A body lift is similar to a facelift, except it involves the center of the body. Specifically, a body lift is the surgical contouring of arms, thighs, abdomen and breasts to remove excessive, hanging skin. The body lift procedure is designed for people who have lost large amounts of weight either through diet and exercise or gastric/intestinal bypass surgery. Significant weight loss often leaves people with saggy, excessive and unsightly skin that doesn't conform to their new, thinner figures. Other candidates for a body lift may include those who have excessive, sagging skin resulting from the normal aging process or pregnancy. As we age, our skin stops producing the proteins, elastin and collagen, that are needed for tight and tone skin.

Whether your sagging, loose or stretched skin is the result of significant weight loss, aging or pregnancy, a body lift can help give your body normal contours and tighter, smoother and younger looking skin.

Full Body Lift

Depending upon your health, you may be an excellent candidate for a full body lift if you have excessive, sagging skin in multiple areas of your body or your skin has lost overall elasticity. Full body lifts provides dramatic aesthetic results because the full body lift tightens every area of the body where excessive, sagging skin is a problem.

Below are a few area-specific body lifts. (Please note: abdomen, breasts and buttocks can also be treated.)

Arm Lift

Brachioplasty, or an arm lift, is designed to remove excessive and sagging skin in the upper arm that often results from weight loss and aging. An arm lift can give your arms the shapely contours you may not have seen in a long time or never had! Imagine being able to wear any sleeveless shirt you want!

Thigh Lift

Are you self-conscious about the way your thighs look? Is there excessive, loose skin that hangs or shakes when you walk? A thigh lift is a popular choice for those looking for sleeker, tighter legs. The goal of the thigh lift is to remove the "dimpled" cellulite look on your thighs. In addition, depending upon your health, liposuction can also be performed for better results. Imagine being able to wear shorts again!

TUMMY TUCK

A tummy tuck is a surgical procedure to remove excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen and to tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall. It is also known as abdominoplasty.

The best candidates for tummy tucks are women or men in relatively good shape who have large fat deposits or loose abdominal skin that did not respond to diet , exercise or both. Women who have had multiple pregnancies and stretched their abdominal muscles and skin will specially benefit from such a procedure. Older patients who are obese and have lost the elasticity of their skin can also benefit from this procedure. Tummy tucks can be used alone or in combination with liposuction to achieve the results you seek. Ask your surgeon what he recommends for you.

Images provided by Amreican Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.

Partial and complete abdominoplasties are performed on an outpatient basis and can be done under general anaesthesia. Complete abdominoplasty usually takes two to five hours while partial abdominoplasty may take an hour or two.

Because any surgical procedure carries certain risks and possible complications, you should discuss the procedure in detail with your plastic surgeon.

After surgery, most people return to their jobs in two weeks while some others take three or four weeks before going back. The results of tummy tuck are usually long lasting if you keep your weight under control and exercise regularly.