Full Body Lift

Cosmetic Surgery and Laser Center of El Paso – Full Body Lift

During weight gain or pregnancy, the tissues of the body expand to accommodate the excess fat or a growing baby. After the baby is delivered or weight is lost, the skin and other tissues may not have enough elasticity to return to their previous shape and, therefore, remain loose. These stretched tissues are often unresponsive to diet and exercise, and they generally worsen over time.

A full body lift can treat these issues to restore your physique.

What Is a Full Body Lift?

A full body lift is used to shape, tone and trim the midsection of the body. This plastic surgery procedure is customized to your needs and can help treat and remove excess skin, fat, cellulite and other problems.

By eliminating sagging skin and tissue, this body shaping surgery can achieve more slender and defined body contours.

What Areas Does a Body Lift Treat?

A full body lift at the Cosmetic Surgery and Laser Centers of El Paso addresses the entire midsection of the body and more.

Excess tissue can be removed to tighten and tone the following areas:

• Abdomen
• Flanks
• Back
• Buttocks
• Thighs

Who Is a Candidate for a Full Body Lift?

This body sculpting procedure is ideal for those who have lost a significant amount of weight, usually after bariatric surgery. It can be disheartening to be left with stubborn excess skin and fat after putting in so much effort to lose weight. A body lift can help you look as good as you feel after achieving your weight loss goal. This procedure is also highly beneficial for mothers who wish to get their bodies back to the way they were before pregnancy.

Candidates should have maintained their weight for at least three months, though longer is preferable. It’s also advisable to wait at least a year after bariatric surgery to pursue the full body lift surgery. Patients should be in relatively good health without any serious medical conditions, and they should be dedicated to maintaining their weight with a healthy lifestyle after surgery.

What to Expect During Body Lift Surgery

A full body lift surgery takes approximately four to seven hours and is performed with the patient under general anesthesia. Your plastic surgeon may also inject local anesthesia in the target areas to reduce bleeding, especially around the skin incisions.

Circumferential Body Lift Surgery

Dr. Jabor, Dr. Reynolds, or Dr. Aburto will begin surgery with a circumferential incision that extends horizontally along the lower back, around the hips, and above the pubic hairline on the front of the abdomen. Stretched skin and excess tissue are removed from the back and hips, and the remaining skin and tissues are tightened to lift the butt and smooth the back.

Addressing the Abdomen

Tummy tuck surgery (abdominoplasty) techniques are performed to create a flatter, tighter abdomen and waist using the incision on the lower abdomen. A second incision around the navel (belly button) is used to address the upper abdomen.

Your surgeon will separate the upper layer of tissue and subcutaneous fat to access the underlying abdominal tissues. The belly button is left attached, tunneled to the tissue below it. Excess tissue and fat will then be removed, occasionally with the aid of liposuction. If you have abdominal muscle separation (diastasis recti), your stomach muscles will be brought back together and tightened using suturing techniques.

The remaining tissues will then be pulled tight and smoothed over your new abdominal contours. A new incision will be made for the existing belly button to come through, and all incisions will be closed with sutures.

Addressing the Thighs

If needed, an incision is created above the thighs to remove flabby tissue and lift the back of the thighs. Patients with significant loose thigh tissue may need to undergo a thigh lift procedure after healing from their full body lift.

How Painful Is a Body Lift?

A full body lift is performed using general anesthesia, meaning patients will be asleep and not feel any pain during surgery. During recovery, moderate discomfort and soreness can be expected. Prescription or over-the-counter medication can be used to control any pain or discomfort as you heal.

What to Expect After Body Lift Surgery

After this body contouring surgery, the treated areas will be wrapped in bandages. You will be taken to a recovery area for monitoring of your breathing, heart rate and other vital signs. Once your anesthesia wears off and we’ve established that you are stable, you will be discharged and able to go home.

It’s important to make arrangements ahead of time for someone to drive you home after surgery, as you will feel groggy and not be able to drive after undergoing general anesthesia. Patients should also arrange for someone to be with them for at least the first 24 hours of their recovery at home.

Compression Garment and Drainage Tubes

A compression garment should be worn throughout recovery except when showering, as compression of the treated areas helps to reduce bruising and swelling and promote healing.

Patients may have thin drainage tubes that were placed during surgery. Your surgeon will give you detailed drain care instructions to follow until the drains are removed in our office after five to seven days.

When Can I Resume Exercise After a Body Lift?

