Post-bariatric Plastic Surgery - Body Contouring and Lift Surgery for Stockton Modesto, Sacramento, and Beyond

As the number of weight loss surgery successes grows , body lift and other post-bariatric plastic surgery procedures are becoming increasingly popular. Serving Stockton, Modesto, and the surrounding areas from our Sacramento practice, our plastic surgeon, Dr. Charles Perry, is experienced in belt lipectomy (central and lower body lift) as well as less extensive post–weight loss plastic surgery such as upper arm lift, tummy tuck, and liposuction. Read more about the body contouring procedures we offer below or contact Chrysalis Cosmetics to schedule your consultation.

• Central and Lower Body Lift (Belt Lipectomy)
• Arm Lift Surgery (Brachioplasty)
• Thigh Lift Surgery
• Browlift (Forehead Lift)
• Traditional and Mini Facelift
• Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty )
• Breast Augmentation
• Breast Lift
• Buttock Lifts and Buttock Augmentation

Central and Lower Body Lift (Belt Lipectomy)

Significant weight loss, as well as aging, can lead to an excess of skin and fatty tissue that obscures the true shape of the lower trunk. When the excess skin is problematic in a number of areas on the body such as the abdomen, hips, back, buttocks, and outer thighs, a more extensive procedure called lower body lift is needed. This procedure can be called a belt lipectomy, or a central and lower body lift, and is the most well-known type of post-bariatric plastic surgery. At our Sacramento practice, serving Modesto, Stockton, and beyond, we are proud to offer this procedure. Body lift surgery generally enhances self-confidence and physical comfort, while improving the patients overall body image.

Body lift combines a variety of contouring procedures including thigh lift, tummy tuck, buttocks lift, liposuction, and sometimes others. Because body lift surgery is an extensive undertaking, it is sometimes performed in stages. Post-bariatric plastic surgery is highly individualized and is customized according to the patient’s needs. During your body lift consultation at our Sacramento practice, near Stockton, you will learn more about which approach and combination of procedures will work best for you.

The effects of aging or weight loss are not limited to the lower body or mid-section; these factors can also lead to excess skin drooping from the upper arm. A body contouring procedure called brachioplasty (arm lift) can remedy this condition, and may also be combined with other post-bariatric plastic surgery procedures, to achieve comprehensive figure refinement.

Central and lower body lift, and post-bariatric surgery in general, should not be confused with a weight-loss method. Rather, the procedure should be performed to address significant flaps of skin remaining as a result of weight loss or aging.

Back to Top

Candidates for Body Lift

Those considering a central and lower body lift should remember that this is an extensive surgery. Body lift surgery can help patients of all ages, though patients must be mentally fit and prepared to handle a long and painful recovery period. To ensure safety, some patients are required to attend counseling or undergo psychiatric drug therapy previous to undergoing body lift surgery.

Post-bariatric plastic surgery is not recommended for:

• Morbidly obese individuals
• Smokers
• Nicotine use makes body lift surgery unacceptably risky.

• Individuals with medical problems
• Medical conditions barring patients from receiving general anesthetic will disqualify patients for the surgery.

• Individuals planning to lose more weight
• Further weight loss will cause skin to slacken, negate the skin-tightening results of the surgery.

Back to Top

How is the body lift surgery performed?

The exact sequence of the procedures performed during central and lower body lift surgery is highly dependent on the needs of the patient. However, typically the abdomen is addressed first. Just as in tummy tuck surgery, excess skin is removed from around the midsection, the abdominal muscles are tightened, and areas of remaining fat are sculpted with liposuction. During this time, the belly button remains connected to the underlying tissue, and once the appropriate amount of fat is removed, the skin above the belly button is smoothed down, drawn taut and sutured into place, allowing the belly button to be brought through a new opening. Multiple drains are placed to prevent fluid accumulation under the skin before the incision is secured.

In the next stage of body lift surgery, the patient is turned on his or her side as the back and outer thigh area is addressed. Skin flaps and excess fat are removed from around the back area, and stubborn fatty deposits are removed to resculpt the outer thighs. Subsequent to the removal of skin and fat from the back, the buttocks are lifted and the incisions are sutured closed, which tightens and smoothes the appearance of the entire lower body, eliminating the appearance of sagging skin.

Central and lower body lift is a highly customizable surgery. Each procedure described above is performed to varying degrees, depending on the patient’s unique needs. In some cases, the procedures that comprise body lift surgery (tummy tuck, thigh lift, buttock lift, liposuction, and sometimes an upper arm lift) are done at once.

