Bodylift
When should a Bodylift operation be considered?
Ideally, body contouring surgery should be considered after treating obesity or overweight.
Presentation
Weight loss can be achieved by diet alone or with the help of bariatric surgery (gastroplasty, by-pass or sleeve-gastrectomy). A nutritionist can also help you improve your eating habits to achieve a stable BMI of less than 30 pre-operatively.
BMI = weight / (height X height). So a patient weighing 80 kilos for 1m65 will have a BMI of 80 / (1.65 X 1.65) = 29.
Once the weight has been stabilised, aesthetic body contouring surgery will remove any residual excess skin and fat that may become a nuisance around the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, arms or breasts. Slackening of the neck and face is also often associated.
Each of these areas can be corrected during plastic surgery:
- Bodylift.
- Abdominoplasty
- Breast plastic surgery and breast prostheses.
- Thigh lifts and arm lifts.
- Cervico-facial lifting.
Procedure
How is the Bodylift procedure carried out?
These operations are performed one after the other at least 2 months apart (to reduce the risk of post-operative complications) in an order agreed with the surgeon.
The first request from patients who have lost weight is often to restore the waist area (middle third of the figure). The body lift or “total circular abdominal dermolipectomy” makes it possible to treat the anterior, lateral and posterior surfaces in a single operation.
An isolated abdominoplasty would only treat a quarter of the problem and would not restore the figure harmoniously. A body lift, on the other hand, treats not only the abdominal region and the pubis, but also the lateral region, restoring definition to the waist and the outer thigh (with the saddlebags).
The body lift will also treat the posterior area by lifting the buttocks and the lower back. The shape of the buttocks can also be improved at the same time using autologous transfers (fat grafts or dermofat flaps) and liposuction, which redefines neighbouring areas such as the upper buttocks and the posterior-superior part of the thighs.
The body lift thus combines the techniques of lifting and liposuction to obtain a harmonious and circumferential restoration of the entire waist area. The scar will be circular but discreet, as it will be located under the upper part of the bikini, out of sight. The position of the scar will be determined very precisely before the operation, depending on the underwear and swimwear that the patient wishes to wear at a later date.
As the figure restored after a body lift is far superior to that obtained using conventional techniques, this procedure has become – particularly in the United States – the go-to operation after massive weight loss.
This surgery has become well codified and can now also be used to correct sagging skin due to ageing or pregnancy.
It is increasingly requested by our patients, who are now better informed about technical developments. Unfortunately, this procedure is still not widely performed in France.
Results
What are the expected results?
Regaining a harmonious appearance improves self-confidence, which translates into a better quality of life, both professionally and personally. When carried out under the right conditions, body contouring surgery becomes a genuine “feel-good” surgery.
