Will Lower Body Lift Remove Some of my Tattoo?

When patients undergo lower body lift surgery, significant amounts of skin are often removed from the back. When tattoos are located in this area, they are often removed. It's virtually impossible in your particular case, to know if your tattoo would be removed without pictures. For this reason, it's appropriate to consult a board certified plastic surgeon who can make this determination.

Dear Annisa,
This is a difficult question to answer without examining you in person.  Typically, when I perform a 360 body lift, I do not remove much skin over the buttock crease.  However, as I extend the incision toward to the hips, more skin and fat is removed.  The more excessive the skin, the more that is removed. I would guess, if you had a 360 body lift, the portion of your tattoo closest to your hips would be removed slightly and the portion of your tattoo over the buttock crease would be unchanged.  I do not believe that your tattoo would be pulled down because the vector for the 360 body lift pulls the buttock upwards, not really downwards.  Good luck on your weight loss journey. 
SIncerely, Dr. Katzen

If you are indeed a candidate for lower body lift, the incision runs from the tip if the gluteal crease along what would be a thong or g-string panty line, communicating with the same bikini-line scar from the front tummy tuck portion of the beltlift. Depending on the lowest extent of your tattoo at the buttock crease and upper buttock-hip areas, it may end up being partially included in the excised skin. If so, the tattoo can always be re-inked after complete healing!   

Yes, it does sound like your tattoo would be affected somewhat.  In the design of the body lift, typically more skin is excised in the zone over the middle portion of the buttock, and somewhat less in the midline of your back.  The amount of tattoo removal would, of course, correspond with the amount of skin removal.  You could re-ink the missing portion of your art at a later date, though. 

 

All the best!

The fate of your tattoo really depends on the exact placement of it, and where you want your scar to end up.  Based on what you've written, it sounds like i would elect to remove part of it because the scar (that I typically would create) runs right through that area.  On the other hand, if you chose to have a scar that was higher along the waistline (above the panty line) then you might be able to keep the tattoo.  Again, I have NEVER done this because scars should be hidden by typical bathing suits and undergarments, but it is an option if you wished.