100 plastic surgery

How is a lower body lift procedure performed?

• Your surgeon will create a circumferential incision extending around your torso, through which he or she will remove an apron of excess skin and fat below the incision and reposition and tighten your tissues.
• The remaining skin in your buttocks and thighs will be pulled upward and your skin and underlying tissues will be suspended and tightened. You will be positioned on your tummy or side during this part of the procedure.
• Once your back and sides have been addressed, you will be positioned on your back so the surgeon can treat your front side.
• At this point, two options are available, which will be discussed with you pre-operatively. One option is to combine the lower body lift with abdominal contouring, otherwise known as a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty). The other option is to combine the lower body lift with an inner thigh lift, if your abdomen does not require contouring or if you have already had an abdominoplasty.
• Your incisions will be closed in multiple layers over drains to control stretching and swelling. Deep support sutures within the underlying tissues help to form the newly shaped contours. Sutures, skin adhesives or tapes are used to close the skin incisions.

What are my options?

What will my lower body lift incisions and scars be like?

Select a surgeon you can trust

• Education, training and certification
• Experience with lower body lifts
• Your comfort level with him or her

Your initial consultation appointment

• Do you have any medical conditions or drug allergies? Are you being treated for any medical conditions?
• Have you had any previous surgeries?
• What are your current medications and vitamin and herbal supplements?
• What is your current use of alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs?
• What is your history with any noninvasive cosmetic procedures?
• What outcome do you expect from the surgery? What is your chief motivation in undergoing lower body lift?

• Ask you to look in a mirror and point out exactly what you would like to see improved.
• Take photos for your medical record and use computer imaging to demonstrate the improvements you can expect.
• Evaluate your health status, including pre-existing health conditions or risk factors.
• Evaluate the elasticity of your skin.
• Discuss your options and recommend a course of treatment.
• Discuss likely outcomes, including risks or potential complications.
• Discuss the type of anesthesia that will be used.

Your treatment plan

• An approach to your surgery, including the type of procedure or combination of procedures.
• The outcomes that you can anticipate.
• Your financial investment in the procedure.
• Associated risks and complications.
• Options for anesthesia and surgery location.
• What you need to prepare for your surgery.
• What you can expect to experience after surgery.
• Show before-and-after photos of cases similar to yours and answer any questions.

Questions to ask your aesthetic plastic surgeon

• Am I a good candidate for a lower body lift?
• Are the results I am seeking reasonable and realistic?
• Do you have before-and-after photos I can look at for the procedure I am undergoing?
• Will my scars be visible? Where will my scars be located?
• What kind of anesthesia do you recommend for me?
• What will be the costs associated with my surgery?
• What will you expect of me to get the best results?
• What kind of recovery period can I expect and when can I resume normal activities?
• What are the risks and complications associated with my procedure?
• How are complications handled?
• What are my options if the cosmetic outcome of my surgery does not meet the goals we agreed on?

How do I prepare for a lower body lift procedure?

• Stop smoking for at least six weeks before undergoing surgery to promote better healing.
• Avoid taking aspirin, certain anti-inflammatory medications, and some herbal medications that can cause increased bleeding.
• Regardless of the type of surgery to be performed, hydration is very important before and after surgery for safe recovery and good outcomes.
• If weight benchmarks or lifestyle changes are recommended, do your best to comply with these to achieve the best results and minimize the chance of complications.
• You should be at a stable, dependable weight before you undergo a lower body lift. It is a good idea for your plastic surgeon to consult with your bariatric surgeon (if you have undergone this procedure) before surgery to determine whether you have achieved your final weight plateau.
• If your lower body lift is performed on an outpatient basis, be sure to arrange for someone to drive you to and from surgery and arrange for skilled nursing care for a number of days specified by your doctor.
• Establish a no-fail support system for the full recovery period advised by your surgeon. This is most critical to your recovery. If you have children less than five years of age, you must have someone to take care for them for at least two weeks. Lifting, driving, laundry and cleaning should not be attempted during your recovery.
• Prepare your home for recovery. Your doctor can suggest many conveniences that may help you. For example, it may be helpful to move objects off of high shelves so they are in easy reach.
• Prepare meals before you go to the hospital that can be easily reheated. Stock your refrigerator with lots of fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. Lean protein assists in healing. Salt increases swelling, so avoid it!
• Set up your nightstand with everything you’ll need within easy reach, including the telephone, TV remote and reading material. Prepare your bed with the necessary pillows or wedge pillows you might need for support.
• Ask your doctor about the most comfortable clothing to wear home from the hospital and wear slip-on shoes.
• Get all your chores out of the way and try to have as little to worry about as possible.

