Body Lift: Q&A
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What is the Typical Recovery from a Lower Body Lift?
I'm considering whether to get a tummy tuck or body lift and maybe some skin reduction on thighs if possible. I am currently a 157lb., 6'1", 27-year-old male, and I have lost ~100-110 lbs. over the past two years. I have some excess skin that has not responded to weight loss. It's worst in the abdomen/butt/thighs (mostly on the sides of the body). My major concerns are recovery time and danger of complications from the operation (is a body lift significantly more dangerous than a tummy tuck)? I wouldn't be able to miss more than 2 weeks of work. Thanks.
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19 Doctor Answers |
Asked by
engineer506
in Washington, DC
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Recovery from Body Lift is More Demanding than an Abdominoplasty Alone
The lower body lift tightens the buttocks and back of the thighs, hips and outer thighs, and abdomen and inner thighs by removing a band of tissue circumferentially from the spine in back to the abdomen in front.
This limits bending forward, bending backwards, and bending side to side. Frequently, 6 to 7 drains are placed under the skin to remove serum fluid, which may build up and stretch the skin. Sitting, lying, and transferring from one position to another is limited by the incision...
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Ann Arbor Plastic Surgeon
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Body Lift Recovery
If your general health and fitness level are good, it is possible that you will be able to return to work during your second post-operative week, depending on your job description from a body lift. It is recommended that you not lift more than ten pounds for a few weeks. Furthermore, another requirement for returning to work is that you are no longer taking narcotic pain relievers. Whether you would benefit most from a tummy tuck or a body lift would be determined at your...
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Recovery From a Lower Body Lift
Some people would recover from a lower body lift and be able to return to work in two weeks, but for many that would be cutting it too short. Being in good aerobic conditioning and having good nutritional status after weight loss can make recovery easier. Having good personal support and a relatively stress free time period can also enhace recovery. Most people experience fatigue for 4-6 weeks after the surgery even though they nay be able to perform...
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Circumferential Tummy Tuck or Lower Body Lift - Dallas, TX
I lost 137.5 through diet and exercise, it took 5 years to loose. My goal was that once I...
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Body lifting recovery
Thank you for your question.
A lower body lift is a large surgery and would require more than 2 weeks off of work (In my opinion). It would be best to visit with an experienced board certified plastic surgeon who has experience with weight loss patients to get the best advice. It is best to schedule surgery when you have time off for proper recovery, otherwise you may cause unwanted post operative complications.
Best Wishes!
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Lower body lift recovery time.
Thank you for your photos. It appears you have a relatively small amount of skin which actually hangs although the skin may be loose in other areas. If you are concerned about the loose/hanging skin of your abdomen, sides and the buttock area then a lower body lift, which lifts and rejuvenates the entire trunk would give you the best result. I routinely do this as a single operation in approximately 4 hours. There is one night in the hospital and recovery is 2 - 4...
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Lower body lift
The surgery to perform a circumferential procedure usually takes me between 4-5 hours. The recovery time for the patient is usually about 1-2 weeks. The drains may stay in as long as 3 weeks and come out in as little as 1 week on average.
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Abdominoplasty or Loer BodyLift
The picture you posted only shows your abdomen and based on this photo you look like a great candidate for an abdominoplasty.
For the laxity you mention of your buttocks and thighs a Lower Body Lift would be the procedure of choice.
However, as my colleagues have mentioned, a Lower Body Lift is much more involved and has a longer recovery. If you can not take more than two weeks for recovery I would suggest limiting your surgery to the abdominoplasty. You can have the thighs and...
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Lower Body Lift Versus Tummy Tuck
The recovery form a lower body lift and a tummy tuck procedure are completely different. A lower body lift encompases 5 to 6 procedures when done well by a plastic surgeon who specializes in this field. Thus the recovery and the down times are much different. Foir a tummy tuck, most patient will need about 2 weeks. However, most of my lower body lift patients will take 3 to 4 weeks to recover before going back to work. Also, the lower body lift has a higher...
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Consider staging the surgery.
