How to Reduce Loose Skin on Arms, Thighs and Tummy

Option for Excess Skin after Weight Loss – A body lift for excess after weight loss?

Massive weight loss represents a journey, demanding considerable mental and physical resilience. Despite meeting their weight loss goals, many individuals still have excess skin. This skin, stretched by excess weight, often reaches a point where it cannot retract.

Excess skin can be removed surgically through an arm lift, thigh lift, or lower body lift, depending on the patient’s needs.

So, you’ve made it to your goal weight.

You’ve lost weight, whether through diet and exercise alone or with the assistance of bariatric surgery. The weight is gone, but the excess skin won’t go away.

An option for massive weight loss patients is surgical removal of the excess skin.

A lower body lift is a plastic surgery procedure similar to an abdominoplasty: Skin is removed in a belt pattern around the lower trunk and then sutured together to recreate body shapes.

Patients can expect a change with a lower body lift. This procedure often includes an outer thigh and buttock lift and abdominal shaping. This combination works to shape the lower body in one go. Of course, the recovery is longer, because of the extent of the surgery, which can mean more associated risks.

Why doesn’t skin disappear as weight does?

Skin doesn’t readily shrink or disappear when weight is lost because it has its own properties and limitations. Here’s why:

• Elasticity
  • Skin has a certain degree of elasticity, which allows it to stretch to accommodate changes in body size. However, this elasticity has limits, and when skin is stretched significantly, as in the case of obesity, it may lose some of its ability to snap back into place.
• Collagen and Elastin
  • Collagen and elastin are proteins that provide skin with its structure and elasticity.
  • With age and prolonged stretching, these proteins can become damaged, reducing the skin’s ability to regain its shape.
• Rate of Weight Loss
  • The rate at which weight is lost can impact how well skin adapts.
  • Rapid weight loss, especially through crash diets or extreme measures, may not allow the skin enough time to adjust and shrink alongside the body’s changes.
• Genetics
  • Genetics plays a role in determining an individual’s skin elasticity.
  • Some people have more elastic skin, while others have skin that is less adaptable.
• Age
  • As people age, their skin tends to lose some of its elasticity, making it less likely to bounce back after weight loss.
• Amount of Weight Lost
  • The amount of weight lost also matters.
  • Significant weight loss, especially in massive weight loss or bariatric surgery, can result in excess skin.

Given these factors, skin can undergo surgical intervention, such as a body lift or abdominoplasty to remove excess skin and alter its appearance after weight loss.

Common Areas with Excess Skin After Weight Loss

Excess skin can occur in various areas of the body after significant weight loss. The specific areas where excess skin tends to occur include:

• Abdomen
  • The abdominal area is common for excess skin after weight loss.
  • This can include both the upper and lower abdomen.
• Arms
  • Excess skin may develop on the upper arms, resulting in a skin fold.
• Thighs
  • Both the inner and outer thighs can have excess skin.
• Buttocks
  • The buttocks can develop excess skin after weight loss.
• Breasts
  • Both men and women may experience excess skin in the chest area, which can lead to breast ptosis (breast descends to a lower position).
• Face and Neck
  • Facial skin can lose elasticity, resulting in jowls or other changes in facial appearance.
• Hips and Flanks
  • Excess skin can extend to the hip and flank areas, changing the waistline.
• Back
  • The skin on the back, especially in the lower back region, can develop excess skin.
• Calves and Ankles
  • In some cases, individuals may experience excess skin in the calf and ankle areas.

The extent and location of excess skin can vary significantly from person to person, depending on factors like the amount of weight lost, genetics, age, and the rate of weight loss. Surgical procedures like body lift, abdominoplasty, arm lift, and thigh lift can remove excess skin and alter body shape after significant weight loss.

What excess skin reduction surgeries do Coco Ruby Melbourne Plastic Surgeons perform?

• Breast Reduction
  • Male Breast Reduction
• Breast Lift
• Abdominoplasty/Tummy Tuck
  • Male Abdominoplasty
  • Extended Abdominoplasty
  • Belt Lipectomy/Circumferential Abdominoplasty
  • Fleur De Lis Abdominoplasty
• Bra Line Back Lift
• Body Lift
  • Upper Body Lift
  • Lower Body Lift
• Arm Lift (Brachioplasty)
• Thigh Lift / Thigh Reduction

More Information

If you would like to find out more about body lifts, phone us at (03) 8849 1400 with any questions, book a consultation, or visit us at Coco Ruby Plastic Surgery.