant weight loss compared to standard body contouring surgery?
After significant weight loss, loose skin usually develops. This can be quite a large amount (more than after smaller amounts of weight loss or after pregnancy) and overhang which is uncomfortable and problematic for clothing, exercise and skin hygiene. It can significantly affects self-esteem and body image. Commonly affected areas include the abdomen, arms, thighs, lower back, breasts, face and neck, Significant loss of volume can also occur in breast tissue and sometimes in the face.
The surgeries to address this can be major and involve long incisions and multiple ares healing simultaneously. After large weight gain and loss, your skin will have been stretched, lost elasticity and will be thinner. This affects wound healing as the quality of skin is reduced. It also means that although your skin will be very tight after surgery initially, it will loosen to some extent afterwards. Sometime additional procedures to address recurrent laxity are needed.
When should you have this surgery?
Body contouring surgery should be undertaken when you are at your goal weight which is a healthy weight for you and your weight has been stable for at least 6 months. Your nutrition also needs to be optimised so that you can heal well.
Caution!
If you are soon after bariatric surgery (gastric balloon, gastric band, gastric sleeve, gastric bypass), are planning to lose more weight or are still significantly overweight, it may not be the right time to have body contouring surgery. A body contouring surgery is reshaping surgery NOT weight loss surgery and is best done at a stable weight. If you smoke or have significant health problems, this will need to be assessed and you may be advised to wait or not to have body contouring surgery.
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What surgery can be done?
Most areas of the body can be treated. The most common procedures are abdominoplasty and body lifts, breast surgery to augment, lift or reduce, thigh and arm lifts, upper back lifts, male chest lifts/reduction and face and necklifts.
Preparing for surgery
If your weight has not stabilised, it is not the right time for surgery. Your nutrition and wound healing will be affected if you are still losing weight. This impairs your healing after surgery. Your surgery results will also be affected if you gain or lose weight after having the surgery. Your weight should be steady for at least 6 months and at a healthy level for you.
Absorption of nutrients from your gut can be affected by weight-loss surgery and the plastic surgery afterwards is often major. This requires more calories and nutrients than for normal day to day life. Ahead of surgery, you should optimise your diet and treat any known nutritional deficiencies. Ms Nugent may advise specific supplements around the time of surgery to aid wound healing.
Consider which areas you would like treated and the order of priority. Plan your recovery including help when at home and time off work. Consider the psychological impact of this surgery and the recovery. Bear in mind that after significant weight loss, a series of surgeries may be needed to address different areas (some can be combined but not all).
After surgery
You will usually have tapes on the incisions. You will need to wear a support garment for 6 weeks. Body lift surgery or significant combination surgeries usually require one night in hospital. The other procedures may be planned as day case or overnight procedures. You can shower with care after 48 hours.
Recovery
You will be advised to gently mobilise carefully the first week or two. On average 3 weeks off work are needed. No heavy lifting or strenuous activity is allowed for 6 weeks. Some forms of exercise can be restarted at 4 weeks. Most exercise is restarted at 6 weeks. Driving is not allowed until you are safe to perform an emergency stop. Recovery can be longer in some cases particularly if combination procedures have been done. Individual procedures will have specific factors about their recovery as well. (more details on their separate webpages)
Complications
Unfortunately, complications can occur after all surgery and you need to be aware of this. Ms Nugent will do her utmost to reduce your risk as much as she can. This includes the health and procedure advice she gives you before surgery, the care and precautions she takes during surgery and the advice she gives you after surgery. Some of the complications that can happen include slow healing, infection, bleeding, poor scarring, asymmetry, problems with the belly button or suture junction areas, pain, numbness or sensitivity in the skin, contour irregularities, seroma (fluid build-up), internal organ damage, clots in the legs and lungs, recurrence of loose skin and persistent puckering along the scar.
Body contouring surgery after significant weight loss is at higher risk of wound healing problems due to the long incisions and due to skin quality and nutritional problems that can occur after large weight gain and loss and bariatric surgery. This can be demoralising unless you understand ahead of time that this can happen and why. It may mean longer than planned to heal with dressings in place or other wound treatments.
Successful surgery
Most patients who undergo body contouring surgery after significant weight loss are very pleased with their results and find it transformative and life changing. Success depends on being prepared for your surgery, choosing the right procedure, the surgery itself and recovering well. All steps in the journey are crucial!
Download the detailed information booklet on this page to read more about plastic surgery following significant weight loss. Visit the specific procedure pages on this website that may apply to you to read further and book a consultation to discuss your individual circumstances with Ms Nugent! There are information booklets available to download from the procedure pages as well.
Download BookletBook a consultation to discuss your individual circumstances with Ms Nugent!
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