Full Body Lift

Lipectomy

Body Lift Surgery is designed to treat sagging buttocks, hips, abdomen, and thighs. A variety of different incision patterns can be used to remove excess skin and tighten the affected areas of the lower body. Most commonly, these procedures are utilized in patients who have experienced dramatic weight losses and have inordinate amounts of residual redundant tissues.

Body Lift Surgery photo

  • Most Body Lift Surgeries are extensions of the standard Abdominoplasty Procedure. The incisions are extended around to the back to not only tighten the abdomen but also the hips, lateral thighs, and buttock regions. The incisions can either be extended to the posterior hips, or all the way to the mid-back, removing an entire “belt” of excess skin and fat.

  • Additionally, the inner thighs can be tightened by direct excision of medial thigh tissues (Inner Thigh Lift). Often, this direct excision is combined with additional Liposuction of the leg tissues below the level of excision to achieve a smoother and tighter contour to the lower body.

  • Limited Body Lifts may also be performed in patients who have undergone a previous Abdominoplasty Procedure. In these patients, the lateral aspects of the Abdominoplasty scars can be extended posteriorly to remove remaining excess tissues and to tighten the hips and gluteal regions.

Types of Full Body Lifts

Lipectomy photo

Surgery & Recovery

All Body Lift Surgeries are performed under General Anesthesia, either in the privacy of our own Surgery Center or in a Hospital Outpatient Facility.  The surgery itself can range from two to four hours long.  Drains are almost always used, and the sutures are generally all absorbable.

Patients tend to experience more extended recovery times with this procedure than others due to the extent and the locations of the incisions.  It is very important to avoid early overactivity, which can stimulate the production of drainage fluids and the possibility of “seroma” formation.  Driving should be refrained from for at least a full week.  Light activities can usually be resumed by 10-14 days.