Post Weight Loss

Body Contouring

AFTER MASSIVE WEIGHT LOSS, you deserve congratulations! You made it. You have lost a significant amount of weight and look great - in clothes. Now you want to take the next step and lose the excess skin so your new, slimmer figure can be revealed.

After a person has lost a significant amount of weight, his or her skin loses elasticity and does not magically recontour; however, there are several plastic surgery procedures that can remove excess skin and produce a more pleasant appearance. It is not advisable to have any of the following procedures until weight loss has stabilized-at least 12 months after gastric bypass surgery. For safety and optimal results, these procedures are performed in several separate operations.

Dr. Millard is experienced and skilled in all of these procedures and is aware of the modifications and staging issues important for weight loss patients. If you have undergone dramatic weight loss, either through diet and exercise or bariatric surgery, and you are at your optimum weight loss goal, you may choose to have these procedures.

Total Body Lift

(A total body lift is a series of separate procedures that each address a different area of the body.)

• Extended High Lateral Tension Abdominoplasty - The most common procedure performed following massive weight loss is the Extended High Lateral Tension.
  
• Abdominoplasty or "tummy tuck" - This procedure address the entire abdomen and goes toward the sides. The operation includes removal of excess skin, tightening of the abdominal wall muscles and LipoSelection of the entire area.
  
• Buttock-Thigh Lift - This is typically the second stage in a total body lift and addresses the buttock and outer thighs all the way down to the knees. The operation includes tightening and removal of excess skin and Liposelection.
  
• Medial Thigh Lift - This is the third area for body lift surgery. This procedure will address the inner thighs. It includes removal of excess skin and fatty tissue and Liposelection.
  
• Breast Lift(Mastopexy) - Over time, the effects of gravity along with the loss of the skin's natural elasticity begins to have an effect on the appearance of a woman's breasts. These factors, combined with pregnancies and nursing, will often cause the breasts to lose their youthful shape and firmness. A breast lift, or mastopexy, is a surgical procedure to raise and reshape sagging breasts. The procedure can also reduce the size of the areola (the darker skin surrounding the nipple). Breast implants inserted in conjunction with a mastopexy procedure can increase both firmness and size.
  
• Brachioplasty (Arm lift) - This is a procedure used to remove loose, saggy skin of the upper arm. Typically, it is performed in patients who have undergone significant weight loss and are left with hanging skin that has lost its ability to stretch back. While most incisions are typically hidden under clothing, this procedure leaves a noticeable scar along the inside of the upper arm. You must be willing to accept a long scar on the inside part of your arm (the part that is not usually seen) as a trade off for removal of the hanging skin.