A growing number of people in the U.S. are obese or overweight. Some resort to bariatric surgery or other major weight loss programs to get rid of the excess weight and improve their quality of life. However, massive weight loss doesn’t guarantee a great body. On the contrary, after significant weight loss, people might struggle with aesthetic issues that only Plastic Surgery can correct. That is why it is quite popular to get Plastic Surgery after considerable weight loss.
What happens to the body after massive weight loss?
While the risk of developing cardiovascular disease decreases significantly after significant weight loss and the overall patient’s health can improve, other issues can arise and cause dissatisfaction.
After considerable weight loss, patients might notice that while the excess pounds are gone, there is still excess skin. The skin that has been stretched to accommodate the excess weight won’t retract on the new body contours. Most patients don’t like what they see even after they have reached their ideal weight. There is saggy skin in the arms, tummy, and breasts. Sometimes excess skin can be present even in the lower back and thighs.
Plastic surgery procedures after significant weight loss
As weight loss affects the whole body, often unevenly, the plastic surgery procedures target specific areas to achieve the best results. Usually, patients need procedures to tone and contour arms, tummy, and breasts. The procedures depend on the age of the patient, the amount of weight lost and other anatomical characteristics.
Breast procedures after massive weight loss
The breasts consist of mammary gland tissue and fat. When weight loss occurs, fat from all over the body goes away, resulting in smaller looking, saggy breasts. A breast lift is without question one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures performed on patients who have lost a lot of weight. When performing a breast lift, the Plastic Surgeon excises the excess skin and repositions the mammary gland to gain perky breasts. The breast lift procedure only addresses the excess skin and doesn’t affect the glandular tissue.
Additional breast procedures
However, if the patient had rather small breasts before the breast lift, the volume would stay the same after it. Conversely, overly large breasts would not get much smaller after breast lift surgery. Therefore, patients unhappy with the volume of their breasts can undergo breast augmentation or breast reduction, at the same time as the breast lift.
A breast lift with implants is the optimal solution for patients who need more volume. A breast reduction is preferred in the case of mammary hypertrophy. Excessive glandular tissue can trigger multiple health issues, including back, neck and shoulders pain and an abnormal body posture. When the Plastic Surgeon performs a breast reduction, he or she eliminates a portion of the glandular tissue, as well as the excess skin. Proportionate, perky breasts are the aim of breast surgery after significant weight loss.
Tummy tuck after weight loss
The saggy skin on the tummy can make it difficult for patients to find suitable clothing. The skin flap that covers partially or entirely the pubic area is an aesthetic issue that a Plastic Surgeon can correct. Depending on each case, patients who lost a considerable amount of weight can choose different types of tummy tucks.
An extended tummy tuck is a procedure that eliminates excess skin from the abdominal area, and the flanks. In some cases, it can even remove the skin from the lower back. Compared to the traditional abdominoplasty, the extended tummy tuck may entail incisions around the belly button to allow for its repositioning. Another incision is made in the suprapubic area to eliminate excess skin from the inferior part of the tummy. Incisions can also be necessary on the flanks to avoid “dog ears” afterward.
Brachioplasty after weight loss
There are no efficient solutions to tighten loose skin in the arms after weight loss. It is only thanks to a brachioplasty that a patient can achieve firm looking arms again. The brachioplasty entails incisions in the interior part of the arms, usually going from the axilla (armpit) to the elbow. The procedure can deliver spectacular results, and it is one of the most common after bariatric surgery.
Is liposuction necessary after massive weight loss?
Patients resorting to Plastic Surgery after weight loss often don’t realize that they may need liposuction to achieve their aesthetic goals. But why do they need liposuction if weight loss already occurred? Liposuction is not a weight-loss method per se, so it should never be used to get rid of extra pounds. However, liposuction contours specific areas where there are fat pockets. In other words, liposuction, in combination with other Plastic Surgery procedures, gives the body a better shape.
About Dr. Rosso and Peninsula Plastic Surgery
Awards & Acknowledgments
Dr. Rosso is one of the leading Plastic Surgeons in the South Bay and performs a large number of Plastic Surgery procedures after significant weight-loss.
Each patient gets a customized surgical plan because there is not a one size fits all when it comes to plastic surgery after considerable weight loss. Patients get the procedures all at once, or separately, in multiple sessions. Dr. Rosso recommends suitable procedures after a pre-operative consultation.
Dr. Rosso operates either at his state-of-the-art Surgery Center or at the local Torrance Memorial and Little Company of Mary Hospitals.
Dr. Rosso has been voted 2019 Daily Breeze Reader’s Choice Winner; 2018 Daily Breeze South Bay’s Favorite; 2017 and 2018 Best of the Beach; and the Peninsula Plastic Surgery doctors and staff have been awarded the 2018 Spectrum Award for Customer Service Excellence. At the end of 2018, he has also received an Award from the ER Doctors and Medical staff at Providence Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance for his great work and commitment to patients.