Hello,
If you stage the surgery (meaning have less surgery at one time and potentially do the additional work later,) then your risk will be less and your recovery will be shorter. I do this routinely for larger scale operations with an excellent safety record. A two week recovery for a complete lower body lift seems short to me with all due respect to the other surgeons who answered here.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
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Optimizing recovery after a body lift
Body lift procedure if done properly has a high safety profile for most patients. You seem to fit that category, assuming you are not a smoker and not a poorly controlled diabetic. Even if you add a tummy tuck (which in your case most likely would not involve much muscle work), you should be able to drive a care within a week, and back to office type of work within 10-14 days.
In our practice we routinely do isolated lower body lifts on outpatient bases, with patients...
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"Down Time" & "Recovery" are not the same
It is common that I ask my patients to plan on taking one to two weeks off of work to recover from any torso contouring operation. This is known as "Down Time." However, the recovery from this type of operation (in terms of healing, bruising and swelling) is commonly more on the timeline of months. But most patients are able to return to work after one to two weeks, depending on the activity level required with their job.
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Lower body lift options for abdominoplasty - Male abdominoplasty after bariatric surgery
Lower body lifts and male abdominoplasty surgery can be performed with different techniques that yield different results and require different downtimes. I believe that given your situation, a knowledgeable plastic surgeon could develop a lower body lift procedure that roughly fits into the timeline of your recovery expectations.
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Individual variability in Body Lift recovery
Hi there-
As one of my colleagues pointed out, there are Body Lifts, and then there are Body lifts... In other words, the term does not necessarily always refer to the same technique, and variations in technique will cause variance in your recovery experience.
There also seems to be a large variance in individual patient recovery after this procedure... I have had lower body lift patients who would tell you that the three weeks I made them take off of work were excessive and that they were worki
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Body contouring after massive weight loss can be done in stages to reduce recovery time and pain
Hello - Congratulations on your weight loss! It appears as though you're an excellent candidate for a tummy tuck, but I'd need to evaluate you in person to assess how much you would benefit from a lower body lift. The recovery is about 1-2 weeks, and the risk for dangers and complications is minimized with good preventative measures. If you don't smoke and have minimal other medical problems like high blood pressure and diabetes your recovery will be much easier. If you desire a full...
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Two weeks should be enough for lower body lift recovery
It all depends on what you are planning on doing. No strenuous activities would be permitted for 3 - 6 weeks -- working at a computer station might be uncomfortable but you could do it. That is with either a tummy tuck or body lift -- the body lift is more extensive and you might find you need more time to recover.
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2 week recovery from lower body lift
Congratulations on your weight loss.
The image of your abdomen does not demonstrate the excess skin you mention on the "sides" of your body. You would get a very good result from the abdominoplasty based on the image shown.
However, given the amount of weight loss and the comments about your skin, the lower body lift is the operation to address the additional areas of excess in the outer thigh and buttock. The additional surgery makes the recovery a bit longer but drains are out...
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Risks and recovery from lower body lift
Typically I recommend my patients to plan 3-4 weeks off work if they are undergoing a Lower Body Lift. If it were a Tummy Tuck alone I usually recommend 2-3 weeks. (I give a range because everyone is different) some people take longer to recover and some are ready to return to work even sooner.
As far as risks? I wouldn't say that a lower body lift is "significantly more dangerous" but it is a procedure which takes about twice as long and involves surgery on several additional...
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Recovery after lower body lift and return to work
There are body lifts and then there are body lifts. You appear to be an excellent candidate for the procedure and should have a faster than typical recovery from surgery. Having made that statement, I must also advise you that no surgery is without risk and, while a two week recover is possible, you may be moving slow and you may find certain positions uncomfortable. For example, you may find alot of strain on your lower back incision when sitting in a flexed position.
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Lower Body Lift Recovery
The lower body lift or total body lift is a big operation, but the recovery time should not vary a lot from that of a tummy tuck. With the degree of weight loss which you have achieved and your concerns about excess tissue in your buttocks and flanks, a lower body lift will certainly give you a better result than a tummy tuck. Depending on the type of work which you do, 2 weeks off may be insufficient even for a tummy tuck. Congratulations on your weight loss!
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