Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss Surgery
Eliminating obesity through weight loss surgery is a big achievement and a stepping stone towards a more fulfilling life. But in some cases, massive weight loss after bariatric surgery can lead to the unsightly appearance of loose or hanging skin in certain areas of the body. The good news is that you can choose plastic surgery after weight loss to get rid of sagging skin and restore smoother and tighter body contours.
During your initial consultation with a plastic surgeon, you should discuss your cosmetic goals and evaluate your options regarding excess skin removal. The surgeon will assess your amount of loose skin after weight loss surgery in specific locations and recommend a customized skin removal surgery.
Skilled surgeons can help you achieve desirable and youthful looking contours with plastic surgery after weight loss. Contact Jet Medical Tourism® today.
Loose skin after weight loss surgery
Excess fat deposits in our body over a long period of time can cause the skin to stretch permanently. Thereafter, if you undergo a weight loss surgery, you may be left with loose skin which has lost its elasticity, and starts drooping from your body.
Treatable Condition
Saggy skin after weight loss is a treatable condition, and you should discuss with a plastic surgeon about how to get rid of loose skin. It can be difficult to restore tighter skin with diet and exercise, so your surgeon may recommend plastic surgery after weight loss. Your surgeon will evaluate your skin type, thickness, elasticity, the presence of fat pockets, and the amount of loose skin after weight loss to determine your candidacy.
Customized Surgery Plan
Once your plastic surgeon approves you as a candidate for skin removal surgery, they will take into account your specific areas of concern and your personal aesthetic goals. Based on these assessments, they will prepare a personalized plan for plastic surgery after weight loss. It will involve excess skin removal from areas such as your abdomen, flanks, buttocks, thighs, or upper arms to create a natural, youthful body shape.
Loose skin after gastric sleeve
Gastric sleeve is a popular form of bariatric surgery, which can help you lose a significant amount of excess weight in the first year itself. However, loose skin after gastric sleeve may occur in some cases, especially if your weight loss is substantial and your skin has lost much of its elasticity.
Lower Body Lift
When you discuss with a plastic surgeon about how to get rid of loose skin after gastric sleeve, they may suggest a lower body lift procedure. Following a gastric sleeve surgery, a large part of the weight loss may occur in lower body areas, such as the thighs, hips, and buttocks. Saggy skin after weight loss in these areas can be successfully removed with a lower body lift. The procedure will create flattering body contours in the lower body areas.
Mid Body Lift
In some cases, loose skin after gastric sleeve may occur in the abdominal area, in addition to the lower body. Your plastic surgeon may recommend a mid body lift surgery, popularly known as torsoplasty, to help you get rid of loose skin after weight loss. A mid body lift will create seamless, even looking contours from the mid-section all the way down to your hips, buttocks, and thighs.
CHECK THIS: Full body lift in Mexico
Excess skin after gastric bypass
Gastric bypass is considered the gold standard in bariatric surgery procedures, which can help you achieve massive weight loss in a short period of time. Sometimes this can lead to saggy skin after weight loss in multiple areas of your body.
Skin Removal after Gastric Bypass
Many patients are concerned about how to get rid of extra skin after a gastric bypass surgery. During your consultation with a plastic surgeon, you should explore your excess skin removal options according to your unique needs. If you have lost large amounts of weight in areas such as the abdomen, breasts, upper arms, lower back, hips, thighs, buttocks, and groin, your surgeon may recommend a full body lift, which is a more comprehensive plastic surgery after weight loss.
Full Body Lift Surgery
A full body lift is a more inclusive and involved approach to eliminate loose skin after weight loss surgery. Following a gastric bypass, you can achieve highly attractive body contours with this procedure, which will address your surplus skin, fat pockets, and sagging folds. The surgery combines both lower and upper body areas for more uniform looking results. In a full body lift, your surgeon will contour your abdomen, breasts, buttocks, thighs and hips to create a trim, smooth, and naturally lifted appearance.
When to consider plastic Surgery after weight loss
Loose skin after weight loss surgery is a common occurrence, but not everyone is a suitable candidate for plastic surgery after weight loss. You will have to meet certain eligibility pre-requisites before you can qualify for an excess skin removal surgery. Here are some of the key criteria to fulfill:
- You have lost a large amount of excess weight after your bariatric surgery
- You have experienced sagging skin, tissue and fat in your lower, mid, or upper body areas
- Your body weight has stabilized and is no longer fluctuating
- You have no plans for a pregnancy in the foreseeable future
- You have no medical conditions that increase your risk of general anesthesia or skin removal surgery
- You are in good emotional and mental health after your weight loss surgery
- You are prepared to maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle following your plastic surgery after weight loss
- You are willing to stop smoking for at least a few weeks before and after the surgery as directed by your surgeon
- You have a positive mindset and realistic expectations from your skin removal surgery, and are agreeable to some visible post-op scarring
How to prevent loose skin after weight loss surgery
Many people want to know how to avoid loose skin after weight loss surgery. Although in some cases, it may not be possible to prevent this condition, you can take a few steps to minimize your risk of loose skin after gastric sleeve or gastric bypass surgery.
