Surgery After Weight Loss

Post-bariatric plastic surgery has helped many overweight men and women from Dallas-Fort Worth, Grapevine, Frisco, and other nearby Texas communities transform their lives and bodies through significant weight loss. Bariatric patients work hard to reshape their bodies through diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. Unfortunately, as the body shrinks down to its new, healthier size, the skin does not necessarily shrink along with it. Most post-bariatric patients are left with excess skin, which detracts from their hard-earned new physique.

Post-Bariatric Plastic Surgery Before & After Photos

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Putting the Finishing Touches on Weight Loss

Due to the increased popularity of bariatric surgery and other options to achieve significant weight loss, we have seen a rise in the demand for plastic surgery for people who want to remove areas of excess skin. Men and women who have achieved such inspiring results in their quest to look and feel better often find that loose, sagging skin prevents them from truly enjoying their new and improved bodies. Surgical removal of this excess skin through a body lift or another body contouring procedure can help you look better and feel better.

Body Contouring Cosmetic Surgery for Weight Loss Patients

Many patients who have lost significant weight require more than one body contouring procedure, or a combination of body contouring and breast procedures, to attain their desired results. Below are summaries of the procedures that our surgeons perform to help you achieve your ultimate self-improvement goals.

  • Arm Lift, or brachioplasty, addresses redundant skin and fat hanging off the upper arm. Through an incision that runs along the back of the arm from the elbow to the armpit, brachioplasty can take away that extra skin, leaving arms with a more desirable contour.
  • Buttock Lift raises the contour of the buttocks and removes excess, sagging skin through well-concealed incisions. This procedure is usually a component of the lower body lift and is often performed in conjunction with a thigh lift.
  • Body Lift can address the folds of loose, sagging skin around the torso. Effectively a combination of an abdominoplasty, outer thigh lift, and buttock lift, the body lift is sometimes called a “circumferential abdominoplasty” or “belt lipectomy.” Patients may opt for a lower body lift, upper body lift (breast lift with an arm lift procedure), or a total body lift (upper and lower body lift as well as a facelift.
  • Liposuction can help shape and contour remaining deposits of fat in areas such as the arms, neck, chin, waist, hips, and thighs.
  • Breast Surgery, such as breast lift or breast reduction, can tighten sagging skin and restore a firmer, more pleasing shape to the breasts.
  • Tummy Tuck, also known as abdominoplasty, removes excess skin from the midsection while sculpting and flattening the abdomen.
  • Facial Surgery procedures such as facelift and neck lift can get rid of sagging, wrinkled skin and give the face a more youthful appearance.
Experience Matters
Meet The Doctors

Get to know Dallas-Fort Worth plastic surgeons Dr. Michael A. Bogdan and Dr. Roger W. Cason of 2301 Plastic Surgery. They are highly credentialed surgeons who share a passion for their craft and a genuine concern for each patient's personalized care.

Lower Body Lift Procedure

After a massive weight loss, a lower body lift is typically the first operation chosen by patients on their road to full rejuvenation. This combination surgery often has the most noticeable overall change in body shape and is performed in one trip to the operating room. The procedure takes 4.5 to 6 hours to perform. It can occasionally be done on an outpatient basis, but we often recommend patients stay in the hospital overnight for closer monitoring.

The operation is performed under general anesthesia and starts in the prone position (lying on the stomach) to address the flanks and buttocks. The excess skin and underlying fat are removed, the buttocks and posterior-lateral thighs are lifted, and this smooths the back and buttock region.

Patients are then repositioned to the supine position (lying on the back), and an extended abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) is performed. All excess skin from the waist to the ribcage is elevated and stretched to smooth the contour, and the excess is removed. A new belly button is created during this portion of the surgery. During skin elevation, the abdominal wall is exposed, and the muscular components of the abdominal wall are tightened to strengthen the core musculature.

The resultant scar from a lower body lift travels along the torso at the level that a belt is normally worn, hence another name for the operation: belt lipectomy.

Lower Body Lift Recovery

Recovery and exercise restrictions are similar to that of a tummy tuck. Discomfort is moderate and can be managed with oral medications. Walking after surgery is strongly encouraged. Patients must maintain a semi-flexed posture for approximately 7 to 10 days to allow for initial scar healing. Dr. Cason and Dr. Bogdan let their patients begin light cardiovascular exercise three weeks after surgery and normal levels at 6 weeks.

Your Next Step

At your initial consultation, our surgeons will take the time to go over all your post-weight loss plastic surgery options. They will work with you to determine which procedure or combination of procedures will best achieve the results you desire. Typically, post-bariatric patients must undergo a series of procedures over the course of several weeks or months. Occasionally, surgeries can be combined, but since many of the procedures require extensive incisions, we must evaluate them on a case-by-case basis.

To meet with Dr. Bogdan or Dr. Cason about your surgical needs, request a consultation online, or call us at (817) 442-1236 to schedule an appointment.

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