Weight Loss After Body Lift

Question

If I lose weight after my body lift procedure, will the skin become loose again? I'm not really planning on losing extra weight after my surgeries, but if I were to lose weight during the recovery period (I hear body lift recovery is pretty harsh), would that ruin the work?

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS · Answer

During the healing period, you will have reduced activities, and modest fluctuations in weight (up or down) should not affect your overall result to any great degree. That being said, if you have not yet reached a healthy plateau in your weight, it is best to defer surgery so you will get the best result possible.

	As far as "harsh," I have been doing outpatient body lifts in our accredited office surgical facility for 13 years, and we have over 250 body lift cases during this period of time (obviously, more recently). Our patients often walk (assisted) to their cars, and every patient is expected to return the next day for recheck. Patients are up and moving around, and often require no strong pain medication after a few days. Some require longer; every patient is different.

	What you need to know is that body lifting does NOT HAVE to be a "big operation" requiring hospital stay or expensive inpatient care and surgery. I believe that not exposing patients to other sick patients or hospital bacteria is a significant benefit of outpatient surgery that forces patients to be up, active, and moving around, which further reduces the risk of blood clots.

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question regarding losing further weight or weight loss after your body lift procedure. If you plan on losing weight, I would suggest you lose the weight before your body lift procedure. Once your weight is stabilized for at least three months, you are ready for a 360 circumferential lower body lift. If you lose weight after the body lifts, your skin will shrink-wrap around your new body. It is exceedingly rare that patients lose so much weight that they will need a revision after their 360 circumferential lower body lift. The body lift should be performed by an experienced board-certified plastic surgeon who has performed hundreds of body lifts. If performed correctly, the 360 circumferential lower body lift should give you a lifetime of permanent results. These permanent results should last even if you have permanent weight loss. 
Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

Richard J. Bruneteau, MD · Answer

When weight loss occurs following lower body lift surgery, the response varies from patient to patient depending upon a multitude of variables. When weight loss is relatively minor, the vast majority of patients don't notice changes in their bodies. In contrast, significant weight loss can result in the development of loose, saggy skin.Under these circumstances, revisional lower body lift surgery may be necessary. For these reasons, we generally recommend that patients be within 10% of their ideal body weight before proceeding with lower body lift surgery. When this approach is taken, the need for secondary revisional surgery is markedly decreased.

Christopher K. Patronella, MD, FACS · Answer

This is highly
dependent upon how much weight is lost. A modest weight loss of 10 to 20 pounds
can enhance tummy tuck results. A 50 pound weight loss, on the other hand,
could negatively impact the skin tone over the abdomen and other areas. It is
best to be at a weight that can be maintained before pursuing body lift
surgery.

Ritu Chopra, MD · Answer

One area where pre-operative screening is key is when making plans for body lifting. I need to know that they have achieved a weight within 10% of their goal. For example, if the realistic goal is 150 pounds, then 165 is okay but 175 is not. Body lifting is a big step. We (the patient and I) need to be sure that it is a single step and not just the first rung of a staircase that may never end. The best policy is: Do it once and do it right!

Paul Vitenas, Jr., MD · Answer

Depending on your size before a body lift, some weight loss after the procedure can improve the result. If you have already lost the majority of your weight and you have the surgery a small amount of weight loss will not affect the result. However, if you are just starting the process of weight loss and have a body lift to jump start the process then additional weight loss will improve the result. Often patients elect to have liposuction to improve the total body contour at the time of a body lift.

William Bruno, MD · Answer

Ideally you should try to maintain your body weight after a body lift or any body contouring procedure (tummy tuck or arm lift).  The reason for this is to maintain your skin tone and not loosen the tight result which was obtained during your surgery.  A mild amount of weight loss (10 lbs) if done gradually, should not affect your result too much.  However a larger or more sudden amount of weight loss can possibly compromise your cosmetic result.

	Discuss this in more detail with your plastic surgeon prior to planning your body lift.

	Best wishes,

	Dr. Bruno

Morgan E. Norris, III, MD, FACS · Answer

The simple answer to your question is yes your skin could
become loose again with significant weight loss after any surgery.  If this happens, revision procedures can be
done to excise the loose skin at a later time.  I recommend my patients wait 6 months before having any revisions done
because if revisions are done too soon, the risk for the need of another
revision procedure increases.  As far as
the recovery process after a body lift, every patient is different so what
someone considers pretty harsh someone else would consider mildly uncomfortable
but during your recovery it is possible that you could lose a few pounds if
your food intake lessens after surgery.  However, in my experience most patients do not lose enough weight during
their recovery period to have an effect on the long term result of their body
lift.  Be sure to research only board
certified plastic surgeons in your area.  Then schedule a consultation for a thorough exam to confirm you are a
candidate for a body lift.Be well and good luck!@norrisplastic

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.

	You should be at your baseline / stable weight prior to having surgery.  During the recovery process, you may have some weight gain/loss and that does not affect the results (usually not more than 10 pounds), but if you lose a significant amount of weight after any type of surgery then it will affect the results.  After the tummy tuck surgery, if a patient loses 15 pounds or more, they will notice loose skin.

	The recovery process is very important (and a bit difficult) but as long as you have realistic expectations and someone to help you through the recovery, you should be fine.

	Best Wishes

David L. Abramson, MD · Answer

If you loose or gain significant amounts of weight following post bariatric body contouring your results could be affected. That is why we like patient to maintain there weight for at least 6 months prior to undergoing these procedures. If you did loose weight there may be a need to remove additional skin

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