When they feel well enough in their early recovery, patients are encouraged to take light walks to aid in circulation. However, do not lift anything heavier than 10 pounds for at least two weeks. Do not engage in strenuous activities or exercises for at least eight weeks and until cleared by your surgeon.

When Can I Go Back to Work After a Body Lift?

If your job isn’t physically demanding, you can go back to work two to three weeks after your body lift. Those whose jobs require manual labor may need to take six to eight weeks off.

How Long Does It Take to Recover From a Full Body Lift?

As this is a major medical procedure, healing time is significant, often between four and eight weeks. Swelling and bruising will last for several weeks, and minor residual swelling may last three to six months.

Full Body Lift Surgery Results

When Will I See the Results of My Body Lift?

Body lift results will be noticeable immediately after surgery, as the excess tissue will be gone and the body contours will be visibly smoother and tighter. However, your results will be hidden by bruising and swelling that may last for two to three months.

The final results of a full body lift can take between one and two years to develop as the tissues conform to their new tighter shape.

How Long Will My Body Lift Results Last?

Body lift results are long lasting if you maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. The excess tissue and fat removed will be permanently gone from the body. However, the remaining fat cells can increase in size and stretch the skin with weight gain.

The patient’s skin and tissues will continue to age naturally, but they will always be tighter than if he or she had not undergone the procedure.

Will I Have Scars After My Full Body Lift?

This procedure involves a fairly large incision to remove loose, sagging skin and tissue. The length of your body lift incision will depend on the extent of correction needed. Unfortunately, incisions result in scarring that is unavoidable. However, patients report that the trade-off of eliminating excess skin and fat is well worth it.

Incisions are placed in inconspicuous areas as much as possible so they can be covered by undergarments and swimwear, and they generally fade over time. Keeping your incisions out of the sun and safe from being bumped against or pulled on will help them heal better and result in less scarring. We also offer scar revision treatment for patients interested in reducing the appearance of their post-surgical scars.

How Much Does a Body Lift Cost?

The cost of a full body lift can vary drastically depending on which procedures are performed, which techniques are used, the experience of your surgeon and where your surgery is performed.

Reach out to Cosmetic Surgery and Laser Centers of El Paso for a consultation to determine the exact price of your body lift surgery.

Can I Combine Other Procedures With My Body Lift?

Patients with excess fat that cannot be excised from the treated area can combine liposuction with their body lift. Since the full body lift itself takes several hours, we recommend that you recover from this procedure before undergoing surgery on another area of the body.

Arm lift surgery (brachioplasty) and/or an upper thigh lift (thighplasty) may be considered after you’ve had time to heal sufficiently from your full body lift surgery. For male patients, male breast reduction (gynecomastia surgery) techniques may be used to provide firmer, flatter chest contours. For female patients, your plastic surgeon can perform a breast lift to elevate and reshape sagging breasts. Breast implants can also be placed for patients who desire breast augmentation. Those concerned about cellulite may choose to undergo Cellfina™ treatment if cellulite on their buttocks or thighs wasn’t improved with their body lift.

Have you been wondering what to do about the frustrating extra little bulk around the center of your body? Maybe you’ve recently lost weight, had a baby or it’s just always been there. Or perhaps after losing a significant amount of weight, your new, slimmer figure is hidden beneath the excess droopy skin, which hides all your hard work and makes clothes shopping a terrible chore.

No matter your reasons, it’s possible you’ve tried nonsurgical methods yet still struggle with that muffin top. It’s about time you feel and look like your old thinner self… or even better. You can undergo a tummy tuck or body lift surgery with our board-certified plastic surgeons and get the physique of your dreams. Imagine a flat stomach and a slimmer core, contoured and smooth underneath anything you wear. Say goodbye to support undergarments and coverups!

Read our blog article, Tummy Tuck vs. Body Lift, to learn more about our body sculpting procedures at El Paso Plastic Surgery and their differences. It’ll help you to understand why we might choose one instead of the other to meet your specific needs. You’ll be well-informed and ready for your consultation with Dr. Jabor, Dr. Reynolds or Dr. Aburto.

Get Your More Slender, Contoured Body Back With a Full Body Lift in El Paso

Full body lift surgery can help restore your slender, youthful body contours and confidence. We invite you to come to our office for a consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons. During this time, Dr. Jabor, Dr. Reynolds, or Dr. Aburto will be available to sit down with you to answer questions and use state-of-the-art simulation to map out a plan of action for your procedure.

To schedule an appointment, please call 915-543-5600 or contact us online for additional information on a full body lift.