Would a belt lipectomy (lower body lift) help me? (Photos)

After the massive weight loss you have developed a severe degree of saggy skin on buttocks, outer thigh, inner thighs.You will be a great candidate for a Lower Body lift which will help to lift the buttocks and lifting of the outer thigh it will be a bit more complicated because you have the combination of a lot of volume (liposuction will be needed) and saggy tissues specially on the right side. Also you must acknowledge that the Tummy Tuck incision ends very high and the LBL will need a much more lower incision, so you will end up with double incision on your sides. Inner thighs will need a Vertical Thigh lift because the problem is an excess of width, not of length. Be encouraged. You have started already a great journey.Dr. Cardenas

Hello, and thank you for your question regarding whether a belt lipectomy, or lower body lift, would help address your concerns. First, congratulations on your weight loss journey and taking steps to improve your body contour after bariatric surgery. Based on your history and photos, here’s a detailed breakdown of how a lower body lift could help.

You currently have excess skin and fat in the hips (outer thighs), buttocks, and inner thighs, which are common after significant weight loss. Let’s address each area individually:

Hips (Outer Thighs): To correct the loose skin on your hips, an extended incision would be made, typically using the scar from your previous panniculectomy. This incision would be extended towards the buttocks to remove excess skin and fat in a horizontal elliptical shape, effectively lifting the lateral hip area. This procedure is part of a hip lift or reduction, which improves the outer thigh but does not address inner thigh concerns.

Buttocks: A buttock lift would involve extending the incision over the buttock area, connecting it to the hip lift incision. This helps tighten and reshape the buttocks, removing excess skin and giving a more lifted appearance.

Inner Thighs: The inner thighs require a separate procedure called an inner thigh lift or reduction. This involves liposuction of the inner thighs and a vertical incision from the groin partially down the inner thigh. It’s important to note that this incision does not need to extend to the knees unless the excess skin is significant.

A lower body lift combines procedures like the hip lift, buttock lift, and, if needed, an abdominoplasty to address the 360-degree lower torso and hip area. Since your panniculectomy has already addressed much of your abdominal area, you might only need the hip and buttock lift without a full circumferential procedure.

For the inner thighs, you could choose to combine this with your lower body lift or schedule it as a secondary procedure, depending on your goals and recovery preferences.

These procedures are typically performed under general anesthesia, and you should plan for a recovery period of about 3-4 weeks. Combining surgeries like this allows for comprehensive results while minimizing the total downtime.

Based on your photos, I believe you’d see excellent results with these treatments. Your surgeon can further customize the plan based on your priorities and preferences.

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

A lower body lift will provide a nice thigh lift and a buttock lift and reduce your cellulite in the mid to upper thighs. In some cases, you can reduce the need for an inner thigh lift. In other cases, the thigh lift incision can be reduced and the longer incisions avoided altogether. You can view photos of these procedures in the link below.

A procedure to lift your buttocks and outer thighs could easily be done in one stage, perhaps with some liposuction where needed. See a surgeon experienced in the special needs of weight loss patients.

Thank you for your question!, a thigh surgery could correct the lower flaccidity of the thighs and a liposuction can be performed around the hips to reduce fat.

Hello and thanks for posting your question and photos!First, congratulations on achieving and maintaining results from weight loss surgery!Based on the photos you posted, you would be a good candidate for a lower body lift type procedure. The results of this procedure are often appreciated most in the lateral (or outer) thigh and buttock areas. The results do NOT translate to the inner thighs. Medial (or inner) thigh lift operations are designed to address this area. I would definitely recommend that you meet with a qualified, Board certified plastic surgeon to discuss the recommendations for procedures and expectations that are individualized to you and your journey.Best wishes!

Thank you  for your question. A belt lipectomy is a circumferential abdominoplasty and is extremely useful in gastric bypass patients. Basically your hips are removed as a wedge of fat extending down to back fascia, if your buttocks is sagging some of this can be used on its blood supply to fill up a saggy buttocks. It also helps with lateral thigh sagging by raising that tissue. Once the back side is down we turn you over and address the front with a formal abdominoplasty rather than a panniculectomy. This involves removing all skin and fat from just above your bellybutton down to and including your panniculectomy scar. Then all the fat and skin on the abdominal wall is raised to the level of your rib cage. This exposes the rectus muscle and the fascia is the tightened basically creating an internal girdle that makes the belly firm and flat. All the upper abdominal skin and fat are pulled down to the lower incision and now the entire abdomen is covered with skin and fat from the upper abdomen which makes the upper abdomen flat as well. Its a good procedure and a good one for you but will not address the medial thigh. I would do the belt first and see how you look, address the medial thigh separately, you'll recover more easily and may get away with less surgery on your medial thigh. Hope all goes well with your surgery should you pursue it.

Best wishes
Rebecca Jackson M.D.

A lower body lift will help with the loose saggy skin around your belly, outside of your thighs and your buttock area.  It will not help with the inner thighs.  Direct excision through a medial thigh lift would be necessary to fix that.  Hope that helps!

Hello and thank you for your excellent question. You are a great candidate for a lower body lift. I suggest adding a medial thigh lift to address the extra skin on your inner thighs. Preoperative visualization and surgical simulation with the Crisalix system may help with your decision. Any treatment plan should be based on a detailed discussion with equal input from both you and your surgeon.    Make sure you specifically look at before and after pictures of real patients who have had this surgery performed by your surgeon and evaluate their results.   The most important aspect is to find a surgeon you are comfortable with. I recommend that you seek consultation in person with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon. Good luck! 


Best,
Jon Ver Halen, MD FACS 

Harvard educated plastic surgeon

Hello and thank you for your question. I noticed that you already have had a tummy tuck. A lower body lift helps the ousted of the thighs  UT not inside. Since you have had a tummy tuck may I suggest a procedure that will lift the buttocks and augment then and take care of the thighs.  You see, I see many patients like yourself and the best way to go from there is to perform an extended thigh lift with an incision below the knees up to the groin then up along the groin all the way across your hips, upper buttock to the midline at the top of the butt crack.This takes care of the lax buttock outer thighs and inner thighs.Peter Fisher M.D