Body Procedures

Abdominoplasty
Abdominoplasty is a surgical procedure that helps to flatten and shape the abdomen and waist by removing excess fat and skin and tightening muscles. The best candidates are in good physical condition with pockets of fat or loose skin that haven't responded well to diet and exercise.

Abdominoplasty can also be useful for women with stretched skin and muscles from pregnancy, although results from the procedure will diminish if they continue to bear children. The procedure takes approximately two to five hours and can be performed with general anesthesia or local anesthesia with a sedative. Recovery time ranges from two weeks to a few months. With a balanced diet and regular exercise, results are long-lasting. Abdominoplasty will likely leave a permanent scar stretching between the hips, although it should be low enough for even a bikini to conceal it.


Liposuction
One of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures, liposuction sculpts the body by removing undesirable fat from areas such as the abdomen, waist, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, chin, cheeks, neck and upper arms that have not responded to diet and exercise. Local anesthesia or general anesthesia may be used and the procedure can last anywhere from one to five hours depending on the amount of fat being removed.
There are several different methods surgeons use when performing liposuction, including tumescent liposuction, the super-wet technique, and ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL). In all types a tiny incision is made in as inconspicuous a place as possible; a cannula (small tube) then breaks up the fat layer and suctions it out.
Liposuction is not a substitute for a healthy diet and exercise, but the procedure can eliminate areas of fat that are unresponsive to typical weight-loss methods.

Body Lift
The body lift is performed to remove excess skin and sometimes also fat from the torso and upper legs. It is a complicated procedure that can take three to seven hours under general anesthesia and involves a difficult recovery period of four to six weeks, but it offers an improvement in appearance for patients who have lost significant amounts of weight due to childbearing, diet, exercise or bariatric surgery, or who have loose, inelastic skin for other reasons. Body lifts can tighten and tone the abdomen, back, buttocks, hips and thighs. The procedure is often combined with others such as breastlifts, facelifts and armlifts to retain a proper body proportion. During the procedure, skin is lifted from underlying tissue, muscles are tightened and stitched and fat is removed where necessary, and the skin is sutured closed. The navel is often removed and replaced in its new position. Surgical tubes may be needed for a few days to drain any fluid, and patients may need to wear compression garments for a few weeks to faciliate faster healing.
After surgery, patients are encouraged to walk as soon as they are able, although strenuous activities must be limited for about a month. Results are visible immediately.


Post-Bariatric Body Lift
The body lift is performed to remove excess skin and sometimes also fat from the torso and upper legs. It is a complicated procedure that can take three to seven hours under general anesthesia and involves a difficult recovery period of four to six weeks, but it offers an improvement in appearance for patients who have lost significant amounts of weight due to childbearing, diet, exercise or bariatric surgery, or who have loose, inelastic skin for other reasons. The procedure is often combined with others such as breastlifts, facelifts and armlifts to retain a proper body proportion.