A lower body lift is a dramatic cosmetic surgery which combines a tummy tuck, a thigh lift and buttocks lift in one procedure that is also called a belt lipectomy.
What is a Lower Body Lift?
It is one of the most extensive changes that can be done with plastic surgery and can recontour the thighs, abdomen and buttocks.
A lower body lift will remove excess fat and skin to restore the lower body to a more youthful appearance. It is most useful for patients who have lost a lot of weight and have a great deal of excess skin that is sagging and folding.
Large pouches of sagging skin cannot be eliminated naturally and must be removed through plastic surgery. Excess amounts of skin can pose not only an aesthetic problem due to appearance but can sometimes pose a health risk including skin and fungal infections as well.
Lower body lifts can also be performed on those who have simply lost the natural contour of the skin due to aging and gravity or due to pregnancy. Some patients may wish to have liposuction performed before the procedure but know that skin after weight or fat loss will not return to pre-fat levels as it has lost its elasticity. Excessive skin is a major complaint of people who have lost a great deal of weight and a lower body lift procedure can take care of that.
Preparation
Preparation for plastic surgery body lift procedure should begin with the selection of an appropriate cosmetic surgeon and plastic surgery clinic. One should ensure that the plastic surgeon is skilled at performing tummy tucks (abdominoplasty), thigh lifts including inner thigh lift and outer thigh lift and buttocks lift procedures.
He or she should also be comfortable performing all of these procedures at one time. Though getting a lower body lift will combine all 3 procedures into one trip and may reduce the cost and recovery time, selection of a well qualified plastic surgery doctor will be the most important decision to make as he or she is the one who is performing the plastic surgical procedure.
Recovery
Recovery from a lower body lift surgery will be several weeks in the making. The patient will have been put under general anesthesia as this is a major surgery. This will require time for the anesthetic to wear off and, even if the procedure is performed at a “day” surgery cosmetic center, someone will be needed to drive the patient home and tend to them for the first 24 hours or so.
Significant bandaging and pressure garments will be required to cover the incision sites which will be extensive and will help to hold the newly placed tissues in place until healing is well underway. Bed rest will be recommended for the first few days and only light activity will be allowed for a week or so.
Most patients will experience moderate pain, swelling and bruising but this can be minimized after lower body lift by following post operative instructions exactly. Several months after getting a lift for the lower body, when healing is complete, most patients report that they are very happy with their decision and feel much better about themselves. Some are even able to return to more vigorous activity or to wear tight or skin baring clothing as the excess skin of the lower body is no longer getting in the way.