In total, body lift usually takes six to 12 hours to complete. This type of post-bariatric plastic surgery is nearly always completed while the patient is under general anesthesia, and afterward, an overnight stay in the hospital is often recommended.

Back to Top

Things to Consider Before Undergoing Body Lift Surgery

Patients thinking of undergoing central and lower body lift surgery at our Sacramento practice near Stockton should consider the following:

Body lift surgery should not replace weight loss

Rather, body lift is best utilized to refine the results of significant weight loss, which can leave lax skin drooping from a person’s frame.

Maintain weight stability

You must have maintained a stable weight for three to six months to be a good candidate for body lift. The amount of time required varies according to a variety of factors. Talk to Dr. Perry for details.

Further weigh loss negates results

If you lose weight after body lift surgery, more loose skin will appear. That is why patients of a stable weight who do not plan to lose more weight are the only acceptable candidates for body lift surgery.

Discomfort and duration of recovery

It will take at least three weeks to get back to normal after body lift surgery, so you must plan ahead. You must also be mentally prepared for discomfort during recovery and scars left after the surgery.

Financial responsibilities

Body lift surgery is done on a fee-for-service basis, which means it is not covered by health insurance. Your total surgical fee will include the cost of surgical supplies, anesthesia, laboratory tests, medications, surgery center charges, and possibly more. If you experience complications, you will incur additional expenses. However, if the complication is considered a health risk, your health plan will cover the cost of hospitalization, anesthesia, and/or additional surgery.

Back to Top

Risks of Body Lift Surgery

Because central and lower body lift surgery is such an extensive surgery often involving several procedures, there are many potential complications patients must be aware of. Knowing these risks will help you decide whether surgery is right for you. The following is only a partial list of complications; you will discuss the risks in further detail with Dr. Perry during your pre-surgery consultations.

General surgical risks

These include heart attacks, infection, bleeding, injury to surrounding structures, and reactions to anesthesia.

Bleeding and seroma (fluid accumulation)

A bleeding episode can occur anytime during or after surgery and may require a trip to the hospital. In addition, seroma (fluid accumulation) can occur, despite the placement of surgical drains. Any fluid accumulation is usually treated with repeated needle aspirations.

Deep vein thrombosis (blood clot formation in the legs)

Blood clots are a dangerous complication that can lead to pulmonary embolus (blockage of an artery in the lungs). Every effort is made to prevent its occurrence, including making sure the patient walks as soon as possible after body lift surgery.

Wound separation

While wound separation cannot be predicted, carefully following post-operative guidelines is the best way to avoid this complication.

Difficult healing

About half of patients experience some difficulty with healing, which is painful and may require further treatment by Dr. Perry.

Recurrence of loose skin

It is possible that folds of loose skin can reappear after body lift surgery as the skin naturally relaxes.

Asymmetry

The results of body lift surgery may appear asymmetrical. Further surgery may be helpful in improving symmetry, or the patient may choose to live with the result.

Need for revisional surgery

Recurrence of loose skin, asymmetry, or another factor may create a need for a revisional procedure. The cost for revisional surgery is not included in your initial fees.

Back to Top

Complete Pre- and Post-operative Instructions for Body Lift Patients

Following body lift surgery, you will be required to stay one or two nights in the hospital. For one or two weeks, you will have several drains in place that collect fluid and blood from under the skin. In the first few days after the surgery, you will gradually be able to stand and walk again. For a week or so, it may help to walk in a slightly bent position.

Post-bariatric plastic surgery has a relatively long recovery period. It will take four to six weeks to return to your daily routine.

For comprehensive pre- and post-surgery instructions, refer to the link below. We recommend you review the instructions well before body lift surgery, print them out, and bring them with you on your surgery day.

Body lift instructions (printer-friendly)

Body Lift Surgery at Chrysalis Cosmetics

Our practice in Sacramento offers excellence in post-bariatric plastic surgery, including body lift surgery to residents of Stockton, Modesto, and other surrounding areas. Please contact Chrysalis Cosmetics today to learn more about body lift surgery, or to schedule your consultation.

Back to Top

Arm Lift Surgery (Brachioplasty)

Arm lift surgery is another post-bariatric plastic surgery procedure we offer at our Sacramento practice near Modesto. Though it is an excellent procedure for post-weight loss surgery patients, arm lift is also ideal for resculpting upper arms have formed droopy excess skin and accumulated stubborn fat as a result of aging. Arm lift surgery enhances the contour of your upper arm by removing excess skin and fatty tissue.

