Body Lift

Thigh and buttock lift surgery is performed when a patient has excess skin as well as excess fat in the thighs, hips and buttocks. Patients who have lost 50 pounds or more often benefit from one or both of these procedures. Older patients with pronounced wrinkling of the skin can also benefit from thigh and buttock lifts.

These procedures may be combined with liposculpture surgery to create a better contour.

This surgery is designed to improve the appearance of tissue which has become loose and flabby, whether due to weight loss or aging. The main goal of the procedure is to remove the skin excess.

If the skin has poor elasticity and will not contract with conventional liposuction, then bodylifting procedures may be indicated. Bodylifting changes the appearance of the skin by stretching it thereby making the crepiness, skin folds and wrinkling less apparent. Bodylifting is recommended in certain cases because liposuction cannot correct skin laxity. In fact, liposuction alone can make the appearance of loose skin worse in patients with poor skin elasticity.

As with liposuction, bodylifting is not intended to correct obesity: patients should be at normal or near-normal weight before surgery. Most surgeons will not operate on individuals who are 50% above their ideal body weight.

Incisions for a lower body lift are made around the hips and back so that the skin of the outer thigh and buttock is lifted. The lower body lift may be combined with an abdominoplasty or a medial thigh lift, although not usually in the same setting.

All thigh and buttock lifts require general anaesthesia.

While scars will fade over time and will be kept as inconspicuous as possible, bodylifting necessitates long incisions that result in long scars. Dr. DeLorenzi will make every effort to ensure that bathing suits and undergarments will cover your scars. You should know, however, that the scars will be permanent and that their final width, height and color are not entirely predictable. Scars and numbness of certain areas of the skin are expected results from this type of surgery.

Dr. DeLorenzi will advise you during your consultation about the type of scarring you can expect.

The most common complications of bodylifting are haematoma (an accumulation of blood under the skin), seroma (fluid accumulation under then skin) and insufficient correction. The most severe complications include: poor healing and skin necrosis. Further surgery may be required with any of these types of complications.

You should be able to sit comfortably one week following surgery. Normal activities can be resumed during the second week and many people return to work the third week after surgery. It can take 6-12 months to see the final results of bodylifting surgery.