Can Loose Skin Be Tightened? Yes, with Skin Reduction Surgery.
What is skin reduction surgery?
Excess skin removal or skin reduction surgery for men & women who have lost a significant amount of weight is often referred to as Body Contouring or Body Lift Surgery. There are a variety of procedures available to remove excess skin after weight loss or pregnancy, which often involve skin reduction, liposuction, and skin tightening.
Body Contouring Surgery is appropriate for those who have lost significant amounts of weight, resulting in large folds of skin across the body, or those who have large folds of skin due to multiple pregnancies. Whether you want to reshape your mid-body contour or remove excess hanging skin, body lift surgery can help.
Procedures Involving Excess Skin Removal
Circumferential Abdominoplasty (Belt Lipectomy)
A circumferential abdominoplasty is more extensive than a standard abdominoplasty. It’s usually performed on patients who have lost a great deal of weight and now have excess skin around their entire body. In a circumferential abdominoplasty, an incision is made that extends around the entire waistline, through which excess skin and fat are removed and the muscles are tightened. The outer thighs and buttocks are also lifted, and a new navel may be created.
Thigh Lift/Reduction (Thighplasty)
A thighplasty surgery or thigh reduction procedure is designed to reduce and reshape the skin of the thigh. Liposculpture is often used in combination with thighplasty to remove excess fat, primarily from the inner and outer surfaces of the thigh and buttocks.
Lower Body Lift (thighs, tummy & buttocks)
Lower body lift surgery is a combination of skin reduction procedures that tightens and sculpts the buttocks, back of the thighs, outer thighs, inner thighs, hips, and abdomen. A lower body lift targets excess skin along the lower abdomen and excess skin along the thighs and buttocks.
Breast Lift (Mastopexy)
A breast lift or mastopexy involves the reshaping and lifting of the breasts. This procedure can address descending breasts due to pregnancy, breastfeeding, ageing, or significant weight loss. A breast lift can be combined with other surgical procedures, the most common being the placement of breast implants, to add shape and volume to the breasts.
Breast Reduction (Reduction Mammoplasty)
Breast reduction surgery, also known as reduction mammoplasty, is a procedure that reduces the size of the breasts. This procedure removes excess breast fat, tissue, and skin to achieve a breast size that is more proportionate to your body. The breasts and nipples are also elevated to a more central position on the chest wall. If desired, the nipple can also be adjusted in size, shape, or symmetry.
Arm Lift (Brachioplasty)
A brachioplasty procedure (arm lift) is a surgical reduction of excess skin from the upper arm area, usually from the elbow to the under-arm area of the body. Most brachioplasty procedures also involve liposuction prior to excising the excess skin.
Back Lift (Torsoplasty)
A lower or upper back lift may be performed to remove excess skin. For a lower back lift, excess skin and fat are removed from the lower back and the buttocks are lifted.
Upper Body Lift (Arms, Back & Breasts)
Upper body lift surgery may consist of one or several procedures, including an upper arm lift, breast lift, or male breast reduction. The procedure involves removing excess skin from the upper body.
Facelift (Rhytidectomy)
Facelift surgery removes skin folds and excess skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and deep trough lines. A facelift involves lifting the tissues of the mid and lower part of the face, as well as tightening and lifting skin and underlying muscles around the mid and upper neck.
Neck Lift (Lower Rhytidectomy)
A neck lift procedure lifts the back (rear) corner of the platysma muscle, drawing the surrounding tissue up. Combining liposuction or fat transfer procedures may be of additional benefit for some neck lift patients.
When to Consider Skin Reduction
What causes excess skin?
Many factors can contribute to excess skin, including, but not limited to:
- Significant weight loss or weight fluctuations
- Pregnancy
- Ageing
- Gravity
- Heredity condition
Why doesn’t skin just ‘snap back’?
Some people are more susceptible to excess skin. Your skin’s ability to contract and bounce back after losing weight depends on various factors, such as:
- The quality of your skin tone
- Age
- Genetics
- The amount of weight gained and lost
- Sun exposure
- Lifestyle factors such as smoking
Quick, drastic weight loss shocks your system in such a way that your skin’s elasticity doesn’t have enough time to adapt to your new shape.
Am I a Good Candidate for Excess Skin Removal Surgery?
To be considered a suitable candidate for body contouring surgery, you must have realistic expectations about what can and cannot be achieved. You must also have excess skin and good overall health.
Common Reasons for Addressing Excess Skin
Some of the reasons you may be exploring your surgical options for excess skin removal:
- Excess skin is causing physical discomfort such as recurring skin infections, chaffing due to skin folds, or skin irritation.
- Excess skin or folds is prone to unpleasant body odour due to moisture trapped in the area.
Specialist Plastic Surgeon – Dr Craig Rubinstein
Specialist plastic surgeon Dr Rubinstein is a FRCS-qualified surgeon who performs Body Contouring and Skin Reduction Surgery procedures. He performs Body Contouring and Excess Skin Removal procedures, including Circumferential Abdominoplasty (Belt Lipectomy), Thigh Lift, Liposuction, Back Lift, Arm Lift (Brachioplasty), Breast Lift (with or without implants), Breast Reduction, Facelift and Neck Lift.
