After losing a significant amount of weight, you have a final challenge: resolving the pockets of fat, skin, and tissue remaining on your abdomen, thighs, and buttocks. A body lift is often the final step in achieving your ideal figure. It combines the benefits of a tummy tuck with surgery to lift sagging thighs and buttocks for a slim, contoured figure. Find out more about Dr. Khalifeh's body lift procedure below!
To determine if you are a candidate for a body lift will require an in-person consultation and medical testing. Candidates for a body lift are:
A body lift, medically-termed a belt lipectomy, is a surgery to remove excess skin and fat on the front, sides and back your mid to lower body. Unlike a tummy tuck, focused on the abdomen, the incisions used in a body lift continue around the body to provide access to remove excess skin on the abdomen, thighs, and buttocks in one surgery.
A body lift is performed under general anesthesia or intravenous sedation. The surgery may take four hours or more to complete. Dr. Khalifeh will perform your surgery at our accredited private surgery center or at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington DC. The steps of the procedure include:
You will receive medications to keep you comfortable during your body lift procedure with Dr. Khalifeh. You may be administered general anesthesia or intravenous sedation. Dr. Khalifeh will recommend the anesthesia technique that he feels is best for you during your body lift surgery.
The length and pattern of the incision Dr. Khalifeh uses depend on the location and the amount of excess skin that needs to be removed during your body lift. If you have a complete lower body lift, Dr. Khalifeh will treat your abdomen, buttocks, hips, waist and thighs during one body lift procedure. He will use a circumferential incision around the body. This removes the ‘apron’ of excess fat and skin. He then repositions and tightens the tissues.
To achieve the desired results, Dr. Khalifeh may perform targeted liposuction in combination with your body lift. If this is the case, he will use deep support sutures to help form your newly shaped contours.
Dr. Khalifeh may use sutures, tapes or skin adhesives to close the incisions created during your body lift surgery.
Once your body lift is complete, your incisions will be covered with bandages or dressings. A drainage tube may be placed beneath your skin to help drain any excess fluid or blood from your surgical sites to help reduce the amount of swelling you experience. You will need to avoid strenuous activity for four to six weeks, though you can expect to resume normal activities within a few days following your body lift surgery at our office.
If you continue to maintain your weight and incorporate exercise and a healthy diet into your lifestyle, the results of your body lift procedure will last for many years. Your skin will continue to age, but the overall slimmer, firmer body contour should last a lifetime.
Overnight hospital stays are not required, but you may wish to do so for peace of mind and for the support provided by nursing care.
Body lifts are known to be very safe with a low risk of complications if post-surgery care and procedures are followed. In rare cases, patients have experienced infection, swelling, skin contour irregularities, changes in skin sensation, reopening of the incisions, and more.
