Body Contouring

Body contouring also called as body reshaping is the surgical process that removes the extra skin.

After a person loses considerable amounts of weight, usually after having carried many excess weight for years the skin on the persons body has become so stretched, it can be like wearing extra garments. So loose skin hangs on legs, arms, stomachs and chests.

With the increasing popularity of various cosmetic surgery procedures, including body shaping and contouring, it is important that the prospective patient understand different issues like what the procedure can and cannot treat, inherent risks, costs, and other factors.

Please note that cosmetic surgery is a surgical procedure whose results cannot simply be erased. While the information contained in this website will provide you with a good introduction to body shaping, when considering this or any other cosmetic procedure.

Where do I begin?

Those considering body shaping should first find a qualified cosmetic surgeon to perform the procedure.

After finding a qualified practitioner, the patient should schedule a consultation appointment with the doctor. This visit allows the doctor to examine the current state of the patient's body. The doctor will also ask about the patient's medical history, medications taken, or other conditions that could prohibit treatment. During this consultation, the doctor will explain the procedure in detail, risk, benefits, costs, length of treatment and other factors. This visit also gives the patient a chance to ask the doctor any questions or voice any concerns about the treatment.

How Much Pain is Associated with Body Contouring?

This depends on the type of surgery performed.

Moderate amounts of temporary pain, swelling, numbness of abdominal skin and bruising are encountered after a body contouring procedure. Patients can expect redness for several weeks or months. The patient undergoes general anesthesia during the operation and often uses a device known as a pain pump while recuperating during the hospital stay -- which ranges from one to eight days. The pain pump is a tube laid across the patient's incision and dispenses pain killers onto the skin at the patient's discretion. Studies have shown the pump reduces post operative pain by about 50 percent. Some swelling may be present just above the line of the scar but will disappear in several months. Also, sensation in the lower portion of the stomach, just above the pubic area, will be reduced and may be permanent.

In the first week to ten days after surgery, some fluid may collect beneath the skin on the stomach. If so, surgeons will use an instrument to draw it out (aspiration).

What are the Long-Term Effects of Body Contouring?

Body contouring, although considered major surgery, is generally very satisfying to patients. When excess skin is surgically removed, clothes fit better; hygiene is easier and more complete while almost all movement is made easier because loose hanging skin no longer rubs against other parts of the body or bulges through clothing. Many patients are able to resume the athletic activities they once enjoyed. Moreover, because the patient will have a more attractive figure and can again wear a wider selection of clothes like short sleeve dresses, sun dresses, shorts, shorter skirts and bathing suits, self-esteem and confidence pick up tremendously.

Who Would best Represent an Ideal Candidate for Body Shaping?

The best candidates are people with good overall health and have had a stable weight for 12 to 16 months after losing massive amounts of weight. Patients who are considerably overweight may be advised to first lose weight before body contouring surgery. If the patient has had a gastric bypass or stomach banding, and has lost at least 100 pounds, then she may be a candidate for body shaping. Surgeons usually advise women who are pregnant, or who plan to become pregnant, to wait until they have returned to their normal weight.

Additionally, doctors advise avoiding overexposure to the sun; avoiding stringent diets; aspirin, Advil or other aspirin containing products for two week before surgery. If you smoke, stopping will aid in healing.

What Are the Risks and Limitations of Body Shaping?

Risks include blood clots, infection and bleeding under the skin flap. In a few cases, poor healing results in conspicuous scarring or skin loss and creates the need for a second operation. If patients gain significant weight after excess skin is removed, the skin will stretch again. Patients can return to work in two to four weeks and must avoid strenuous activity for another four to six weeks. The fading of scars can require three months to two years; scars may lighten after six to nine months. Returning to work usually occurs after two to four weeks.