Body Lift: Stories

Dr. LoMonaco is an excellent surgeon and one of THE most experienced in working with patients who have had massive weight loss. I had a lower body lift 6 weeks ago and am still in the process of healing and follow-up care but have been extremely pleased with his expertise, his caring, down-to-earth manner, and his respect for me as a patient.

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery a little more than 2 years ago and have lost about 114 lbs. This left me with a lot of excess skin around the abdomen, thighs and buttocks which I wanted removed. I was really anxious about how bad the scars would look and whether I would have any difficulties with healing all that incision line. While I am still in the healing process, so far all has gone well.

There is pain during the first week but Dr. LoMonaco does everything possible to keep it under control and it was, that part was not as bad as I had feared. My scars are still obviously in the process of healing but already I can tell that they will be nice and thin and clean.

Be prepared for parts of your skin to feel numb afterward, this changes over time and has also not been as bad as I had anticipated. You will wear a support garment (like a girdle) afterwards to give compression and decrease swelling, and this is helpful and not that uncomfortable.

I love the fact that already I can wear regular underwear without having hanging skin making me look lumpy! I have not had a flat stomach for so many years, it is really amazing! I recommend asking lots of questions, talking to others who have had this surgery - it is certainly a big one with a relatively long recovery. On the other hand, I was less exhausted after this surgery than after my RNY, probably because I was in better health this time and could go back to eating "normally" after the surgery. So the recovery has actually been not as bad as I had feared, though you'll definitely need to take it easy for awhile and don't push yourself too hard.

You also have to be patient with the swelling - you won't totally see the end result for awhile, and I need to remind myself to be patient since I am only 6 weeks out! Results are worth it, I am totally glad I did it. Would be glad to answer any other specific questions.

UPDATE 4-27-13
After healing from my LBL surgery in September, I was delighted with the results for my abdomen and torso, and Dr. LoMonaco did remove a lot from my thighs and as much as possible from the buttocks. However, the skin on my thighs did not fully adhere back to the underlying muscle tissue as it should have during the healing process, and Dr. L and I decided together that a follow-up surgery would be beneficial in correcting this problem. So, I had a second surgery with him in March, and am now nearly recovered from that, with a very good improvement. He did not charge me for the second surgery and covered part of the hospital costs as well. Despite the fact that it would have been better not to have had to have a second surgery to get a complete result, the issue I had was not anyone’s fault, it was just the way my body healed, and Dr. LoMonaco’s care for me has been exemplary in every way. I have not paid him anything since the initial surgery and yet have been seeing him as often as needed since then, sometimes once every week or two, to ensure that I was healing properly. Let me tell you – when you first think about choosing a surgeon, you may be inclined to compare costs and what they say they will deliver, as indeed you should, but I am now aware of how critically important it is to know the reputation of the surgeon in terms of how he/she will care for you if everything doesn’t go perfectly, after the money is in their bank account, when you need to be seen more often than expected or to have an unexpected problem solved. These are things you may not think about up front as you envision your “perfect” new body. But I am now even more sure than ever that I made the right choice in Dr. LoMonaco. He has provided excellent, compassionate, responsive and skillful care all the way through this long process, and for that I will always be grateful. I can’t say how it would have been if I had chosen another surgeon, but at this point, I give my highest recommendation to Dr. LoMonaco. I also love Michelle, the massage therapist at Dr. L’s office who does lymphatic drainage massage. She is awesome too!