Major weight loss is a great accomplishment for your health and overall confidence. However, losing a large amount of weight quickly can result in loose, excess skin around the arms, legs, abdomen, back, and other body parts.
Unfortunately, diet and exercise are not enough to repair this damaged skin. But this shouldn’t discourage you from pursuing your weight loss goals. There are solutions to excess skin. Surgery after weight loss, known as a circumferential body lift, can help you achieve the body you’ve been striving for.
Learn more about circumferential body lift surgery and discover if this procedure is right for you.
What Causes the Skin To Become Loose After Weight Loss?
Collagen and elastin are proteins in the skin that keep the skin healthy. Collagen is responsible for strength, while elastin helps the skin’s elasticity. Your skin stretches to accommodate excess weight gain. Over time, these collagen and elastin fibers can become damaged, making it difficult for your skin to repair and recover once you lose weight. This is what causes the skin to sag after weight loss.
What Is Circumferential Body Lift Surgery?
A circumferential body lift combines procedures that remove and lift excess skin and fat to help contour and shape your body after major weight loss.
The procedure is performed in a combination of surgeries. Possible procedures include:
- A tummy tuck
- Breast augmentation, breast lift, or breast reduction
- Buttock lift
- Thigh lift
- Arm lift
Your top concerns can be addressed first, and the procedures chosen will depend on your preferred outcomes. A few of the procedures may be combined; however, it may require two to three surgical appointments to achieve your desired results.
Are You a Candidate for Circumferential Body Lift Surgery?
Candidates for this procedure have reached a stable weight that they can safely and comfortably maintain and are about one to two years past their initial weight loss period. They must also have no underlying health conditions, be a non-smoker, and have realistic expectations for their procedure. You should also be committed to a healthy lifestyle to maintain your results.
Schedule a Consultation
If you have undergone major weight loss in the past year or two and are struggling with excess skin, consider a circumferential body lift in Calgary, Alberta. Dr. JeffreyC. Dawes is a board-certified plastic surgeon dedicated to helping patients achieve their desired aesthetic. Contact Jeffrey C. Dawes, MD, FRCSC Plastic and Dermatologic Surgery at (403) 571-3141.
