Lower Body Lift or Extended Abdominoplasty?

Thank you for your question and photo.  Most folks who have lost a substantial amount of weight have a large amount of extra stretched out skin.  The lower body lift takes away more of the lax skin than does an extended abdominoplasty.  The lower body lift improves adjacent areas including buttock, back, lateral thigh, abdomen, pubis and inner thigh.  An extended abdominoplasty works well for the right body type, but usually a greater contouring is possible with the LBL.  Arrange for an in person exam with a surgeon certified by the American Society of Plastic Surgery and experienced in weight loss  surgery, so that you can decide on the best plan for yourself.  Check their website for before and after photos.

A variety of options are currently available for treating excess trunk skin following massive weight loss. The specific procedure chosen is dependent upon the patient's anatomic findings and aesthetic goals.Unfortunately, there continues to be some confusion regarding the terminology utilized to describe these procedures. Abdominoplasty describes procedures that are utilized to remove excess abdominal skin while simultaneously tightening the abdominal muscles. When the abdominal incision is extended into the flank region, an extended abdominoplasty is performed. When the procedure is extended circumferentially around to the back, a lower body lift is performed. Excision of excess back skin results in the buttock being lifted in an upward directionAlthough your pictures are helpful, they don't demonstrate the degree of buttock sag. For this reason, it's difficult to make a recommendation without additional pictures or a physical examination. Based on your history and a single picture, I believe you would benefit from either an extended abdominoplasty augmented with liposuction of the hips or a lower body lift.If you're considering this type of procedure, it's appropriate to consult a board certified plastic surgeon with experience in this area. This surgeon should be able to formulate a treatment plan that addresses your anatomic findings and achieves your aesthetic goals.

Thank you for your question. A consultation would help determine which of the following procedures is the right one for you:1)
Traditional tummy tuck: Reduces a great amount of skin laxity,
tightens the abdominal wall muscles and keeps the incision hidden in the
underwear line.2) An extended tummy tuck: Same as a tummy tuck, but helps to reduce more skin laxity around the flanks.3)
A corset tummy tuck: Adds a vertical scar and breast fold scar, but
reduces a significant amount of vertical skin laxity in addition to the
horizontal skin laxity and creates the most hour-glass type figure.
Downside is more visible scar4) A belt lipectomy (or lower body
lift) helps lift the outer thighs and buttock in addition to the
benefits of an extended tummy tuck.Options
3 and 4 usually have a significant amount of skin laxity that is being
addressed. I would recommend visiting with a board certified plastic
surgeon who can spend time with you to explain the different options in
more detail.