In many cases liposuction techniques are utilized during arm lift surgery to refine the contours of the upper arm, and provide for additional skin tightening effects. Arm lift is commonly combined with other body contouring procedures such as tummy tuck or body lift to achieve more comprehensive figure enhancement.

Back to Top

Candidates for Arm Lift

If you are a healthy, mentally stable adult with excess skin along the upper arm area as a result of aging or weight loss, you are an excellent candidate for arm lift surgery.

Arm lift surgery is not recommended for:

• Individuals who are overweight or intend to lose more weight
• Like any post-bariatric plastic surgery or body contouring procedure, losing more weight will negate the results of the surgery.

How is arm lift surgery performed?

Just like in body lift surgery, Dr. Perry uses a variety of techniques when performing arm lift surgery. Usually the incision is hidden along the underside of the arm, extending from the elbow to the armpit. The surgeon will then excise extra skin, sometimes performing liposuction to extract fatty tissue from the area. Once an appropriate amount of fat and skin has been removed, the skin is drawn together to create a smooth, taut appearance, and sutures are used to close the incision.

Back to Top

Things to Consider Before Undergoing Arm Lift Surgery

Patients thinking of undergoing arm lift surgery, on its own or as part of body lift surgery, should consider the following:

Results may not last forever

Weight loss or gain, aging, pregnancy, and other circumstances independent of your surgery can affect or erase the effects of the surgery.

Arm lift surgery is not a weight loss method

Like all post-bariatric plastic surgery procedures, arm lift is designed to improve upon the results of weight loss.

You may be disappointed with your surgical results

In rare cases, patients choose to undergo additional surgery to improve the results of their initial arm lift.

Financial responsibilities

Arm lift surgery is a cosmetic procedure not covered by health insurance. You will be responsible for anesthesia costs, medications, hospital fees, and more. If complications develop, you may incur additional costs. However, if a complication poses a risk to your health, insurance may cover hospitalization, anesthesia, and/or secondary surgery.

Back to Top

Risks of Arm Lift Surgery

The following is a partial list of complications that can occur as a result of arm lift surgery. While these complications rarely occur, it is best for patients to become educated before they undergo the surgery.

General surgical risks

These include bleeding, infection, and reactions to surgical anesthesia or other surgical materials. Postoperative bleeding may require emergency treatment. Infection is unusual after arm lift surgery, but would require antibiotics or additional surgery to treat.

Changes in skin sensation

Partial or complete loss of skin sensation in the arm, forearm or hand area may occur. Though they usually resolve on their own, it’s possible for numbness to be permanent.

Irregular skin contour

Wrinkling of the skin, depressions, and other irregularities in the arm’s surface may emerge after surgery.

Scarring

While abnormal scarring is uncommon, it is a possibility. In some cases, scars are a different color than surrounding skin. Abnormal scarring may be treated with additional surgery.

Asymmetry

The human body is not symmetrical, and arm surgery may lead to marked asymmetry related to skin tone, uneven healing, bone prominence, fatty deposits, muscle tone, and other factors.

Delayed healing and skin loss

These are risks inherent in body lift and arm lift surgery at our Sacramento practice, near Stockton. Smokers are at a much greater risk for wound disruption, delayed healing, and skin loss, though they can happen to anyone. This complication may lead to a need for frequent dressing changes or further surgery.

Back to Top

Injuries to underlying tissue of the upper arm

During an arm lift, the skin is tightened through superficially located stitches. However, injury to the underlying tissues — including veins, nerves, and arteries to the hand and arm — is possible, and would require hospitalization and additional treatment.

Seroma (fluid accumulation)

This complication is rare, but would require the drainage of the fluid through additional procedures.

Chronic pain

It’s rare, but possible, that nerves can become trapped in the scar tissue created by upper arm surgery, producing chronic pain.

Recurrence of loose skin

As the skin naturally ages and loses its elasticity, loose skin can reappear. Because of this natural slackening, revisional arm lift procedures are common one to two years after the original surgery.

Suture-related problems

In some cases, deep sutures will be used to complete the arm lift surgery and some patients notice them after surgery. Sutures may become visible, poke through the skin, or produce irritation that necessitates their removal.

