Contouring your body after weight loss helps boost confidence in your appearance. Losing weight takes time, determination, and hard work. However, many people will have loose and sagging skin, especially on their arms and legs, after losing weight, despite diet and exercise.
Fortunately, arm lift and thigh lift surgery can help contour your body by removing sagging skin and fat not lost during weight loss. At Physique by Pesta, we offer both of these surgeries to help you build self-esteem after losing weight.
Physical Changes That Occur After Significant Weight Loss
Image by Kateryna Hliznitsova is licensed with Unsplash License
When a person gains weight, their skin stretches due to collagen and elastin. However, after losing weight, either through bariatric surgery or lifestyle changes, the skin does not return to its previous shape, leaving loose, excess skin. While select exercises can help to tighten and build muscle, they will not reverse loose skin caused by weight gain. Excess skin often causes distress in someone who’s lost weight. In addition, some people may experience chafing if there is a significant amount of excess skin, causing discomfort. Body contouring procedures can help eliminate these uncomfortable results of weight loss.
What Is Post-Weight Loss Body Contouring Surgery?
For anyone who’s lost a significant amount of weight, arm and thigh lift surgery can bring mental, emotional, and physical relief. Body contouring refines the arms and thighs after the extra skin has been removed. Dr. Pesta will finalize the procedure using a liposuction procedure to remove any remaining subcutaneous fat. In addition, Dr. Pesta can manipulate tissue to help create a more proportionate and defined silhouette.
Ideal Candidate Criteria for Post-Weight Loss Body Contouring
During your body contouring consultation with Dr. Pesta, he will review your health history to help him determine candidacy for arm or thigh lift procedures. Our cosmetic surgical team will take into consideration the following criteria for body contouring procedures:
- Have maintained a stable weight for six to 12 months after weight loss
- Be within 10 to 15 pounds of your goal weight
- Commitment to a healthy lifestyle to help maintain your current weight
- Eating well-balanced, nutritious foods
- Being a non-smoker
- Having enough excess or loose skin to justify the surgical procedure
- Good tissue quality
- Having realistic expectations of the surgical outcome
- Understand and be prepared for the prescribed healing and recovery timeline
- Willing to accept that there will be scars, which usually fade over time
- Having help at home during the recovery process
How Long Should Patients Wait Before Getting Body Contouring Surgery?
Cosmetic surgeons follow the above-listed criteria as recommendations for how long to wait after weight loss before getting body contouring surgery. If you’re a smoker, consider quitting. Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen in your body, which can interfere with the healing process. Try to stop smoking at least six to eight weeks before surgery.
In addition, surgeons recommend that you have a stable weight for a minimum of six to 12 months. You may want to work with a nutritionist during your weight loss journey and after to help you adopt healthy lifestyle changes that will prevent gaining weight in the future. Once you’ve received medical clearance from your primary physician, book a consultation with Physique by Pesta to begin your body contouring journey.
Surgical Precision and Techniques
When you meet with Dr. Pesta, after a medical review, the doctor will measure the area and draw lines with a marker on the area where excess skin and fat will be removed. On the day of your surgery, you’ll be given general anesthesia.
Using precise tools and surgical techniques, the physician will make an incision in the area and remove excess skin. If there is fat left, the doctor will use liposuction to remove it. Depending on Dr. Pesta’s recommendation, you may choose to get both arm and thigh lifts at the same time, based on your situation and recovery timeline.
Risks and Complications Associated with Body Contouring Surgery
The healthier you are, the fewer risks you face with your brachioplasty or thighplasty surgery. Certain risks include:
- Feeling nausea from anesthesia
- Blood clots
- An asymmetric appearance
- Scarring from the incisions
- Infections from the incisions
- Excessive swelling
- Temporary numbness around the incision area
When you follow your surgeon’s strict instructions for pre-surgery and post-surgery, you shouldn’t have any unexpected complications.
Recovery Timeline After Body Contouring Surgery
While everyone’s healing timeline is different, a typical timeline for recovery includes:
- Expect to stay in the hospital overnight or for one or two days for monitoring and for pain management
- During the first few days at home, you’ll have swelling, pain, and limited mobility
- Within the first two to six weeks, the swelling will be noticeably reduced, strenuous activities will be limited, and you’ll need to monitor wound care and scar management
- After two to six months, you can return to most normal activities, and you’ll begin to see the transformation from the body contouring surgery.
- After six months, you should notice the scars begin to fade, all tissues will be healed, and you can return to normal life and see the final results.
Consider working with our certified weight management specialist to help you keep your weight stabilized after surgery and in the future.
Psychological Benefits and Quality of Life Improvements
Undergoing arm or thigh lift surgery can help build self-esteem and enhance your quality of life. Psychologically, your body transformation from contouring can give you the confidence to keep weight off and live a healthy lifestyle. We also provide metabolic and weight loss solutions to help you lose a few pounds if you do gain some after the surgery. Our nutrition team can also help you make lifelong healthy lifestyle habits to keep the weight off.
Transform Your Physique Today
When you’re looking for body contouring after weight loss in the Mt. Clemens, Michigan area, contact Physique by Pesta for a consultation. We offer post-weight-loss arm and thigh lift surgery to help transform your body and enhance your life.