- Early Decision: When you undergo your bariatric surgery at a relatively young age, your skin is highly elastic. Saggy skin after weight loss will be minimal in this case as your skin will recover its pre-obesity firmness.
- Skilled Surgeon: A skilled and experienced bariatric surgeon can perform your procedure in a tailored manner so that your need for excess skin removal after the weight loss surgery is minimized.
- Muscle Building: With your surgeon’s approval, you can perform squats, deadlifts, and other compound resistance exercises to build muscle and burn fat after bariatric surgery. This can prevent loose skin after weight loss.
- Skin Exfoliation: If you have experienced only minor sagginess in the skin or cellulite appearance, you can avoid plastic surgery after weight loss with natural skin exfoliation techniques. Talk to a dermatologist for your best options.
- Skin Moisturizing: If you are wondering how to get rid of loose skin or prevent its occurrence, remember that hydrating your skin can help. Use a collagen-based moisturizer or natural oils to keep your skin well-hydrated.
- Skin Massage: Massaging can promote your skin elasticity and help in the generation of new skin cells. Work with a trained massage therapist to fight the effects of loose skin or prevent it from occurring after bariatric surgery.
- Right Diet: In consultation with a nutritionist, you should create a diet plan that helps improve skin elasticity to prevent excess skin after weight loss. Foods rich in anti-oxidants can help in cellular turnover and fight loose skin.
Plastic surgery options for excess skin removal
Following bariatric surgery, you may have concerns about how to get rid of loose skin. You can consult with a plastic surgeon to discuss your options for excess skin removal. Your surgeon may recommend one or more of the following skin removal surgery procedures.
- Panniculectomy & Tummy Tuck: If you experience large amounts of loose skin after weight loss surgery in your mid-section area, you may be a candidate for panniculectomy and/or tummy tuck. This procedure remove will the apron-like skin hanging below your navel, and restore a firm torso.
- Buttock & Thigh Lift: Brazilian butt lift and thigh lift can be a highly effective plastic surgery after weight loss if excess skin is collected around thighs and buttocks. It will restore a more slender, smoother, and gently lifted appearance to your posterior and upper legs.
- Arm Lift & Back Lift: A back lift or bra line lift can help restore tighter and more even looking upper back contours while eliminating the unsightly “bra rolls”. An arm lift plastic surgery after weight loss will remove excess skin from the upper arms and create a shapely upper body appearance.
- Breast Lift: Saggy skin after weight loss in the breast area may cause droopy or deflated breasts. If you are wondering how to get rid of extra skin in the breasts, talk to your plastic surgeon about a breast lift. It will remove excess breast tissue and reshape breast contours to create a firmer, lifted breast appearance.
How much is skin removal surgery in Mexico vs. USA
Skin removal surgery cost is an important starting point when you seek to eliminate loose skin after weight loss. During your initial consultation, be prepared to ask your surgeon how much is skin removal surgery? Make an objective cost comparison between skin removal surgery cost in Mexico and the cost in the US. Here is a comparison chart providing the average costs of various skin removal surgery procedures in Mexico and US/Canada.
Will insurance cover plastic surgery after weight loss
Plastic surgery after weight loss is primarily considered an elective cosmetic procedure. Therefore, your insurance company is unlikely to cover its costs. If the out of pocket skin removal surgery cost is beyond your budget, it is a poignant idea to consider this procedure in Mexico. Here you can have the same procedure performed at a small fraction of the cost in your home country.
Insurance Coverage Possibility
Your cost of removing loose skin after weight may be covered by your insurer in exceptional circumstances. If the sagging or hanging skin is causing your persistent discomfort, pain, chafing, or infection, it may be medically necessary to have the excess skin removed. If your plastic surgeon confirms that you need this procedure for medical reasons, your insurance company may agree to provide you coverage.
Low-Cost Financing Options
Once you find out how much is skin removal surgery you can start exploring affordable financing options so that you do not have to pay the full cost upfront for your procedure. Several leading medical care financing firms offer loans for this surgery at competitive interest rates with quick loan approvals and easy payment terms. You can repay the loan in small monthly installments of up to 60 months.
In order to make a dispassionate, well-considered decision about your plastic surgery after weight loss, it is best to look at the results of past patients who have undergone the same procedure. Request your plastic surgeon to share with you loose skin surgery before and after photos, which will give you real insights into what the procedure can or cannot do for you.
Try to review skin removal surgery before and after images related to different procedures, including lower body lift, upper body lift, and full body lift. You will be able to visualize how each procedure may benefit you, and you can make better choices. Before and after pictures will also give you more confidence about the performance and skills of your plastic surgeon.
CHECK THIS TOO: Best plastic surgeons in Mexico (2021)
Final words on post bariatric plastic surgery
Post bariatric plastic surgery is now an increasingly popular procedure with excellent results. Loose skin after weight loss surgery is a reality for many patients. This condition usually does not go away with diet or exercise because once the skin is over-stretched and loses its elasticity, it is nearly impossible for it to recover its natural stretch.
The key to success in your plastic surgery after weight loss lies in your choice of surgeon. The procedure combines the principles of both science and art, and you need a plastic surgeon who can create aesthetically appealing, yet healthy and natural looking results. Get ready to enjoy the full benefits of your new personality after a post bariatric plastic surgery.