Your goal was to lose a bunch of weight. Whether through bariatric surgery or a serious change in your lifestyle you worked hard and took off the weight. You’d think everything would be great, but now when you look in the mirror all you see is a saggy mess. Your body is dramatically smaller, but your skin still looks many sizes too big.
What’s going on? The problem is that skin, if it has been stretched to a great degree for a long period of time, can’t return to its former degree of tautness. An easy analogy is to a rubber band that has been stretched around an oversized object for a long time and then is removed. It now is permanently stretched out and can’t rebound to where it once was.
Body contouring with Dr. Saltz is the way to tighten that skin down to your new contour, and finish the process of losing the weight and feeling great about yourself. Body contouring reduces excess fat and skin that remains in multiple body areas. The end result is a firmer, more contoured overall appearance.
The problem areas
The issue is the sag, so to speak. When your skin has been severely stretched and is now unsupported by the expanded tissues and fat while you were heavy, it will sag in pockets. These are the most common areas:
- Face, neck, and jowls giving a droopy, sad appearance
- Upper arms creating “bat wings”
- Breasts, causing the nipples to point downward and the breasts to flatten
- Abdominal area giving you an apron-like overhang
- Buttocks, groin, and thighs leaving hanging pockets of skin
Four surgeries
Just like every procedure we handle at Saltz Plastic Surgery, we know your situation is unique. During your body contouring consultations with Dr. Saltz you will discuss areas that you both agree need to be addressed. These are the procedures that Dr. Saltz may recommend.
- Lower body lift to correct sagging of the abdomen, buttocks, groin, and outer thighs
- Breast lift to correct sagging, flattened breasts
- Arm lift to correct sagging of the upper arms
- Thigh lift to correct sagging of the inner, outer, and mid-thigh
Recovery
Body contouring is not an easy recovery, obviously, since multiple areas are being addressed at one time. There will be swelling and scarring. You won’t be able to strain or lift anything for several days to weeks. If your abdomen and thighs have been addressed you may have to avoid standing fully upright to avoid stressing the internal sutures.
This surely sounds extreme, but the end result is what you have to remember. The prospect of having a firmer, contoured body that matches your new smaller size is the goal, and there will be discomfort but you need to keep the end goal in mind.
If you’ve lost dramatic amounts of weight and aren’t happy with the sagging that remains, call Dr. Saltz in either our Salt Lake or Park City offices and let’s talk about body contouring.