Complete Pre- and Post-operative Instructions for Arm Lift Patients

To make it easier to have a positive surgical experience and smooth recovery, Dr. Perry has compiled a comprehensive list of pre- and post-surgical instructions for arm lift surgery. Review the instructions before surgery, and print them out so that you can bring them with you on your surgery day.

Arm lift instructions (printer-friendly)

Thigh Lift Surgery

Following significant weight loss, the skin on the thighs — especially the inner thighs — often becomes lax, obscuring the thighs' true shape. Similar problems with excess skin can emerge as aging progresses and the skin naturally loses its elasticity. A thigh lift is a procedure to excise loose skin from the thigh, restoring a proper contour to the area and allowing the patient to enjoy better-fitting clothes and a boost in confidence. Several techniques for the thigh lift exist, but incisions are always hidden in the body’s natural creases.

Though a thigh lift is a usual component of body lift surgery (belt lipectomy), the procedure can also be performed on its own. In some cases, thigh lift surgery is combined with liposuction to further restore a youthful contour to the area.

If your thighs are showing the signs of weight loss or aging, you have the power to do something about it! Ask Dr. Perry about thigh lift surgery today.

Complete Pre- and Post-operative Instructions for Thigh Lift Patients. To make it easier to have a positive surgical experience and smooth recovery, Dr. Perry has compiled a comprehensive list of pre- and post-surgical instructions for thigh lift surgery. Review the instructions before surgery, and print them out so that you can bring them with you on your surgery day.

Thigh Lift Instructions...

Buttock Lifts and Buttock Augmentation

Contouring of the buttock region is a common request these days as the backside aesthetic has become more popular.  J. Lo and her famous bottom has spurred this area of aesthetic surgery.  Now more than ever patients are seeking plastic surgery assistance for buttock augmentation using their own tissue, buttock lifting and liposuction of the bottom. Your gluteal aesthetic is evaluated based upon its shape, ethnicity, size, and the skin tightness.  At your visit with Dr Perry your skin, the volume of the bottom and the shape of buttock will be assessed as well as the surround areas.  It is important to frame the bottom by contouring the surrounding areas optimally.

Often liposuction around the buttock helps frame the area and this extra tissue can be used to augment the bottom if desired.  When the skin is loose, a buttock lift will often be suggested.  This is often combined with a gluteal augmentation using the patient’s own tissue.  By tightening the skin of the buttock and augmenting the muscles shape the contour and skin tightness are enhanced together and this creates synergy of the aesthetic.  This procedure is commonly combined with an abdominoplasty or liposuction.  It can be done in one stage or following an abdominoplasty at a second surgery.  The scar is placed in a position that is hidden with most clothes and enhances the shape of the bottom. 

Risks of the operation are usually wound healing related and recurrence of the buttock ptosis or skin looseness.  Other less common risks include scar hypertrophy or redness and swelling, seromas, wound separation, pain, numbness, need for additional surgery venous thrombosis, prolonged healing, asymmetry of scars and injury to surrounding structures.  Most patients recover well and are back to normal activities a couple of months following surgery.  The surgery is most commonly in the outpatient setting.  Drains are often used for a week or two to reduce the incidence of seromas. The numbness over the bottom often takes a year or more to recover and the sensation is often changed following healing.  A compression garment helps reduce the edema following surgery and is commonly worn for up to six weeks.  The garment helps to shape the buttock and shrink the surround areas where liposuction may have been performed.   Massage and careful avoidance of pressure on the buttock region are required following surgery.  Pressure relief is often require for four weeks following the procedure.  Massage of the buttock and the surrounding areas is usually initiated a month following surgery to help smooth out the surrounding areas and encourage healing through stimulation of blood flow.

Buttock Lift Instructions (printer-friendly)

Back to Top

Post-bariatric Plastic Surgery at Chrysalis Cosmetics

Chrysalis Cosmetics in Sacramento provides expert post-bariatric plastic surgery procedures, including body lift surgery and arm lift, to patients in Stockton , Modesto, and other areas surrounding our location. All our procedures are performed by Dr. Charles Perry, known for his commitment to providing a superior level of patient care. Contact our cosmetic surgery practice to learn more about the procedures we offer or to schedule your consultation.

Back to Top

Notice of Privacy Practices Contact Us - Click here to contact us.

Click to enlarge map

Chrysalis Cosmetics
3800 J Street, Suite 210
Sacramento, California 95816
Ph. (916) 248-4447
Fx. (916) 760-8218