Surgery for Smoother Contours in Austin
We congratulate patients who have successfully completed a massive weight loss program. It can be disappointing to be left with sagging excess skin and lingering pockets of stubborn fat. A body lift in Austin, TX at Austin Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery can help you complete the transformation you've worked hard to accomplish.
Austin Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
- Known for natural-looking aesthetic results in breast reconstruction and cosmetic surgery.
- Elected by peers for inclusion in Texas Monthly's Texas Super Doctors®: Rising Stars listing.
- Reconstructed over 6,000 patients, including more than 2,500 DIEP flap reconstructions.
- 4.9-star average rating over hundreds of reviews for reconstructive and cosmetic surgery.
What is a Body Lift?
A body lift is a series of customized cosmetic surgery procedures that work together to address your individual body's areas of concern. It is a major surgical procedure, and as such it is important to choose a surgeon with the artistic skill to deliver an aesthetic result, and who also prioritizes safety, using evidence-based best practices both in the operating room and in postoperative care.
Download Our Cosmetic Surgery Post-Operative Care Guides
We've compiled detailed post-operative care instructions to best equip our cosmetic surgery patients throughout their recovery process. To ensure the best and safest recovery, your plan encompasses appropriate prescriptions and clear directions towards maintaining your comfort to get you back to normal life and activity as soon as possible. Individual patients respond uniquely, and the type of procedure may differ, but these basic guidelines will help you along your journey.
What Does an Upper Body Lift Involve?
An upper body lift is one or more procedures that sculpt the contours of the areas above the midsection. This series of procedures may include an arm lift, breast lift and back lift. The upper body lift may be an outpatient procedure performed under general anesthesia and through the most discreet incisions possible. The procedure may take two to three hours, after which you'll remain in a monitored recovery room for an hour or two while your anesthesia wears off.
Significant weight loss can leave you with loose, saggy, or redundant skin across the back, breasts, or chest area as well as on the backs of the arms and under the armpits. The excess tissue may no longer be fat but it can continue to detract from your natural contours. It can be uncomfortable and cosmetically concerning. The upper body lift can be the final step in achieving your major weight loss goals!
What Does a Lower Body Lift Involve?
A lower body lift can address various areas from the midsection on down. Also performed as an outpatient procedure using general anesthesia, the lower body lift may include a tummy tuck, thigh lift, buttocks lift, or belt lipectomy. The different techniques that may be involved in your lower body lift can eliminate redundant, sagging skin and make it much easier to feel comfortable in a variety of different types of clothing. The removal of excess tissue can sculpt the body and also improve overall hygiene in the area.
Can I get a Full Body Lift?
In some situations, it's possible to combine some of the upper body lift procedures with lower body lift techniques. Your board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon can discuss the ideal approach based on important factors in your case. A full body lift may sound like a procedure that lifts the entire body. In actuality, it is a customized treatment plan that involves specific techniques to sculpt localized areas of the body, such as the thighs and buttocks, the abdomen, and the backs of the arms. Your full body lift won't look like anyone else's! It will be customized to your needs and goals.
What is Recovery Like after a Body Lift?
Your recovery timeline may vary based on the type and number of procedures that are included in your body lift. Generally, we anticipate that patients will need about two weeks off work, maybe more. During that initial recovery period, you may need to take prescription painkillers to manage your comfort. You will need to walk several times a day for about five minutes each time but will have specific activity restrictions in place based on your procedures. For example, if you have an arm lift, you will be limited in how you can reach and move your arms. After a body lift, it may take about six weeks to receive full clearance for exercise and more strenuous activities.
You can expect your plastic surgeon to provide you with very clear post-operative instructions that will help you recover well after your body lift.
Am I a Candidate for a Body Lift?
Body lift procedures are ideal in many situations. You may be a candidate if:
- You've lost 30 percent or more of your body weight and have loose, saggy skin.
- Are in good general health and do not smoke.
- Have developed a healthy lifestyle that will sustain your weight loss and surgical outcome.
- Have realistic goals and a healthy outlook on your weight, life, and potential surgical results.
Your Body Lift Experience
Whether or not the body lift surgeries will need to be performed in a hospital setting or as an outpatient, as well as the necessary recovery time, will depend on which procedures are being performed. Many patients can expect two separate sessions to complete their procedures. Some patients will choose to stage their procedures, pairing an arm lift and an abdominoplasty together, and later undergo a thigh lift with a breast lift. During your initial consultation, we will listen to your specific goals, working with you to devise a personal treatment plan.
Patients can also choose a body-contouring procedure such as an arm lift, thigh lift, butt lift, or breast lift to focus on one specific area.
Contact Austin Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery to discuss a body lift in Austin, TX. Set up a consultation by calling (512) 815-0123 or sending a message online
