What is a Body Lift?
A body lift is a surgical procedure that removes excess, sagging skin and tissue, then tightens and secures the remaining skin. It is suitable for skin laxity that cannot be sufficiently improved with liposuction alone.
Treatment Areas
Arm Lift
Excise and lift inner upper-arm laxity
Thigh Lift
Excise sagging skin on inner thighs
Tummy Tuck
Excision of sagging abdominal skin and tissue
Back & Flank Lift
Contouring the back and flanks
Who Is It Recommended For?
A body lift may be recommended for those with loose skin remaining after significant weight loss or sagging caused by pregnancy or aging that cannot be adequately improved with liposuction alone. Because the procedure involves incisions and leaves scars, the treatment area and extent of surgery are determined during consultation.
FAQ
Q. How is this different from liposuction?
A. Liposuction removes excess fat, while a body lift removes sagging skin and tissue. When skin elasticity is significantly reduced, the two procedures are often performed together.
Q. Will there be scars?
A. Yes. Because this procedure requires incisions, scarring will remain. Incisions are placed in areas that can be concealed by clothing whenever possible, and postoperative scar care is provided.
Q. How long is recovery?
A. Recovery varies depending on the incision site and the extent of surgery. Wearing a compression garment and attending regular follow-up appointments are necessary. A detailed recovery schedule will be provided during your consultation.
Q. When do you recommend a lift rather than liposuction?
A. At Pretty Body and Line Clinic, we recommend a lift when removing fat alone will not resolve the skin that remains. We look at 4 areas: the arms, thighs, abdomen, and the back with the flanks. Liposuction reduces the fat layer, so if the skin is already stretched, skin is left over in proportion to the volume removed. If skin elasticity is retained, it tightens to some degree over time, but when it has been stretched for a long time, when weight changes have been large, or after childbirth, that recovery is hard to expect. In the consultation we therefore check the thickness of the fat layer and also pinch the skin to assess how far it has stretched, then judge whether suction alone will do or excision is needed.
Q. Where will the incision line be?
A. At Pretty Body and Line Clinic, we place the incision line along a line that clothing or underwear will cover. For an arm lift it is on the inner arm, for a thigh lift on the inner thigh, and for the abdomen and the back and flanks it varies with the extent of excision, so it is decided in the consultation. The more skin is excised, the longer the incision line becomes, so the decision should weigh the length of the scar against how much the looseness is resolved. In the consultation we mark the path of the incision line directly for you to see.
Q. Is this an operation done after major weight loss?
A. That is often the case, but not always. Skin left over after major weight loss is the typical situation, but people also come after childbirth or when elasticity has declined with age. Skin elasticity also varies by skin type from person to person, so it is not necessarily an operation that has to follow weight loss.
Q. How long does the operation take and is a hospital stay required?
A. It varies considerably with the extent of excision. One area such as an arm or thigh and the entire abdomen do not take the same time, and doing several areas together takes proportionally longer. Because it is an operation involving incision and suturing, postoperative observation and a dressing schedule are required, and the specific timetable and whether a stay is needed are explained in the consultation according to the planned extent.
Q. Can a lift and liposuction be done together?
A. They are often planned together. When the fat layer is thick and the skin is also stretched, it is more natural to do liposuction first to shape the contour and then excise the remaining skin. Doing both at the same site simultaneously can burden the blood supply and recovery, however, so we proceed safely after preoperative blood tests.
Q. This is an incisional operation, so who looks after the anesthesia and recovery?
A. At Pretty Body and Line Clinic, the director, who is a board-certified anesthesiologist, handles both the surgery and the anesthesia, and the same person monitors your condition from before surgery through recovery and discharge. A lift is an operation involving incision and suturing, so both the anesthesia time and the recovery management are longer than for liposuction, which makes this particularly important. How long you stay that day and the dressing schedule afterwards vary with the extent of excision, so we set the recovery schedule while deciding the extent in the consultation.