19 September 2022

What is body contouring and how is it performed?

After significant weight loss due to surgery and/or lifestyle changes, the skin and tissues often lose elasticity and no longer conform to the reduced body size. Also, surgery to correct the figure allows you to achieve the desired body shape by affecting certain areas. Body contouring helps to achieve a more proportional appearance with smoother curves. In both cases, more than one operation may be required to achieve the desired result. And procedures are often performed in stages.

What procedures does body contouring include?

Several surgical procedures may be required to correct the figure, from tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) to various types of lift (full body, breast, arms, thighs, buttocks) and liposuction. It all depends on which part of the body you want to improve and how much change you want to achieve.

Abdominoplasty with body contouring

Abdominoplasty is the most effective solution for those who want to remove loose skin and tighten the abdominal muscles. Loose skin on the abdomen can appear as a result of significant weight loss or be a natural result after pregnancy. Often during pregnancy, the two main rectus abdominal muscles diverge. In some women, these muscles do not recover after giving birth, creating a condition known as diastasis recti. Because of this, the impression of fullness in the lower abdomen is visually created. Unfortunately, squats or other exercises do not restore these muscles. But with the help of a brace, they can be sewn together, while removing excess skin and fat.

Different types of lifting for body contouring

A lift is another type of body contouring surgery that removes fat and excess skin and tightens tissue to improve the shape of body parts after significant weight loss or transformation due to pregnancy and breastfeeding. There are several areas of the body where a lift may be particularly desirable and can provide excellent long-term results. A breast lift (mastopexy) is a procedure for lifting breasts that may sag and lose fullness after pregnancy or breastfeeding. Sometimes with significant weight loss, patients find that the skin on the shoulders does not regenerate according to the new forms, but hangs down. Brachioplasty can remove this excess skin, as well as tighten and reshape the upper arms. When losing weight, the skin can also become loose on most parts of the body. Then the best way to reduce sagging is a general body lifting procedure. Body lifting allows you to eliminate irregularities in the contour of the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, and to some extent the lower back and sides, and sometimes you can also remove cellulite. A circular body contouring lift (or lumbar lipectomy) removes excess skin and offers an extensive transformation of the mid and lower body. This is a reconstruction of the abdomen, thighs, and buttocks. A lower body lift includes a tummy tuck and buttock lift.   During a thigh lift, the shape of the thigh area changes, unwanted fat is removed, and the skin and tissues surrounding the thigh area are tightened. A buttock lift removes both unwanted fat and skin to reshape the buttocks. A Brazilian butt lift is a procedure that uses unwanted fat from other parts of the body to lift, plump, and restore the buttocks.

Liposuction for body contouring

Most surgical procedures for body contouring are combined with liposuction. Some patients require only liposuction, but liposuction is often performed in combination with a tummy tuck, thigh lift, or buttock lift, including a Brazilian butt lift. In the course of liposuction, unwanted fat is removed from certain areas to give the body a more proportional and slender silhouette. Modern technologies make it possible to perform this procedure quickly and shorten the rehabilitation period.