Lower Body Lift - Better All at Once or Two Separate Surgeries?

I am 39 yrs. old lost 70 pounds. Had a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon recommend for best results a lower body lift as opposed to my originally planned tummy tuck. So far I have decided only on the extended tummy tuck due to fear that the lower body lift is more serious. He also said that I could come back if I decided to in the future to complete the other areas towards a lower body lift. What's the diff. between doing it all at once or seperately as far as safety? recovery?

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15 Doctor Answers | Asked by Sandra1420 in Florida

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One or two stage lower body lift after major weight loss?

Congratulations on your weight loss! Lower body lifting done in a hospital setting with hospital inhalation anesthesia is costly, requires 1-3 days hospitalization (in most cases), and exposes you to all of the "sick" patients and hospital bacteria (can we say "resistant" everyone?) during the time when your incisions have not yet healed, and nurses touch not only you but also those other sick patients. Splitting the operation into two only doubles those concerns!... more

Body Lift Best in One Stage

If you truly feel your backside (hips and buttocks) need correction, then I recommend doing it in one stage. Personally, I feel this allows me to more accurately re-drape and tailor the skin. Pulling the front and sides of the skin up is also easier this way. In fact, most of my body lifts also incorporate a breast lift at the same time. I have two dedicated assistants who help me full-time, so our team is very efficient. Our surgery times are under 6 hours in... more

Tummy Tuck vs. Lower Body Lift- A LOT depends on your surgeon

Hi there- There really is no right or wrong answer to this question, and in the end you should do what you are most comfortable with... It IS important to realize, however, that a LOT of what you might be told about these options (including what you are told here on this forum) is going to be heavily based (appropriately so) on the individual experience of the surgeon answering your question at the time... In other words, some surgeons take 6 hours to complete a tummy tuck and muc more

Lower Body Lift - Better All at Once or Two Separate Surgeries?

Regarding: "Lower Body Lift - Better All at Once or Two Separate Surgeries? I am 39 yrs. old lost 70 pounds. Had a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon recommend for best results a lower body lift as opposed to my originally planned tummy tuck. So far I have decided only on the extended tummy tuck due to fear that the lower body lift is more serious. He also said that I could come back if I decided to in the future to complete the other areas towards a lower body lift. What's the diff.... more

Lower Body Lift v. Extended Tummy Tuck

A lower body lift will give you more skin tightening benefit than an extended abdominoplasty. You may find that it takes out excess rolls in your back, lift your buttocks and may give pull along your thighs and waist line. I do not think the recovery is so much more difficult that it would be worth doing a procedure that gives a lesser result. A careful examination of where your skin is loose might help with the decision, but I would not shy away from the body lift if... more

Multiple Surgeries for a Body Lift

Doing it all at once is a longer surgery with more risks and a longer recovery. The advantage is in recovering only from one surgery. Breaking the body lift up into different stages allows each stage to be shorter and easier recovery, but you do need to have multiple procedures and a separate recovery period for each.

Lower body lift

I prefer a lower body lift in one stage when a patient has circumferential lipodystrophy after massive weight loss. However, if you have any significant medical problems, I will stage the procedre to minimize operative time, incision lengths to heal, and recovery.

Circumferential body lift - 1 stage or two

My preference is to stage this (divide it into two operations). Here's why: 1) When I flex the patient for their abdominoplasty, that could potentially limit the amount of skin I could resect posteriorly, or increase the chance of wound breakdown posteriorly. I want to maximize the amount of skin I can resect at each stage for optimal results, and minimize wound healing problems. 2) Studies show a significantly higher complication rate (DVT/PE,... more

Body lift as a single stage

I prefer to perform a body lift as a single stage procedure because it is easier for the surgeon to do it this way once the tissues are elevated and mobliized.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Body Lift in One or Two Stages?

A Lower Body Lift, also known as a circumferential body lify, is really 3 procedures in 1: extended tummy tuck + waist/lateral thigh lift + buttock lift/contouring. I generally prefer to complete the procedure in one setting. However, there is nothing wrong with coming back to fight another day. If you opt to do your procedure in one stage, then this involves just one recovery. Two stages, of course, necessites 2 distinct recoveries. At the end... more