Body Lift

If you desire a firmer, more youthful-looking body contour, then a surgical body lift may help achieve your goals. It improves the shape and tone of the underlying tissue that supports fat and skin.

A well-toned body with smooth contours often is a sign of fitness achieved by healthy diet and exercise. But exercise cannot always achieve desired results for people who have loose, sagging skin and uneven contours. Aging, sun damage, pregnancy and significant fluctuations in weight as well as genetic factors may contribute to poor tissue elasticity and can result in sagging of the abdomen, buttocks, thighs and upper arms.

Excess Skin

Excess sagging fat and skin are removed to treat conditions caused in part by poor tissue elasticity. In addition, the procedure(s) can improve a dimpled, irregular skin surface, commonly known as cellulite.

A body lift may include these areas:

• Abdominal area, locally or extending around the sides and into the lower back area
• Buttocks, that may be low, flat or shaped unevenly
• Groin that may sag into the inner thigh
• Thighs, including the inner, outer, or posterior thigh, or circumferentially

Is a body lift right for you?

Before you decide to undergo body lift surgery, your weight must be relatively stable.  Women considering future pregnancies should postpone an abdominal body lift since pregnancy may diminish the results.

Good candidates for body lift surgery are:

• Individuals with significant soft tissue looseness in one or multiple body areas
• Healthy individuals who do not have medical conditions that can impair healing or increase risk of surgery
• Non-smokers
• Individuals with a positive outlook and realistic goals for what body lift surgery can accomplish
• Individuals committed to leading a healthy lifestyle including proper nutrition and fitness

What it won’t do: Body lift is not a treatment for obesity or a substitute for proper diet and exercise. It is also not an effective treatment for cellulite, the dimpled skin that typically appears on the thighs, hips and buttocks. It does not correct stretch marks existing outside planned excision areas. Body lifts are also not intended strictly for the removal of excess fat. Liposuction alone can remove excess fat deposits where skin has good elasticity and is able to naturally conform to new body contours. In cases where skin elasticity is poor, a combination of liposuction and body lift techniques may be recommended.

Procedural Steps - What happens during body lift surgery?

Anaesthesia

Dr Vrtik performs body lift surgery under full general anaesthesia to ensure your comfort and safety.

The Incision

Incision length and pattern depend on the amount and location of excess skin to be removed, as well as personal preference and surgical judgment.

A complete lower body lift treats the buttocks, abdomen, waist, hips and thighs in one procedure. A circumferential incision around the body removes an apron of excess skin and fat and repositions and tightens tissues.

Lift and Liposuction

Deep support sutures within underlying tissues are used to help lift the soft tissues. This will help form the newly shaped contours. A combination of liposuction and surgical body lifts may be necessary to achieve an improved contour, especially if disproportional fat deposits are present in the hips and thigh areas.

Closing the incisions

Sutures and skin adhesives are used to close the incisions.

Specific Risks of Body Lift Surgery

The decision to have a body lift is extremely personal and you’ll have to decide if the benefits will achieve your goals and if the risks and potential complications are acceptable. Dr Vrtik and our staff will explain in detail the risks associated with surgery. You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure you will undergo and any risks or potential complications.

Possible risks of body lift surgery include:

• Unfavourable scarring
• Bleeding (hematoma)
• Infection
• Fluid accumulation (seroma)
• Poor wound healing
• Skin loss
• Blood clots
• Numbness or other changes in skin sensation
• Anaesthesia risks
• Skin discolouration and/or prolonged swelling
• Fatty tissue found deep in the skin might die (fat necrosis)
• Major wound separation
• Asymmetry
• Recurrent looseness of skin
• Pain, which may persist
• Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications
• Persistent swelling in the legs
• Possibility of revision surgery
• Sutures may spontaneously surface through the skin, become visible or produce irritation that require removal

Most of the risks are very uncommon, and some people (with particular health problems or specific body shapes), may be at higher risk for specific complications. Dr Vrtik will discuss this with you during your consultation if any of these risks are specifically pertinent to you.

Although body lift surgery can be an effective procedure where the benefits significantly outweigh the risks, like everything in the practice of medicine and surgery, it is not an exact science. The degree of surgical success can be altered by how each individual’s body responds to surgery and healing. Although good results are expected, there is no guarantee. In some situations, it may not be possible to achieve optimal results with a single surgical procedure; revision surgery may be necessary.

Be sure to ask questions: It’s very important to ask questions about your procedure. It’s natural to feel some anxiety, whether it’s excitement for your anticipated new look or a bit of preoperative stress. Don’t be shy about discussing these feelings and any specific concerns with Dr Vrtik or any of our staff members.

Postoperative Recovery

After your body lift procedure is completed, dressings or bandages will be applied to the incisions. Drainage tubes may be temporarily placed under the skin to drain any excess blood or fluid that may collect. Once drainage has decreased, these will be removed and your dressings will be replaced with your garment.

It is important that you have adequate rest after you have been discharged from the hospital. It is recommended that you don’t drive for two weeks and reframe from lifting or heavy activities for at least 6-8 weeks.

To find out more about postoperative care, please click here.

Results and Expectations

The results of a body lift are visible almost immediately. However, it may take as much as one to two years, or more, for the final results of the body lift procedures to fully develop. Scars will remain but this will also fade gradually with time. Migration of the scar may also occur, where its position will not be final until all healing tissue has had time to settle. The overall results are long-lasting, provided that you maintain a stable weight and general fitness.

As your body ages, it is natural to lose some firmness. However, most of your initial improvement should be relatively permanent.

Costs associated with Body Lift surgery

Some components of body lift surgery may be rebatable from your private health insurance. This will depend on whether your symptoms and severity meet the criteria for a medicare item number. Preoperative photos may be required for application to the Medicare Board in some cases. Use the item number when talking to your health insurer; it is also important that you check whether your policy covers plastic surgery.

Vocabulary to know

• Abdominoplasty: A surgical procedure to correct the apron of excess skin hanging over your abdomen.
• Circumferential incision: A surgical incision around the body to remove the “belt” of excess skin and fat and additional incisions that may resemble a bikini bottom pattern.
• Circumferential thigh lift: A surgical procedure to correct sagging of the outer and mid-thigh.
• General anaesthesia: Drugs and/or gases used during an operation to relieve pain and alter consciousness.
• Hematoma: Blood pooling beneath the skin.
• Liposuction: Also called lipoplasty or suction lipectomy, this procedure vacuums out fat from beneath the skin’s surface to reduce fullness.
• Lower body lift: Surgical procedure to correct sagging of the abdomen, buttocks, groin and outer thighs.
• Macerated skin: Excess skin that hangs and becomes wet or infected underneath.
• Medial thigh lift: A surgical procedure to correct sagging of the inner thigh.
• Sutures: Stitches used by surgeons to hold skin and tissue together.
• Tummy tuck: A surgical procedure to correct the apron of excess skin hanging over your abdomen.

(Some Information & Illustrations are courtesy of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons)