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.
Are You a Candidate for Body Contouring?
Body contouring is becoming increasingly popular. More than 920,000 people had some sort of cosmetic body contouring procedure done in 2006, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Although some body contouring procedures are less extensive types of surgery than others, all of them are still surgery. Deciding to undergo cosmetic surgery takes serious thought. Determining if you are a good candidate for plastic surgery such as body contouring can be complicated. You must be in good overall health and free of any active diseases or other pre-existing medical conditions that could complicate surgery and recovery.
You need to be in good mental health, too. The healing process can be difficult and requires a great deal of patience and mental stability. Some people go through a period of depression after surgery. You need to be mentally and emotionally healthy to ensure that this temporary depression does not worsen a pre-existing mental illness.
Anyone seeking body contouring should discuss the desired results carefully with the surgeon to ensure that his or her goals are possible with surgery. You and your surgeon can examine before-and-after body contouring photos to be sure they are in agreement regarding the desired appearance after the surgery.
Medical insurance is unlikely cover the costs associated with body contouring, so it's important for the patient to be clear about what the fees will be.
If you are still in the process of losing a considerable amount of weight, you probably should put off body contouring procedures until you reach your goal weight. If you have a tummy tuck or arm lift now and lose more weight, you may need further surgery, so waiting might be a good idea.
As noted earlier, there are several different surgeries under the overall category of body contouring. Each of these has a section devoted to it with specific information about the surgeries, as well as their benefits, risks and information about recovery. You can reach those sections through these links:
