Procedure Description: Body contouring is the umbrella term for several different types of cosmetic plastic surgery. It applies to liposuction and to various lifting procedures that can be performed on different body parts. The individual procedures included in body contouring consist of tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), thigh lift, upper arm lift, breast lift, liposuction, thigh liposuction, upper arm liposuction, and breast augmentation or reduction.
In general, a lift is done when the skin in a particular area is sagging. Lift procedures remove excess skin and tighten the remaining skin to create a more attractive appearance. Sagging of the skin may occur naturally as a person ages and the skin begins to lose elasticity, or it can result when a person loses a significant amount of weight and the skin is not elastic enough to reshape itself to the more slender figure. In either case, body contouring surgery can be very helpful.
Body contouring procedures are not a replacement for dieting and exercise; they are not weight-loss surgery. They should be reserved for areas of fat that have resisted diet and exercise. The rule of thumb for liposuction is that you should be within 20% of your ideal body weight before considering liposuction. Similarly, lift surgeries and tummy tucks are for people with excess and sagging skin and tissue, which is often the result of losing a great deal of weight. Body contouring surgeries are gaining in popularity as more people are undergoing weight loss, or bariatric, surgery, and need to remove excess skin as a result of significant weight loss.
