How to Know if You Are a Candidate for Body Contouring

The number of Australians undergoing body contouring procedures has continued to rise significantly over the past decade. Patient’s may seek surgery for a number of different reasons; they may have undergone massive weight loss and be encumbered with rolls of excess skin, struggled to ‘bounce back’ after pregnancy, or may just have stubborn pockets of difficult to shift weight.

There are a range of different body contouring procedures and adjuncts available to tailor for each patient’s unique concerns or body issues. Common areas include:

• Abdomen
• Arms
• Breasts
• Thighs
• Buttocks
• Hips
• Face
• Neck

Our surgeons provide a comprehensive consultation with you prior to your body contouring procedure. This will allow you to discuss what results you hope to achieve and give you an idea about whether you are a good candidate for body contouring surgery.

The Ideal Candidate for Body Contouring

There are non-surgical and surgical body contouring options. However, patients with more significant concerns or skin laxity will likely require surgery in order to achieve their desired results.  Due to their nature, not everyone may be a candidate for such treatments.

Our surgeons will evaluate you and talk to you about your overall health in your consultation, but to  give you an idea if you are a potential candidate or not, here are four  indications that you might qualify for body contouring surgery:

Your Current Weight Is Close to Your Goal Weight

You should be at your goal weight before undergoing body contouring surgery. Body contouring is not a weight loss procedure, and is most effective in patients after they have reached a healthy goal weight, and maintained it for 3 months.  The final results are far superior, and the risk of surgical complications such as infection, seroma and wound breakdown are significantly lower.  Also, patients that lose further weight after having body contouring may find that they once again have loose, sagging skin.

You Have Excess Skin after Significantly Losing Weight

 When your body stores excess fat, your skin becomes stretched to accommodate it. Carrying that excess weight for many years before losing it again means that often skin has lost its elasticity, and sags lower on the body as the fat stores are deflated.   Patients may notice that they have stretch marks or striae on their skin, particularly in the areas in which they held most of their weight.  These are essentially scarred areas where the skin has stretched faster and further than it can tolerate, and connective scar tissue has grown in between adjacent areas of the skin.  Under a microscope, the skin of these patients will also exhibit numerous tiny areas of scar tissue, which has limited capacity to retract after massive weight loss.  Surgical removal of the excess skin is the only proven method of fixing the problem of skin laxity in these patients.

Your maintain good nutrition and overall health and fitness.

Body contouring procedures can be large, long procedures that require the surgical dissection and excision of large amounts of tissue, and leave long scars that need to heal.  Patients that have lost huge amounts of weight, particularly those that have so after undergoing bariatric surgery,  need to make sure that they are not deficient in the essential vitamins and nutrients required to recover and heal after such a surgery.  In the first two weeks post-operatively, patients will require higher than usual intake of iron, protein and calories to assist with their recovery.

You Are Not a Smoker

Smoking is one of the most significant risk factors for impaired wound healing, infection and delayed recovery.  Patients considering body contouring procedures need to have quit smoking, including nicotine replacement therapies, at least 6 weeks before their surgery, and need to maintain their abstinence from nicotine for at least 6 weeks post-operatively.  The risk of complications is so high in fact, that most surgeons would not offer body contouring procedures, particularly large procedures such as a body lift, to patients that are actively smoking.

How to Expect the Best Body Contouring Results

Before undergoing body contouring surgery, it’s important to set realistic expectations. You have to understand the following:

• Communication is crucial between you and your plastic surgeon.
• Body contouring is not intended to provide weight loss.
• Some body contouring procedures take time to show their final results.
• There are risks when undergoing body contouring surgery.
• There are limitations to what body contouring surgery can do.

Conclusion

Body contouring is a procedure that aims to improve the shape of your body by removing unwanted areas of fat or skin through surgical means.  Your surgeon will be able to establish if you are a suitable candidate for body contouring surgery.

The Lotus Institute combines experienced and respected Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons with first-class care, providing our patients with the ultimate cosmetic, laser, and plastic surgery experience. You have done the hard work in losing the excess weight. Let us help you shed the excess skin through the power of body contouring. Schedule an appointment with us today!