Hello, and thank you for your question about a lower body lift and whether it’s better to undergo it all at once or in two separate surgeries. Thank you for your history in your pictures. Congratulations on losing 70 pounds. Your weight loss journey is quite an accomplishment. Upon examining your pictures, you would benefit most from a 360 circumferential lower body lift. The difference between an extended tummy tuck and a 360 circumferential lower body lift is that the 360 circumferential body lift also lifts and improves your hips and your buttocks. During an extended tummy tuck and a 360 circumferential lower body lift, excess abdominal skin and fat are removed. IN addition, the rectus abdominis muscle is plicated, the umbilicus or belly button is relocated, and the mons pubis or FUPA is elevated and reduced. However, with the 360 circumferential lower body lift, the incision is continued around the hips and joins at the top of the buttocks. Thus, the 360 circumferential lower body also lifts and reduces the hips and buttocks. The extended tummy tuck does not. The 360 circumferential body lift surgery takes approximately 6 to 8 hours to complete under general anesthesia. Please allow yourself 3 to 4 weeks to heal. Regarding the extended tummy tuck, the extended tummy tuck surgery takes approximately 4 to 5 hours to complete. The extended tummy tuck has a recovery time of approximately 2 to 3 weeks. An extended tummy, as the name implies, only includes a tummy tuck; an extended tummy tuck does not include the hips or the buttocks. As far as safety is concerned, a solitary procedure, such as an extended tummy tuck, may be slightly safer due to its shorter operative time. However, in terms of safety, the comparison between a lower body lift and an extended tummy tuck with a subsequent surgery for a hip and buttock lift (posterior lower body lift) reveals that the risk is relatively the same. If you have an extended tummy tuck and then have to return for a hip lift and butt lift, it would require two surgeries, two anesthesias, two recoveries and two times off work. Therefore, most experienced plastic surgeons perform a 360-degree circumferential body lift on an appropriate patient who has lost 70 pounds, rather than staging an extended tummy tuck followed by a hip and buttock lift. Additionally, consider that a 360-degree circumferential lower body lift will yield better results with a single surgery, as opposed to an extended tummy tuck followed by a hip and buttock lift. Good luck. I hope I answered your question regarding lower body lift: is it better as one surgery or two separate surgeries? I hope this information helps you in your search for answers regarding the 360 circumferential lower body lift. If you have any further questions regarding the lower body lift, 360 circumferential lower body lift, belt lipectomy, belt abdominoplasty, or belt dermolipectomy, please consult with an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon. Since the body lift is a major procedure, it is recommended that you consult an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon with a proven track record of performing lower body lifts. Do your research. Ensure they have performed at least 150 circumferential lower body lift surgeries and have the before-and-after pictures to prove it. Please carefully look over their before-and-after pictures and check their reviews on RealSelf. If you cannot find an experienced lower body lift surgeon in your neighborhood, consider traveling out of state if necessary. Sincerely, Dr. Katzen, MD, MBA (Aesthetic, Cosmetic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon), President of the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, , and International College of Surgery and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and RealSelf Hall of Fame.)