Body contouring is a procedure that alters the shape of the human body. It includes procedures that eliminate or reduce excess skin and fat that remains after previously obese individuals have lost a significant amount of weight, in a variety of places including the torso, upper arms, chest, and thighs.
Body lifting surgical procedures
While body shaping can be done in one marathon session, it is usually broken into one to three surgical stages, with the patient under general anesthesia. But if the patient is a smoker, has a history of deep venous thrombosis or clotting disorders along with a high BMI and other medical risk factors, the surgeon will probably insist on doing several short procedures in a hospital setting to insure maximum safety for the patient.
Body contouring procedures may include:
- Facelift: sagging of the mid-face, jowls and neck
- Breast lift: sagging, flattened breasts
- Tummy tuck: apron of excess skin hanging over the abdomen
- Lower body lifts: sagging of the abdomen, buttocks, inner and outer thighs
- Medial thigh lift: sagging of the inner thigh
- Arm lift: sagging of the upper arms
Sources: plasticsurgery.org, wikipedia.org