Plastic Surgery After Major Weight Loss

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Plastic Surgery After Major Weight Loss Houston, TX

Plastic surgery after major weight loss is a cosmetic solution that can address excess skin once fat volume has decreased. It involves a range of different procedures that can remove excess skin, fat, and tissue from various areas of the body, particularly after a person has undergone weight-loss surgery or semaglutide treatment. Some of these surgeries include tummy tucks, liposuction, neck lifts, thigh lifts, butt lifts, breast lifts, and arm lifts. These procedures can tighten and contour your skin to complement a more slender figure brought about by major weight loss. 

At Kronowitz Plastic Surgery, Dr. Steven J. Kronowitz provides effective plastic surgeries for patients who have experienced major weight loss in Houston. He is a world-renowned aesthetic surgeon who prioritizes thoughtful patient care and life-changing cosmetic results. For more information, call (713) 523-0300 or fill out this form.

About Plastic Surgery after Major Weight Loss

Men and women who undergo major weight loss often find that they have an excess accumulation of skin around their bodies. This skin can be both embarrassing and painful. (1) When you put in a significant amount of effort and lose weight, it can be disheartening to have not achieved the attractive body contours you desire. Plastic surgery after significant weight loss targets the common areas of excess skin accumulation to provide slimmer and more toned body contours. This is the only effective way to address large amounts of excess skin. (2)

Tummy Tuck

A tummy tuck treats excess sagging skin on the abdomen. Additionally, it can tighten loose abdominal muscles that are causing a stomach pooch, restoring firm and toned abdominal contours. Dr. Kronowitz makes an incision along the bikini line running from hip to hip. He may make a second incision around the navel if there is a considerable amount of excess skin. He uses sutures to tighten loose muscles, and then trims the excess skin and drapes what remains tightly over the abdomen to create a refined contour.

Extended Tummy Tuck

An extended tummy tuck targets excess skin accumulations around the abdomen, flanks, and lower back. This procedure provides more comprehensive lower body contouring than a traditional tummy tuck. It involves Dr. Kronowitz making incisions along the bikini line that extend around the hips and onto the lower back. If necessary, he tightens loose abdominal muscles with sutures. He removes the excess skin and crafts a natural-looking contour for the abdomen, back, and hips.

Liposuction

Liposuction can treat areas with excess fat accumulation. It is often combined with other body contouring procedures to improve the appearance of the abdomen, hips, thighs, arms, back, and neck. Dr. Kronowitz makes small incisions in the treatment area and uses gentle suction with a cannula to remove excess fat. This procedure can help create a better body definition.

Neck Lift

A neck lift targets loose neck skin that often results from weight loss. Sagging skin along the jawline and neck can affect your overall facial appearance. A neck lift can provide a slimmer appearance on the neck and accentuate the jawline. Dr. Kronowitz makes an incision along the lower hairline. In some cases, he tightens the muscles of the platysma (neck) with sutures. He uses the incisions to remove and trim the excess skin.

Thigh Lift

A thigh lift targets unwanted skin along the inner and/or outer thighs. Excess thigh skin can lead to painful irritation and chafing. Removing excess skin helps create a more toned appearance for the legs. Dr. Kronowitz hides incisions in the groin area to prevent visible scarring. He trims the excess skin away, and the remaining tissue is positioned to provide a more sculpted look.

Butt Lift

A butt lift improves the appearance of a sagging buttock. Dr. Kronowitz removes excess gluteal skin and lifts the remaining tissue to provide a tighter and rounder appearance. Restoring the appearance of the buttocks can enhance the shape and curvature of your physique.

Dr. Kronowitz makes incisions along the upper edge of the buttocks. He trims sagging skin away and lifts the remaining tissue to provide a firmer appearance.

Breast Lift

Sagging and deflated breasts are common following weight loss. A breast lift eliminates loose breast tissue to restore firmer breasts with improved shape and projection. Dr. Kronowitz places the incisions around the areola and the lower breast tissue. He removes excess tissue and places internal sutures to lift and support the breast. Patients with low breast volume can add implants to increase their breast size.

Arm Lift

An arm lift treats the appearance of protruding flaps or “bat wings” caused by sagging excess skin along the upper arms. This treatment can restore a toned arm appearance. Dr. Kronowitz makes an incision along the inner arm, running from the armpit down to the elbow. He removes excess tissue and drapes the remaining skin tightly to improve the contour of the arms.

To learn about the other procedures we offer here at Kronowitz Plastic Surgery, visit our blog. 

Benefits of Plastic Surgery

Women and men choose plastic surgery after major weight loss to:

  • Restore firmness to the breasts, buttocks, and many other areas of the body
  • Eliminate excess pockets of fat that remain after major weight loss
  • Improve painful chafing caused by an excessive amount of skin
  • Better define the contours of their body
  • Further enhance their confidence following their transformative weight loss

Who is a Candidate?

