46 yo, 5'4, 138lb - will posterior body lift/buttocks lift after weight loss help? (Photos)

Hi BrFreeman in Elizabethtown,

Thank you for your question regarding whether a posterior body lift/buttocks lift after weight loss will help. Thank you for your history and pictures. Yes, a posterior body lift will significantly help your body shape. This surgery seems like it was tailored for you. Indeed, this posterior body lift is performed on many weight loss patients. During a posterior body lift, an incision is made across the top of the buttocks. The buttock sag or ptosis is corrected. Your buttock shape would also be improved, as well as your buttock skin rippling and dimples.

Often, the posterior buttock lift is performed along with a tummy tuck, resulting in a procedure called a 360 circumferential lower body lift. However, the posterior body lift can also be done independently, or either before or after a tummy tuck. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia. During the posterior body lift, you are placed face down, and an incision is made across the top of the buttocks. Tissue dissection is carried down to the gluteus maximus muscle. The buttock is undermined, and a figure-eight piece of skin and fat is removed from the upper buttocks. Drains are inserted and remain in place for approximately 10 to 14 days. Initial activity is limited. You should not bend at the waist because of undue pressure on the incision. Plan to take off 3 to 4 weeks from work. You should be able to resume some exercises at about 6 to 8 weeks. By 12 to 14 weeks, your exercise level should be able to increase, and by about 16 weeks you should be back to normal exercise routines. Thank you for your great question regarding whether a posterior body lift/buttock lift after weight loss will be beneficial for you.

Sincerely, Dr. Katzen, MD, FASMBS, FICS

You are an excellent candidate for a posterior lift. This will help improve the buttocks crease and lift the buttocks higher.

Best Wishes,

Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Allow me to answer your question as best i can based upon your photos. However, please keep in mind that an in-person, or at least a virtual, consultation with physical exam is first necessary before any legitimate evaluation or final surgical recommendations can be made.

Buttock “sagging” is usually a combination of loss of volume or deflation (after weight loss, liposuction, or post-BBL) and/or the effect of aging and gravity. So, I personally first treat patients like you by restoring volume to the buttock with a buttock implant. This will create a more desirable smooth and rounded perky buttock profile. If not adding volume with an implant, the buttock will be shortened but may appear more flat with just a buttock lift. A lower buttock tuck is usually then performed at six months following implants. In this sequence, the implants have fully settled into final position so that any remaining loose skin can be most accurately identified and removed with the lower buttock tuck. Please note, because an extremely few number of board certified plastic surgeons specialize in buttock implants, you may have to travel away from your local area to seek consultation with this particular type of surgeon. Glad to help.

The best procedure to consider would be buttock lift. This includes incision along upper buttock-lower back junction, lift of the buttocks and use of upper buttock tissue to fill and shape upper and central buttocks. Addition of fat grafting would further increase ability to shape and slightly augment buttock/hip area. Hope this helps.

Based on your pictures, it looks like you would be a good candidate for Macroneedling or Collagen Induction Therapy.

Needling or CIT (collagen induction therapy) is an interesting, low-tech technique that is actually very effective in treating the following skin conditions: wrinkles, loose skin, skin aging, stretch marks (striae distensiae) cellulite, hyperpigmentation and scars. I attached a before and after (after only 1 session).

I hope this helps,
best of luck !

A body lift or circumferential tummy tuck typically is used to treat skin laxity of the torso. It doesn’t look like you have a significant amount of skin laxity on your mid abdomen so I don’t think that procedure is going to have an impressive outcome. Have you had previous work done before? I.e. previous Liposuction? It would be very important to know that when making an assessment.
Flabby thighs with cellulite are one of the most difficult conditions to treat and there really are no great treatment options for this.
Individual areas of deep cellulite can be treated successfully Aveli,
The body lift is not going to transfer skin tightening of gluteal fold.
I suggest having multiple in person, consultations with plastic surgeons in your community who had extensive experience with this procedure. During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patients who have similar body characteristics to your own or whatever procedure they are recommending.
Personally, I don’t see an impressive outcome from a body lift based on the information prevented, and there is some evidence of possible previous liposuction? perhaps your thigh is just deflated from weight loss, but to me, it looks like you’re lacking fat in the outer thigh region.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD

Hello,
My suggestion for your situation is to combine the buttock lift (posterior body lift) with fractionated radio frequency technology such as Bodytite to ensure skin retraction and tightening following the buttock lift.