Body Shaping After Weight Loss

Body shaping surgery (Body Contouring) to be performed after excessive weight loss corrects the shape of the tissues beneath the skin supporting the fat and the skin and removes sagging fat and skin surplus. The skin and tissues usually lose their elasticity after weight reduction surgery or significant weight loss and cannot adapt to the new reduced size of the body. Consequently, the severely enlarged skin is no longer supported:

• Upper arms may sag and seem full bodied and loose
• Breasts may become flat and nipples may sag facing down
• The abdominal region may expand from the sides and backwards and a general sagging may occur in this region
• Buttocks, groin and thighs may sag and the sagging pocket image may occur in the skin.

As a result of this surgery, the body gets a more normal appearance with smoother contours. This is, in essence, the last phase of your total weight loss experience.

IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR ME?
Weight loss should be stabilized in order to perform body shaping surgery after excessive weight loss.

• If you continue to lose weight, the drooping pocket image continues to form.
• If you start to gain weight again quickly, you stretch your already weakened and thinned skin in a traumatic way, which causes the skin to further expand and to occur visible cracks and scars.

If you have undergone weight reduction surgery, your aesthetic surgeon will work with your doctor to decide what is the best time to start your body shaping.

CANDIDATES WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR BODY SHAPING SURGERY:
Adults of all ages whose weight has become stable

Healthy people who do not have any medical disease that inhibits the post-operative healing phase or increases the risks of surgery

Those who have a positive point of view on body shaping surgery and who have certain but realistic goals to improve their appearance in their minds

Those who are determined to maintain a healthy lifestyle including proper nutrition and exercise

WHAT YOUR EXPECTATIONS MUST BE DURING YOUR CONSULTATION
The success and reliability of your body-shaping surgery considerably depends on your ability to clearly express your wishes and your unbiased approach during your consultation. You will be asked a few questions about your health, your wishes and your way of life.

BE PREPARED TO TALK THE FOLLOWING:

• Why do you want to have this operation, what are your expectations and desired result?
• Possible options for body shaping surgery
• Your health condition, allergies to drugs and previous treatments
• Current drugs, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco and drug use
• Previous operations

ADDITIONALLY, YOUR SURGEON MAY PERFORM THE FOLLOWINGS:

• Assess your general state of health, pre-existing health conditions or risk factors
• Examine and measure your body, including detailed measurements
• Take photos for your medical record
• Discuss your options, suggest a range of treatments
• Negotiate the possible consequences and the potential risk and complications of body shaping surgery

PREPARING FOR SURGERY;
The following may be requested before the operation;

• Have an assay in a laboratory or undergo a medical examination
• Take certain medications or adjust your current medications to your condition accordingly
• Stop smoking before the surgery
• Stop taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal pills because they increase the bleeding
  Specific instructions will be given to you as follows;
• What you need to do on the day you will be operated
• Use of anesthesia during your body shaping surgery
• Post-operative care and follow-up
• Your aesthetic surgeon will also discuss where your operation will take place. Your body shaping surgery may be performed in a reliable surgery based operation center or a hospital.

PROCEDURAL STEPS:
The actions required to reach your goals will be defined along with a plan that includes the timing of these actions. The following aesthetic surgery operations may be recommended by your doctor:

• Lower body lift: stretching of abdomen, buttocks, groin and outer thighs
• Breast lift: correction of the sagging and flattened breasts
• Arm lift: removal of the sagging of the upper arms
• Thigh lift: removal of the sagging in the inner, outer and middle thighs

STEP 1 – ANESTHESIA
Necessary medications are used for your comfort during surgical intervention. Options include intravenous tranquillizers and general anesthesia. Your doctor will recommend the best option for you.

STEP 2 – OPENING AN INCISION IN THE OPERATING AREA
All body shaping operations require incisions to remove excess skin. These surgical incisions can be large in many cases. The length and shape of the surgical incision depend on the amount and location of excess skin to be taken as well as your personal preferences and your doctor’s surgical decision. Advanced surgical techniques allow surgical incisions to be opened from strategic locations where they can be easily hidden in many types of clothing, but this may not always be the case. Body shaping surgery is often done in stages. Your specific circumstances and goals will affect the surgical plan which your doctor will prepare for you based on the surgical reasoning of your aesthetic surgeon. It may take at least so much time to complete your body shaping surgery, while you lose all your weight for two weeks or perhaps more years.

BODY LIFT
A complete lower body lift procedure restores sagging buttocks, abdomen, waist, hip and outer thighs and can be performed in a single operation or in stages. Although the shape of the surgical incisions varies, they may also include a circumferential incision around the body to remove skin and fat surpluses similar to “arch”.

BREAST LIFT
The decision is made based on the amount of excess skin to be taken in the form of incisions that must be opened for lifting a woman’s sagging breasts. These incisions may include an incision which will be opened circularly around the areola surrounding the nipple or a combination of multiple incisions which fall directly from the areola to the inframammary crease or horizontally to the inframammary crease. Breast prosthesis may also be recommended to improve the shape and size of the breast.

SAGGING ARMS TREATMENT
Sagging skin in the upper arms is corrected using an incision extending from the underarm region along the entire inner arm or to the back of the upper arm. Additional surgical incisions may need to be opened in any other area where the surplus skin leads to a sagging pocket image on the arm. As a result of the upper arm shaping procedure, the smoother and tighter arm contours are almost immediately noticeable, although swellings and bruises may initially be present after intervention. In addition, the quality of the skin will increase both in appearance and texture.

THIGH LIFT
Thigh reshaping is performed with surgical incisions that will be opened from the inguinal region and go down from the inner thigh to the knee level. The correction of the outer thigh contours may require an incision extending from the groin to the back of the hip. Your aesthetic surgeon will tighten the tissues and create a straight and smooth thigh with the help of these incisions.

INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE RELIABILITY OF BODY SHAPING SURGERY;
Having a body shaping surgery is a very personal decision and you need to decide if the benefits of the operation will provide you to achieve your goals and whether the potential risks and complications are acceptable to you. Your aesthetic surgeon will explain the risks associated with surgery to you in detail.

THE POSSIBLE RISKS FOR BODY SHAPING SURGERY AFTER EXCESSIVE WEIGHT LOSS MAY INCLUDE;

• Undesirable scars
• Bleeding (hematoma)
• Infection
• Fluid collection
• Insufficient wound healing
• Loss of skin
• Blood clot
• Numbness and other changes in skin sensation
• Anesthesia-related risks
• Color changes and/or ongoing swelling in the skin
• Subcutaneous fat tissue may die
• Recurrent skin loosening
• Continuation of pain
• Leg swelling

BE CAREFUL!!!
The key to the success of your surgery is that you follow the directive your doctor gives to you. Surgical incisions must not be subjected to excessive strain, friction, corrosion and movement at the healing stage. Your doctor will give you the instructions you need to take care of yourself.

THE RESULTS WILL BE LONG LASTING…
The results of body shaping surgery can be seen almost immediately after excessive weight loss. However, it can take up to one to two years longer to occur all the suggested and desired results of body shaping surgery. Surgical scars will remain, but total results will become long lasting providing that you keep your weight constant and do exercise.

As your body grows older, it is natural to lose a certain amount of tightness. However, most of the results of the correction you have achieved with this operation will be relatively permanent