Plastic Surgery After Major Weight Loss Houston, TX

An ideal candidate for plastic surgery after major weight loss will want to finish the aesthetic job that losing their weight started. To be eligible, you should be in relatively good health. These procedures are major surgeries, and they demand considerable energy and healing from your body to provide effective results. If you smoke, the negative health effects may preclude you from being able to recover properly. You should also have realistic expectations about how these treatments can improve your appearance. 

Personal Consultation

A consultation with Dr. Kronowitz will help you decide which procedure(s) you could benefit from most. At your consultation, he will examine your problem areas and determine whether or not plastic surgery is the solution to help you reach your body goals. He will also decide whether or not combining liposuction with your lift procedure could enhance your results.

Come prepared to discuss your medical history. Dr. Kronowitz will want to know all about your past surgeries, prescriptions, and conditions. Having a thorough understanding of your medical history will help him devise a treatment plan that is as safe and effective as possible. He may also choose to run some medical tests to assess your current condition. At the end of your consultation, we can schedule your procedure appointment. 

To schedule your consultation with Dr. Kronowitz, call (713) 523-0300 or message us through our contact page.

Preparation

Dr. Kronowitz will create personalized preparation instructions based on your medical history and the procedure plan that he has made for you. These may include changes to your prescriptions and alterations to your lifestyle. Before any major surgery, it is important to prepare your body and ensure a safe procedure and swift recovery. You should avoid all NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) that thin the blood and can lead to excess bleeding and bruising. You should also maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. You may have limited mobility as you recover, so be sure to prepare your home by creating a comfortable resting place and keeping everything within reach. You will be disoriented from the anesthesia after your surgery, so do not forget to arrange a ride home from our facilities on the day of your procedure. Having someone at home who can look after you for the first 24 hours will be of great help. 

Plastic Surgery Procedure

At Kronowitz Plastic Surgery, most surgeries are outpatient. When you come in for your treatment, we will administer general anesthesia to prevent discomfort. Dr. Kronowitz will begin by making the necessary incisions in your treatment area. If liposuction is a part of your treatment plan, he will proceed to break up and remove excess fat using a cannula. He will then use the incisions to trim excess skin and tissue from your treatment area. When he closes the incisions, he will pull the remaining skin tightly over your body to provide a precise and aesthetically pleasing contour. When he completes your procedure, we will take you into a recovery room and monitor your condition as the anesthesia wears off. 

Recovery

Your recovery period will vary depending on the type and number of procedures you receive. Many of these procedures require several days to weeks of downtime. You can learn more about the specifics of recovery for your procedure at your consultation. You will experience some bruising and swelling in your treatment area, and we can provide compression garments to help reduce the symptoms. The majority of your swelling will subside after six weeks. 

Most patients are able to return to work within two weeks of their surgery and resume their regular exercise routine after four to six weeks. Resuming strenuous activity too soon could disrupt your healing and affect the results of your treatment. 

Results

You will start to notice your results immediately following your surgery, and these results will continue to improve as the bruising and swelling subside. While Dr. Kronowitz takes great care to place incisions in easily concealable locations, some scars may be visible. This scarring is likely to fade over time. The results of your plastic surgery after major weight loss will be long-lasting, provided that they are accompanied by a healthy lifestyle.

Cost of Plastic Surgery After Major Weight Loss in Houston

Dr. Kronowitz customizes each plastic surgery procedure for the patient’s unique needs. The final cost of your surgery will reflect this personalization. Your final cost will include the techniques used, anesthesia fees, facility fees, and surgeon’s fees. We will provide you with an accurate cost estimate during your consultation. To learn more about how much plastic surgery costs at Kronowitz Plastic Surgery in Houston, call (713) 523-0300 or contact us online.

FAQ

Why do I have excess skin after weight loss?

When you gain weight, your skin must stretch to accommodate the growing volume of fat and tissue beneath it. If this volume rapidly decreases, your skin may not have the elasticity necessary to reform to the new shape. This can leave you with excess skin that droops and folds.

What is a “lift” plastic surgery?

A lift surgery is any cosmetic procedure that involves the removal of excess skin, tissue, and sometimes fat, to create a slimmer and tighter version of whichever body part is being treated. Some common examples of lift surgeries are tummy tucks, arm lifts, and thigh lifts. They can address excess skin that results from major weight loss. 

Am I a good candidate for plastic surgery?

A good candidate for plastic surgery will be ready to do what it takes to achieve the body that they desire. They will be non-smokers or willing to quit so they can recover properly and benefit from the results of their treatment. They will also have realistic expectations about what plastic surgery can do for them. 

References

  1. Alzahrani Khalid J, Kattan Abdullah E, Ezzat Loui A, Alsaleh Saud A, Murad Khalid A, Alghamdi Bader A. A Psychosocial Analysis of the Effect of Body-Contouring Surgery on Patients After Weight Loss. Eplasty. 2017;17:e12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5372753/ 
  2. Boswell CB. Body Contouring Following Massive Weight Loss. Missouri Medicine. 2010;107(3):189-194. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6188338/