Bethesda Body Lift doctors

	Joseph Michaels, MD Bethesda Plastic Surgeon 11404 Old Georgetown Road Suite 206 , North Bethesda		7 answers
	Nia Banks, MD, PhD Washington DC Plastic Surgeon 8116 Good Luck Road Suite 215, Lanham
	Marwan R. Khalifeh, MD Chevy Chase Plastic Surgeon 5454 Wisconsin Ave Suite 1710, Chevy Chase
	C. Coleman Brown, MD Bethesda Plastic Surgeon 5454 Wisconsin Ave. Suite 1250, Chevy Chase
	Douglas L. Forman, MD Bethesda Plastic Surgeon 11210 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda

Recent Answers

Can a Full Body Lift Be Done in Seperate Surgeries Instead of One? I recently went to get a consultation from a plastic surgeon and he informed for the best to get most benefit would be to get an upper and lower lift, a circumferentual body lipectomy.

A: Staging body contouring surgeries

Every surgeon has their own preference for combining or separating procedures. I prefer to separate upper and lower body lift procedures. The main reason for this is that the tension for the lower body lift is in the opposite direction as the tension for an upper body lift. Since the procedures pull against one another, I feel I cannot optimize the tension for either procedure meaning you may have some residual skin laxity. The advantages of staged procedures is that the surgeries are shorter and the recovery quicker and it will also give the opportunity to make any revisions to previously performed surgeries if needed. The down side is that it may cost slightly more to do separate surgeries and you need to take time off a second time.

I hope that helps. Good luck

Dr. Joseph Michaels

Joseph Michaels, MD

Bethesda Plastic Surgeon

How Much Weight to Lose Before Body Lift? I am a 41 yr old female and I weigh about 285 lbs. My height is 5 ft 9 in. How much weight must I lose to have a Body lift?

A: How much weight loss before lower body lift

There is no ideal amount of weight loss required to have a lower body lift. In my practice, I wait for patients to be weight stable for at least 3-4 months. The main reason for this is that if you continue to lose weight you will continue to have skin laxity in the future which will compromise your result. As each person body i different I do not have a BMI cutoff, but I generally like patient to have a BMI < 33 to be considered a good candidate for a lower body lift. Body lifts can take up anywhere from 8-15 lbs off depending on the amount of excess skin and fat that will be removed. Good luck with your continued weight loss. Don't rush into the surgery, it is worth the wait.

Joseph Michaels, MD

Bethesda Plastic Surgeon

Body Lift vs Smart Lipo I am 63 years old and in medium condition and within the average weight category. at my age, I am worried that the lipo may leave sagging skin.. I would like feedback on these options

A: Body lift vs liposuction

You hit the nail on the head. Liposuction removes the excess fat from a given area, but will not remove the excess skin. Liposuction relies on the skin's own elastic properties to tighten following the removal of the fat. If there is skin excess already present or the skin has lost its ability to "snap back" then liposuction is not a good option. In patients that have gained and lost significant weight and in older patients, the skin has lost some of its elastic property, so a body lift may be the better procedure for you. To determine which procedure will give you the results you desire, see a plastic surgeon that has a lot of experience performing lower body lifts. Good luck.

Joseph Michaels, MD

Bethesda Plastic Surgeon