How Many Inches Are Lost Around the Waist After Body Lift?

Depending on your size before the surgery you will lose, on average, six to ten inches and six to twelve pounds from the removal of skin and fat with a bodylift.  Usually, patients who have lost over 100lbs have less fat in the skin area to be removed so that a specimen will weigh in the three to four pounds from the front and about the same from the back. While the surgeon does the front portion of the procedure he will also tighten your muscles which will also serve to narrow you waist. I usually tell my patients that they will look like they have lost 30-40lbs but when they stand on the scale they will find only a six to twelve pound weight loss.

Hi Flabbyback, Thank you for your question regarding how many inches are lost around the waist after a body lift. Congratulations on your weight loss! Great accomplishment. Thank you for your history. During a 360 circumferential lower body lift, an incision is made from the supra-pubic region (just above the mons pubis), extends over the hips, and joins at the top of the buttocks. Predicting how many inches will be removed during 360 circumferential lower body lift is impossible. However, the dimensions of the removed skin will be about 46 inches long. The width of the specimen will be the distance from the supra-pubic region to the top of the belly button. Good Luck! Be sure your plastic surgeon takes pictures of the specimen and weighs the specimen.
Since the body lift is a big procedure, please seek an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon with significant experience performing the lower body lift. Do your research. Ensure they have performed at least 100 circumferential lower body lift surgeries and have the before and after pictures to prove it. Carefully examine 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 you must. Sincerely, Dr. Katzen, MD. (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, American College of Surgery, and International College of Surgery and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery RealSelf Hall of Fame, and RealSelf Doctor Advisory Board for Medical Review and Consumer Panel.)

Although it's reasonable to anticipate significant aesthetic improvement following lower body lift surgery, it's impossible to estimate the amount of weight or number of inches removed following this type of procedure. It's, therefore, important to thoroughly discuss these issues with your plastic surgeon so your expectations are realistic.

It is not possible to know how many  inches you will loss.  The point is to removed the excess of skin and contour  your body.   In this procedures Liposuction and skin removal are done and the excess of the skin will be removed  to fit your body contour

There is no way to determine how many inches will be removed.  That depends on ow much your plastic surgeon liposuctions.  However most of my patients experience going down aout 2 dress sizes after a body lift surgery.

Hi there-
You should reasonably expect for your shape and appearance to improve after your lower body lift.
It is NOT possible, however, to know how much weight or how many inches you may lose.
Be sure your expectations are realistic, and trust your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

There is no way to predict yoru final inches. There is no formula. However, Iwould not focus on this. You should be very pleased with the results if you have realistic expectations.

Thank you for the question. As you can imagine, there is no "standard" number of inches lost after lower body lifting surgery given that every patient who undergoes tummy tuck surgery is different. Factors that come into play when it comes to answering your question include: overall body type, degree of muscle separation and adequacy of repair (plication), type of surgery performed, amount of adipose tissue present, quantity/quality of life is such an surgery performed, post operative maintenance of diet/exercise program… My best suggestion: select your plastic surgeon carefully. Ask to see lots of examples of similar patients and evaluate their outcomes. Doing so you may be able to achieve a level of expectation that is realistic. Best wishes.

Its really difficult to  answer this question without a formal physical exam.  As you are likley aware, a LBL procedure is essentially 3 procedures in one: extended tummy tuck + waist/lateral thigh lift + buttock lift.  The buttock lift can also include buttock augmentation.  The lateral thigh lift will help contour the lateral aspect of your thighs.  The procedure can taken between 5-7 hours depending on the amount of tissue/skin that needs removal/treatment.  Please see a board certified plastic surgeon to learn more about your options.

Dr. Sugene Kim

Incision length is only what is necessary to get the areas contoured correctly. Body lift success is measured in achieving the appropriate contouring not inches. Speak with you plastic surgeon regarding specifics of your case.