Lower Body-Lift Information

A lower body lift is a combination of a number of cosmetic procedures that can improve the appearance of the lower half of the body. The procedure involves abdominoplasty or a tummy tuck, as well as a lift of the thighs and buttocks. The procedure is performed on patients who have had a large weight loss and have excess skin, or for patients who have not had a weight loss but are experiencing significant sagging.

Features

• The lower body lift offers patients who have lost a large amount of weight the ability to restore firmness and tone to their body. When a patient loses a lot of weight, the skin will sag and excess skin leaves the body looking less toned that exercise does not rectify.
  The candidate who will benefit from a lower body lift is one who is in reasonably good shape and has lost a significant amount of weight. When exercise fails to produce results, cosmetic surgery can bring tone back to the body.

Considerations

• Patients may want to wait before having the surgery until all the weight is lost. Some doctors recommend losing additional weight before performing a lower body lift. While it is possible to have the surgery without losing weight, if additional weight is lost after the surgery, it might be necessary to repeat the procedure.

The Procedure

• The lower body lift involves an incision that is made across the waistline of the patient and down the thighs. The doctor removes the excess skin and pulls the skin tight for effective body contouring. This allows the doctor to create a smoother and more toned look on the abdomen and thighs of the patient. A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, must be included with the lower body-lift procedure.
  The incisions are made in areas that will be hidden by clothing and in natural folds of the skin. The doctor removes fat and excess skin and stitches the incisions in place. Bandages and a compression garment protect the incision area after the lower body-lift surgery.

Recovery

• Patients leave the hospital with surgical drains in place. They typically spend a night or two in the hospital after a lower body lift. Patients who leave the hospital within a day or two should arrange for someone to be with them when they get home.
  The fluid from the surgical drains is measured daily by the patient. When the amount of fluid is low enough, the doctor arranges to remove the drains in the office. The drains may remain in place for as long as three weeks after the surgery.
  Stitches are removed a couple of weeks after the surgery in the doctor's office as well. Activity is restricted after the surgery, but walking is encouraged the day after to aid in recovery. It may be as long as six weeks before you can return to normal activity.

Aftereffects

• Once the swelling goes down after a lower body lift, the results of the surgery can be dramatic. The excess skin after weight loss will be gone, muscles will appear firmer and stronger, and the abdomen will look toned.