A body lift combines several surgeries in one procedure to remove extra skin with poor elasticity and related fat deposits after significant weight loss, often from a bariatric surgery such as gastric bypass.
An upper body lift, lower body lift, or a combination of the two provides the most dramatic body contouring results of any skin tightening procedure, while reducing the discomfort that can be caused by excess skin. Results are immediate and permanent, as long as you maintain a stable weight.Â
As more people have had weight loss surgery, the popularity of lower body lifts has risen by nearly 4,000% over the past 20 years, according to the most recent statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
A full body lift is a type of cosmetic surgery that combines upper and lower body lift surgeries, usually performed several months apart, to give you time to heal in between.
A lower body lift usually includes these procedures:
Also known as a belt lipectomy, a lower body lift is performed via a circumferential incision that runs from the lower abdominal area, around the hips, and across the lower back to the buttocks. For this reason, it's also often called a 360 circumferential lower body lift.Â
A lower body lift doesn't usually include the inner thigh area. Removing excess skin there requires a medial thigh lift, which often is performed after patients have recovered from a lower body lift, says Dr. Paul Fortes, a plastic surgeon in Houston. Inner thigh "corrections are built on the foundations established by abdominoplasty, lateral [outer] thigh lift, and buttock lift."
Upper body lift treatment plans vary by what you need, but they often include:Â
Pros
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The price you'll pay will depend on your surgeon’s credentials and experience, where you have the surgery performed (at a hospital versus accredited surgery center), and the details of your treatment plan.Â
It will also cost more if you stay in the hospital overnight instead of having the procedure performed at an outpatient surgical center.
During your consultation, ask for a personalized, out-the-door cost quote that includes the plastic surgeon's fee, facility fees, anesthesia fees, the compression garment, and any other charges. Follow-up visits with your doctor should be included in the surgeon's fee, but you may need to cover pre-op medical tests out of pocket, if your insurance doesn’t cover them.
Most surgeons offer payment plans or accept third-party financing options, such as CareCredit.
See our complete guide to body lift costs and insurance coverage.
The body lift photos in our gallery have been shared by the provider who performed the procedure, with the patient's consent.
Healthy nonsmokers with excess skin and small pockets of excess fat after losing a significant amount of weight (due to weight loss surgery or a healthy lifestyle) can be good candidates for body lift surgery.Â
“Most plastic surgeons will recommend a BMI of 30 or below to minimize surgical and postoperative complications,“ says Dr. Kenneth Hughes, a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles, California. For patients in this range, studies have also shown body lift surgery to be “safe and effective.” Your doctor can help you create a plan to reach your ideal weight.
You'll also need to be at a stable weight for at least six months prior to your surgery, so your surgeon knows how much excess skin needs to be removed.Â
If you have diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, or another serious medical condition, your primary care doctor may hesitate to sign off on a body lift. These conditions can affect your body’s ability to heal or increase your risk of complications.
Because body lifts combine a number of procedures, you’ll have the best result and safest surgery with a board-certified plastic surgeon with experience in a range of body contouring procedures.Â
During your consultations, find out how many body lift surgeries your potential providers have performed. Ask them to lay out a unique treatment plan for you, and to show you before and after photos of other patients who look like you, so you can get a realistic idea of the kind of results they can deliver.Â
This is a major operation, so it can be well worth the time and fees to consult with more than one qualified plastic surgeon.
The details of your surgery will depend on how many procedures you need to achieve the results you want. In some cases, a patient has either an upper or lower body lift done in a single operation. In others, a body lift is done in several stages, giving the patient time to heal in between.
You should be able to have a smaller surgery done as an outpatient procedure, but more complex operations could require a short hospital stay—possibly up to two days for a 360 circumferential lower body lift.Â
On the day of surgery, the operation itself could last four or five hours and possibly even longer, based on your individual needs. Some surgeons say it’s safer to spread the process out over several days than operate for longer than six hours, though a 2008 study observed patients undergoing two-stage total body lifts at up to 7.4 hours for the first stage and 4.6 hours for the second, with no major difference in complication rates between multi and single-stage surgeries.
During any body lift:
Plan to take a month off work and expect to take it easy for another few months. Because body lifts combine multiple surgical procedures and are customized to each patient, your surgeon will give you the best estimate of how much downtime you’ll need.Â
Their staff will also provide you with detailed recovery instructions, but here’s a general timeline of what to expect.
You’ll see your new shape right after your surgery, but your final results won’t be apparent until all your swelling goes down.
“The majority of the swelling is resolved after three months, but small areas can persist for up to a year to a year and a half,” says Chicago-based plastic surgeon Dr. David Shifrin.
Your scars will fade over the first year. You can help that process along with a scar treatment, once your incisions have healed.
“Body lift results are permanent,” says Dr. Shifrin.Â
You’ll be happiest with your investment if you can maintain a consistent weight, with a healthy diet and regular exercise once you're ready to resume your normal activities.
How much weight you lose after body lift surgery will depend on the specifics of your procedure, but it's possible to lose 6 to 10 inches and 6 to 12 pounds from the removal of excess skin and fat with a body lift.
While that may not seem like much, the improvement in body contour often makes patients look like they’ve had more significant weight loss.
Body lift risks are similar to those of most surgeries, but combining several procedures heightens the chance that complications will develop. “The lower body lift is a major operation,” so it’s important to be prepared, says San Diego plastic surgeon Dr. Tom Pousti.
A 2016 study found the overall complication rate with body lift surgery was 78%. The study stresses the importance of going into the procedure with a “good weight status” and highly recommends that patients not be smokers, as nicotine can compromise healing.
A 2023 study looking at 143 patients who had lower body lifts between 2010 and 2019 found that 29.7% had at least one complication. While most of these issues were minor, 7% required revision surgery.
Your surgeon should talk to you about these risks before your surgery:
Before your procedure, your surgeon should fill you in on all the possible risks, how to minimize them, and any warning signs of a serious complication.
Dr. Pousti counsels patients to “make sure you have a strong and patient support system, are aware of potential complications that may arise, and know how to reach your surgeon, if necessary.”
Dr. Katzen says that scarring after a body lift "depends on your skin color, maximum weight loss, age, and genetics, to name just a few. Other factors that impact your scar include the surgical technique, tension of the wound, and the sutures used."Â
The natural elasticity of your skin can also influence how your scars look.
Body lift scars around the center of your abdomen, hips, and buttocks heal very well, he says, and arm scars are usually very tolerable. "Almost all of my patients would rather get rid of the excess skin inside of their arms and live with the scar than forever live with the excess skin trapped at the arms."
There are a host of ways surgeons can prevent or improve scarring. This includes the application of compression and the use of silicone sheeting or scar creams that contain silicone.Â
"Scars can also be revised if they are unacceptable, though this has been extremely rare in my practice," says Dr. Katzen.
Updated June 6, 2023