• Your surgery may be performed in an accredited hospital, a freestanding ambulatory facility or an office-based surgical suite. Your surgeon will give you an estimate of how long your surgery will last based on the details of your procedure.
• You will receive medications to keep you comfortable during the surgical procedure. Local anesthesia combined with sedation may be an option, but general anesthesia is more commonly used for this procedure. An anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist will be present to administer sedatives or general anesthesia and assist in monitoring you during surgery. After you are asleep, a breathing tube will be placed in your mouth to ensure that your airway is secure during position changes involved in the body lift procedure.
• For your safety during the surgery, various monitors will be used to check your heart, blood pressure, pulse and the amount of oxygen circulating in your blood.
• Your plastic surgeon will follow the surgical plan discussed with you before surgery. Once the operation has begun, he or she may decide to combine various techniques or change a technique to ensure the best result. It is important that you feel comfortable and trust your doctor to make these decisions.

• Surgical drains have been placed to remove fluid that accumulates within the incisions.
• You are wearing a compression garment, which controls swelling, supports the suspended tissues and smoothens and flattens the skin. This garment may be placed at the time of surgery or later.

• After your procedure is completed, you will be taken into a recovery area where you will continue to be closely monitored.
• You may go home on the day of surgery with skilled nursing care or spend two or three days in an aftercare center with a nurse or in the hospital, unless you and your plastic surgeon have made other plans for your immediate post-operative recovery. Under no circumstances will you be permitted to go home alone or stay home without another adult present. Follow your doctor’s recommendation in relation to this decision.
• Before leaving for home, you (or someone looking after you) should feel comfortable emptying and resetting your drains.

• Drains, if they have been placed
• Normal symptoms you will experience
• Any potential signs of complications

• When the anesthesia wears off, you may have some pain. If the pain is extreme or long-lasting, contact your physician. You will also have some redness and swelling after the surgery. In some cases, the swelling will remain for weeks or even months. Contact your physician to determine whether your pain, redness and swelling is normal or a sign of a problem.
• Make sure you continue to have lots of help at home—this cannot be stressed enough. You'll be tempted to try to help around the house quickly, but you won't feel like yourself for at least two weeks, and you still shouldn't do anything strenuous, including lifting, for four to six weeks. If you have small children, you must put someone else totally in charge of their care for at least two weeks.
• Ask your surgeon how to sleep, including the use of pillows, to minimize the tension on your incisions, reduce pain and facilitate a thinner scar.
• Swelling, which is commonly seen after body lift surgery, is controlled by compression garments, which reduce swelling, support the suspended tissues and smooth and flatten the skin.
• Drains, which also control swelling, are placed to remove fluid that accumulates within the incisions. Your doctor will ask you to measure the amount of fluid in your drains daily. Once the output falls low enough, your drains will be removed in your doctor’s office. Drains typically remain in place two to three weeks, but may be left longer.
• You will be encouraged to walk the day after surgery.

• Weekly follow-up visits aid in your recovery by allowing for adjustments based on your progress.
• Your activity will be determined by the progress of your incision healing. Once the drains are removed, movement is easier.
• Discomfort will dissipate over a week or two after the surgery. Your doctor will prescribe pain medication for you to take after you return home. You will need to wear the compression garment for a few weeks after the surgery and your plastic surgeon may recommend that you follow a special diet.
• Sutures are typically removed about two weeks after surgery and this too is done in your plastic surgeon’s office.
• Full healing of the circumferential incisions may take four weeks or even longer.
• Wound separations may occur, delaying wound healing (but rarely requiring further surgery).
• You will need to take at least two to three weeks off from work and restrict normal activities for four to six weeks. You will have some discomfort. This is expected and typically is easily controlled with pain medications.
• You will have to wait approximately six to eight weeks before you can resume exercise.
• The bruising will begin to disappear in a few weeks, and the swelling should subside within a few months. Although the scars will be permanent, they will fade in about twelve months and can be hidden by clothing.

• Adverse reaction to anesthesia
• Hematoma or seroma (an accumulation of blood or fluid under the skin that may require removal)
• Infection and bleeding
• Changes in sensation
• Scarring
• Allergic reactions
• Damage to underlying structures
• Unsatisfactory results that may necessitate additional procedures

Do you offer any type of financing assuming insurance will not pay?