After massive weight loss, your body will look different but not always in the way that you want. Many times, massive weight losses of 100 pounds or more, lead to sagging skin that makes people feel uncomfortable. When you are working so hard to lose weight only to find that your new, thinner body can’t be seen under the excess weight, it can be a disheartening experience. Thankfully, there are several plastic surgery options that can help with this problem.
Massive Weight Loss and Loose Skin
Why does massive weight loss cause loose skin? When you lose weight in excess of 100 pounds, you are left with skin that has been stretched and no longer has fat stretching it out. As a result, the skin sags. Keeping the skin hydrated and building muscle can help, but when the weight loss has been dramatic (100+ pounds) then oftentimes the skin simply cannot bounce back.
Loose skin can be uncomfortable and can make it difficult to move about your everyday life. It can make exercising difficult and cause skin infections. Loose skin also tends to cause poor self image because patients are unhappy with the way that they look. It is important to remember that it takes the skin approximately one year to fully adjust to your new body. After one year, whatever loose skin is left is likely to stay and surgery is the only option available for removing the loose skin.
Plastic Surgery Treatments for Loose Skin
There are numerous plastic surgery treatments for loose skin that can make a difference in the way you look and feel. There are specific plastic surgeries for each area of the body such as a tummy tuck (stomach area), lower-body lift (stomach, hips, butt, thighs), upper-body lift (back, shoulders, chest, breasts), thigh lift, and an arm lift. If you are experiencing loose skin in one particular area, then one of these body-specific plastic surgeries may be the best choice for you. If you have several areas of concern, you may need several surgeries.
With these plastic surgery procedures, the goal is to remove excess skin by cutting it out. The surgeon may also remove excess fat in the area. Then the remaining skin is stitched back together. Surgeons take extra precautions to avoid scarring, but scarring is unavoidable and will be visible in some capacity.
Recovery and Downtime After Surgery
Most plastic surgeries for massive weight loss require patients to spend approximately two to five days in the hospital for monitoring. Recovery at home can take anywhere from three to six weeks. During this time, it is important to allow the body to slowly recover and to be patient with yourself. It takes time for the body to heal following surgery.
The good news is that study after study published by the [U.S. National Library of Medicine] shows that the quality-of-life in patients who undergo body contouring surgery and were previously obese increases. Patients generally feel better about themselves physically, mentally, sexually and socially. Allow your body to recover after surgery and you will soon be feeling your best.
Who is a Good Candidate for Plastic Surgery Loose Skin Surgery?
Before you make the decision to undergo plastic surgery to treat your loose skin, it is important to make sure that you are a good candidate for the surgery. An in-person consultation is the best way to determine whether or not you are a good candidate; however, there are a few benchmarks that you should hit before a consultation.
The first, is that you should be within 10-15% of your ideal target weight. Having multiple loose skin plastic surgeries in the same area of the body is not a good idea and does not yield the best results. Make sure that you are close to your target weight before setting your sights on plastic surgery for loose skin.
The second, is that you should be generally healthy with no heart problems. Getting cleared by a medical professional prior to surgery is important and we always recommend that patients have a general physical with their medical physician before coming in so that they are aware of any potential health complications that could affect our ability to perform surgery. We will also run our tests to confirm.
For more information about the various body contouring procedures in Miami, to help your body bounce back after extensive weight loss surgery, please contact us at 305-446-7700. At Plastic Surgery Institute Miami, we are committed to helping our patients look and feel their best. You have done the hard work of losing weight and you deserve to feel proud of your accomplishment and your body. We can help you lose the leftover skin and reclaim your body. Give us a ring today or visit our site https://www.psimiami.com/ for more information about getting a consultation with our team of doctors: Jason Altman, Marcelo Ghersy and John Oeltjen.
