Candidates for a combination of body contouring procedures normally have experienced one or more of the following:

• Pregnancy
• Breastfeeding
• Excessive weight loss
• Weight fluctuations over time

These procedures are for people at a stable weight; it is not a weight loss program. If you are still losing significant weight, pockets of sagging skin can return post-operatively. Also, if you gain weight too rapidly after the surgery, you can develop large scars and stretch marks on the sensitive skin tissue. You must be dedicated to maintaining your new body proportions after body contouring.

Most people think only about weight loss, neglecting to consider the effects of weight gain and loss on your skin. You’ve hit your weight loss numbers, but what about that sagging skin? Body contouring will change the shape of your body to proportions that cannot be achieved through diet and exercise alone.

These are surgical procedures with Dr. Saltz, so they involve the typical risks involved with any surgery: excessive bleeding, poor incision healing, infection, reaction to anesthesia, possible blood clots, and the like.

However, these procedures don’t involve significant risk. The goals are straightforward — to remove excess loose skin and tighten underlying muscles. Procedures such as a tummy tuck that involve longer incisions involve a risk of the incision not healing smoothly, but thanks to the board-certified expertise and experience of Dr. Saltz, this is not typically a problem. It is important that the patient follow our recovery guidelines fully, however, to avoid issues such as poor incision healing.

Which of these procedures would be right for you depends upon the areas where you have loose, sagging skin that won’t respond to diet or exercise. The goal of surgical body contouring with Dr. Saltz is to remove excess sagging skin, tighten underlying muscles as necessary, and add targeted liposuction if you have pockets of fat that need to be removed.

The key factor in deciding to have body contouring surgery is loose, sagging skin. In most cases when a person has gained and then lost a good deal of weight, or sometimes due to pregnancy and childbirth, the skin in the area of weight gain has been stretched to such a degree that it cannot tighten back down to its former tautness. It will no longer respond to targeted exercises or changes in diet. The only way to remove this skin is through surgery.

The question is — where do you have this loose sagging skin? During your consultation with Dr. Saltz, the two of you will discuss areas you seek to address. He’ll go through your options. For instance, if you have a stomach pooch, but still have good skin elasticity, maybe liposuction would be all you need. If you have lots of loose skin, a tummy tuck may be the way to go.

Once he performs your physical examination during your consultation, Dr. Saltz will have a much better idea of the procedure or procedures that would best address your situation.

For most patients seeking one or more body contouring procedures, there is a direct correlation between weight gain and subsequent loss and the need for body contouring surgery to address the aftereffects.

Take pregnancy and childbirth, for instance. The localized weight gain of pregnancy tends to stretch the abdominal skin and support tissues to the extent that they cannot tighten back down to their former tautness when the woman loses the pregnancy weight after delivery. Often, the weight gain can separate the rectus muscles in the center of the abdomen. Now, not only does the woman have loose, sagging skin, but she also has lost muscle support in the center of the lower abdomen. These changes were all caused by the localized weight gain from pregnancy. Body contouring surgery, namely a tummy tuck in these cases, is the only way to remove the excess skin and bring the separated muscles back to the center of the stomach.

The relationship is this — the gain and subsequent loss of a good deal of weight is the usual factor creating the loose sagging skin that can only be corrected with body contouring surgery.

Before your surgery, you will have an initial consultation with Dr. Saltz, where you’ll discuss your goals and expectations for the various procedures involved in your body contouring surgery. Dr. Saltz will tell you if these expectations are realistic and achievable. It’s a good idea to do some research beforehand on the various procedures you’re interested in. Look at before-and-after photos and become familiar with the surgeries. Then, you’ll be better prepared to discuss what you’d like to accomplish in your individual body contouring.

Obviously, where your incisions will be located is entirely dependent on the body areas you seek to address. If a tummy tuck is part of your contouring, for example, the incision is usually made where it can be hidden by the bikini line. This is Dr. Saltz’ approach with all body contouring procedures — keeping the incisions as inconspicuous as possible. In any area treated, Dr. Saltz will lift and pull back the skin to create a new shape while removing excess skin. Muscle and tissue are pulled back in place in order to support the new structure.