After Weight Loss Body Contouring

Complete Your Body Transformation

A body contouring procedure is a wonderful way to surgically sculpt your form and eliminate sagging skin due to significant weight loss. Perhaps weight loss with or without the Gastric Balloon has transformed your life for the better and likely cleared you of a whole host of health risks with one annoying caveat: loose and sagging skin on both your body and face. Beating obesity and fitting into clothes you haven’t been able to wear for ages is definitely a boost for the ego. If you look in the mirror only to see loose skin hanging from your body, you may not feel your transformation journey is complete until you do something about it.

The experienced team of board-certified surgeons at Plastic Surgery Specialists (PSS) regularly perform a number of body contouring procedures that may be needed following massive weight loss. We serve the San Francisco Bay Area with premium aesthetic services. Contact us to discuss how to give your look a lift. Call 415-925-2880. 

PSS offers virtual consultations so you can start the final stage of your transformation journey from the comfort of your own home!

What Is Body Contouring After Weight Loss?

If you have undergone a transformational weight loss of 100 pounds or more, your journey may only be half over. After losing a lot of weight you still may have loose, heavy folds of skin left as an unpleasant reminder of your former self.[1]

PSS can remove the extra skin and improve the shape and tone of your whole body. There are several types of aesthetic plastic surgery to help you gain a trimmer, firmer shape. 

Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) 

Abdominoplasty, or Tummy Tuck as it’s commonly known, is a body contouring procedure used to remove loose skin at the abdomen. This procedure also surgically tightens the abdominal wall. As this area is the underlying structure that has been stretched, no amount of strengthening can fix the problem. Transformational weight loss can leave your belly skin looking like a deflated balloon. Unfortunately, once your skin is overstretched, it doesn’t bounce back on its own. Excisional surgery like abdominoplasty, to fix the abdominal wall structure and remove excess skin, is the surest way to get the most gratifying results.   

Full Body Lift

Many post-weight loss patients require a comprehensive approach to their sagging skin. A Full Body Lift is all-inclusive contouring from your knees to your shoulders. Be sure to discuss your full range of skin-tightening options with the team at Plastic Surgery Specialists. Many of our facial rejuvenation and body contouring procedures work well together, and we can easily perform them all at once or in a sequence.

Arm Lift

Go sleeveless. You’ve earned it. An Arm Lift will restore your right to bare arms. This procedure trims your skin to hug your biceps and eliminates the skin that hangs from your upper arms.   

Liposuction

It is likely that your facial rejuvenation or body contouring procedures will involve a little Liposuction. For your surgeon, liposuction is another excellent tool to sculpt your silhouette. We use a vacuum-powered cannula to reduce stubborn pockets of fat from around the neck and body. We may also deploy a couple of controlled injections of Kybella for more delicate fat removal around your face and chin. Kybella is a synthetic form of deoxycholic acid that melts fat like butter on contact.

About Post-Weight Loss Facial Rejuvenation

Dramatic weight fluctuations can overextend your skin’s natural elasticity. Many people who have conquered obesity often find themselves facing a new challenge in the form of rolls of saggy skin. 

Collagen is a structural protein that gives skin its supple, springy responsiveness when we are young. Dermal collagen naturally degrades as we age. Moreover, your stretched, post-weight loss skin also adds to signs of aging. If you look in the mirror and see wrinkles, deep creases, and skin laxity, it may be time to consider a facial rejuvenation procedure to help match your newly rejuvenated, slimmer body with your face.

Our medical spa, SpaPSS, often becomes a part of a true rejuvenation for the skin on the face. The PSS doctors surgically tighten the skin and underlying structure, but the collagen and elastin-boosting procedures offered at SpaPSS are key components to a truly transformative facelift. We include a laser treatment with all of our facelift procedures because of the superior results it provides.

Curious about our other procedures? Visit our blog for the inside scoop on everything we do at PSS.

Facelift (Rhytidectomy)

A Facelift, also known as Rhytidectomy, is an excisional surgery that tightens loose skin and muscles in the face. Rhytidectomy contours your visage, tightens your profile, and reigns in the troublesome turkey neck that sends you reaching for turtleneck sweaters as soon as the weather turns cool. A full facelift is actually a combination of several contouring procedures that PSS surgeons customize for each individual patient. Your full facelift is as unique as you are. It encompasses a possible mix of target areas that are calibrated according to your personal aesthetic objective[2]  and may include:

• Forehead Lift
• Eyelid Surgery
• Mid Facelift 
• Lower Facelift

QuickLift

If you only need a little lift, QuickLift may be for you. QuickLift is a mini facelift with fewer incisions and a shorter recovery time. QuickLift’s overall results are more subtle, but the most dramatic changes are targeted at the lower face and jawline.

Brow Lift & Blepharoplasty

Our Brow Lift (or forehead lift) tightens the skin at the forehead and helps to open the eyes by lifting the skin above. A Brow Lift corrects wrinkles on the forehead and can help lift droopy eyes to fully reveal your eyes again and prevent the heavy, overly tired look. This procedure is often paired with a blepharoplasty to fully open up both the brow and eye areas. 

Eyelid Surgery

Eyelid Surgery (blepharoplasty) is often paired with a brow lift to enliven your ocular area.[3] Droopy eyelids can bunch up making you appear exhausted and even interfere with your vision. Blepharoplasty can be performed on the lower lids, the upper lids, or both. The goal of both upper and lower eyelid surgery is to restore the youthful appearance of your eyes, making them look larger, so you appear more rested and refreshed.

Neck Lift (Platysmaplasty)

After losing significant weight our jowls and neck skin can begin to sag making us seem older. A Neck Lift, also called Platysmaplasty, tapers the skin along your jawline to bring your profile into focus. Platysma banding, also known as “turkey neck”, can become more prominent as well as horizontal and vertical bands develop in the neck. A neck lift corrects these issues to provide a more youthful and refreshed appearance. 

What Does Body Contouring Cost in the San Francisco Bay Area?

Your aesthetic self-improvement plan is tailored specifically for you. During your consultation, we will assess your case and hear your story. Our safe, state-of-the-art surgical center is conveniently located in the San Francisco Bay Area, in lovely Greenbrae, California. Our office offers cutting-edge technology and highly experienced staff. Plastic Surgery Specialists is a partnership between Dr. Stanley G. Poulos and Dr. Yngvar A. Hvistendahl. Our surgeons have decades of experience and work as a team on larger procedures to ensure the safest outcomes and world-class results. The board-certified surgeons at PSS are leaders in the field and enjoy combining efforts to ensure that patients reach their aesthetic goals.

At your personal consultation, we will work with you to create a customized treatment plan and provide you with a cost estimate. Financing options are available, so your dreams are within your reach.

Does Insurance Cover Body Contouring After Weight Loss?

Insurance may cover a portion of your body contouring procedure. It depends on the extent of your symptoms and how exactly they may affect your overall health. As a rule, insurance does not cover cosmetic procedures. However, some insurance companies will cover body contouring surgery if you have issues with rashes or sores related to excess skin.

FAQ

References

1. Staalesen, T., Olsén, M. F., & Elander, A. (2013). Experience of Excess Skin and Desire for Body Contouring Surgery in Post-bariatric Patients. Obesity Surgery, 23(10), 1632–1644. doi: 10.1007/s11695-013-0978-z
2. Grover, N., & D’Souza, A. (2013). Facelift Approach for Parotidectomy. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 148(4), 548-556. doi:10.1177/0194599812475221
3. Moody, B. R., & Weber, P. J. (2005). Blepharoplasty and Brow Lift. Surgery of the Skin, 673-689. doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-02752-6.50047-x