Is Body Contouring Right for You? What It Can (and Can't) Achieve

If you’re left with excess skin after losing a lot of weight through GLP-1 medications or bariatric surgery, or you simply want to reverse the effects of age or childbirth, you can change your appearance through body contouring procedures.

Body contouring generally refers to a group of surgical and nonsurgical procedures that eliminate fat and tighten loose skin. Depending on what you want to change, these procedures can alter the appearance of your breasts, stomach, buttocks, arms and legs.

What Are the Common Types of Body Contouring Procedures?

Nonsurgical options, including laser treatment and injections, can deliver modest improvements. But more dramatic results are achieved through a variety of surgical options, including:

• Breast lift: Also known as mastopexy, a breast lift can rejuvenate breasts that have become saggy or droopy. Your surgeon may remove excess skin, tighten surrounding tissues and change the shape of your breasts – through reduction or enlargement.

• Tummy tuck: Also known as abdominoplasty, this procedure removes excess skin and fat from your midsection, with the goal of flattening your abdomen. A mommy makeover combines this with some form of breast contouring surgery.

• Butt lift: This procedure alters your buttocks by removing skin and reshaping with fat harvested (through liposuction) from other parts of your body.

• Arm lift: Also known as brachioplasty, the procedure removes excess skin and fat from your arm, making it look smoother and more defined.

• Thigh lift: Similar to brachioplasty, this procedure targets excess skin and fat deposits in your inner thighs.

What Are the Benefits of Body Contouring After Weight Loss?

Body contouring offers significant benefits if you’re dealing with the aftermath of massive weight loss. The various procedures are great for removing the extra skin left behind. This is more than just a cosmetic issue – that skin can cause rashes, fungal infections and other medical issues.

But there are also self-esteem considerations. On one hand, there is the pride that comes with dropping 100 pounds or more through diet, exercise, GLP-1 medications or surgery. On the other hand, the drooping skin actually looks more unnatural than being heavy. Having your outward appearance match how you feel inwardly can do wonders for your confidence.

The procedures also excel at the spot removal of stubborn fat that hasn’t responded to diet or exercise. Liposuction and other techniques can remove or destroy fat found in your hips, buttocks, belly and your abdominal love handles.

What Are the Limitations of Body Contouring?

Body contouring isn’t the starting point in any weight-loss journey. If you are looking to lose 50 or more pounds, you need more than cosmetic surgery. Starting with diet, exercise and other weight-loss methods will give you the best long-term gains.

The amount of weight you’ve lost will also help determine if body contouring is right for you. Some people simply haven’t lost enough weight yet, so they don’t have enough loose skin to make the procedures worthwhile. Consider a patient who has dropped from 300 pounds to 250 pounds. At that point, they still have more work to do. Otherwise, they are unlikely to be happy with the results.

These procedures also cannot deal with fat deposits that occur inside your abdominal walls, known as visceral fat. This type of fat is found deep inside your body, where it wraps around your internal organs. It is also known as “active fat,” as it plays a role in your body’s active functioning. It is normal to have visceral fat, but it can increase your risk for heart disease and other medical conditions if you have too much of it.

If you are considering body contouring, start by talking with a board-certified plastic surgeon. The popularity of these procedures has exploded in the past 10 years. But keep in mind that these are major surgeries that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

This content is not AI generated.