What is a Lower Body Lift

A lower body lift tightens up loose skin on the buttocks, hips, and thighs. The incisions typically go from the back to the front of the top of the thighs. Loose skin and excess fat tissue is removed from below the incision. This allows the remaining tissues to be smoothed and tightened over the thighs and buttocks. Some lower body lifts include tummy tuck surgery as well. Incisions for lower body lifts are carefully placed so they are hidden by natural anatomical folds and by clothing. Post-surgical swelling is controlled with compression garments and sterile drainage tubes which drain off excess fluid. Healing typically takes around four weeks if all post-op instructions are followed. Who Gets Lower Body Lifts? A typical candidate for a Fort Lauderdale lower body lift has the following concerns: *Sagging skin on buttocks and backs of thighsrn *Loose skin on hips and the sides of the thighsrn *Loose skin on the fronts of the thighsrn *Sagging skin on the abdomen or inner thighs Often, candidates for a lower body lift have lost a significant amount of weight and want to rid themselves of excess skin. Your Fort Lauderdale cosmetic surgeon will be able to assess whether you are a good candidate for a lower body lift. How Should I Prepare for a Lower Body Lift? For the best results with a lower body lift, you should be close to your desired or ideal body weight. If, for example, you had a lower body lift and lost significant weight afterwards, the tightened skin could loosen again. You should also have a healthy eating and exercise plan so that you don't gain excessive weight after the surgery. Post-operative weight gain can stretch out tightened skin and negate the improvements made by the surgery. Some patients, who carry lots of excess weight in the thighs, hips, and buttocks, may be advised to lose weight before surgery. If that is not feasible, liposuction may be used to trim the thighs and buttocks before a lower body lift. What Other Kinds of Body Lift Procedures Are There? Because weight loss or aging can result in excess skin in many parts of the body, lift procedures are also available for areas other than the lower body. Upper arm lifts, for example, remove excess skin from upper arms. A central body lift, also known as a "belt lipectomy" consists of tummy tuck surgery plus reshaping of the abdomen, hips, and buttocks. Breast lifts are also done after significant weight loss or to cope with excessive sagging. What Should My Consultation Include? Your Fort Lauderdale cosmetic surgeon should answer all your questions about which procedures you're a good candidate for. He or she should also instruct you in how to prepare for the surgery and what to expect afterwards. Your surgeon should not push you into procedures you don't want. You should be able to view before and after pictures of your surgeon's patients so you can get an idea of what to expect. Your consultation should put your mind at ease and give you confidence that you are making the right decision.