Body Contouring near Huntersville, Denver and Cornelius
Substantial weight loss through either weight reduction surgery or a strict diet and exercise program offers many health benefits, including reduced risk of complications from heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. Dramatic weight loss patients also have increased energy and mobility, and an improved self-esteem and body confidence. However, often the positive benefits of weight loss are undermined by unwanted and unanticipated cosmetic side effects–including loose and drooping skin.
Why body contouring?
North Charlotte Plastic Surgery patients who lose dramatic amounts of weight often experience unwanted sagging and loose skin that lingers after weight loss. This undesirable laxity occurs because the skin and its underlying tissues lack the elasticity necessary to conform to the newly reduced body size. Skin that has been severely stretched by large fat deposits loses that support when the fat is no longer present.
As a result of this stretching, the skin does not bounce back into a desirable smooth contour. Instead, the skin on the upper arms may sag and appear loose forming so called “bat wings;” the breasts may flatten and hang with nipples pointed downward; the loose skin of the abdominal area may extend around the sides and into the lower back area, resulting in an apron-like overhang; skin around the buttocks, groin and thighs may hang in bulges and pockets. Even the skin of the face and neck is not immune to the adverse skin effects of weight loss.
While exercise firms and tones the underlying muscle structures, neither diet nor exercise will remove excess skin. Once the skin has lost its natural elasticity, surgery is the only option to tighten the droops, pooches and sags that result from dramatic weight loss.
Body contouring procedures are designed to improve the shape and tone of the skin’s underlying tissues. These procedures also remove excess sagging skin and fat. Patients who undergo body contouring enjoy increased tone and a normalized overall body appearance. The resulting smooth body contours allow patients who have done the hard work of losing weight to proudly show off their hard earned fitness without the distraction of extra skin flaps or other abnormal appearing sags and pockets.
What are my body contouring options?
Body contouring usually consists of a combination of procedures chosen to address the specific needs of a patient post-weight loss.
These may include:
– Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) to remove the unwanted abdominal apron of skin
–Face lift and neck lifts to address excess hanging skin at the neck, chin, and jowls.
–Breast lift to reposition the breasts at a more attractive height as well as to restore volume
-Arm lift (brachioplasty) and/or thigh lifts to tighten the skin and musculature of the limbs.
-Additional liposuction to remove small, displaced fat deposits
What is a body contouring procedure like?
Those who undergo body-contouring procedures typically need several operations in order to address different problem areas and complete their body transformations. Patients’ body contouring experiences differ based on which individual procedures are undertaken to achieve the desired results. To learn more about individual procedures click on the procedural page you wish to learn more about.
The best way for patients to learn more about body contouring options is to set-up a personal consultation with Dr. Erik Miles. This consultation allows Dr. Miles to evaluate your weight loss progress, body shape and skin tone, as well as help to prioritize and sequence procedures. During the consultation, he will take the time to understand your weight loss journey and make recommendations for body contouring procedures that will help you achieve your goals.
Am I a good candidate for body contouring?
Ideal body contouring candidates have maintained their weight for three to six months and demonstrate good overall health. If you worked with a bariatric surgeon or another physician to achieve your weight loss, Dr. Miles will work closely with your doctor to understand your progress and determine an appropriate timeframe to begin body-contouring procedures safely.
If you are looking to complete your weight loss journey with a body contouring procedure, please call our North Charlotte office to set-up an appointment for consultation. We are eager to help you take the next steps to realize the body you deserve.
Patients in the Huntersville, Denver, Charlotte, Mooresville or Cornelius area can call us at: (704) 896-5556 to schedule a consultation.