Liposuction, Lower Body Lifts & Dermal Fillers After Weight Loss

Were you diligent at working out all summer to lose weight? Exercising is certainly more fun while playing sports or swimming. Your goal may have included losing 50 pounds, or you may have previously had bariatric surgery to lose more than that and worked out this summer to tone up and stay fit. But you still may find yourself confronted with stretch marks and excess skin. You could find yourself looking gaunt in the face as many runners do.

If you are just beginning this regimen remember: lose weight slowly, 2 pounds a week only in order to retain skin elasticity, stay hydrated (which helps skin elasticity), and do gentle stretching exercises. Meanwhile, one loses weight from the extremities inward. The very last place you lost weight is the belly. This means your face will get thinner faster. Depending on how many wrinkles you have to begin with will determine how wrinkles accrue on the face. You might consider not losing as much weight as you thought you would like to just to prevent facial wrinkling and opt for liposuction instead.

However, there are remedies for these problems. Dermal fillers to fill in facial folds and lines can help. Sculptra lasts the longest and because it does, you may want to try a hyalauronic acid filler first. These last about 6 months so you can get a sense of how it feels and looks and then decide.

Depending on the amount of weight loss a lower body lift may be warranted. A thigh lift reshapes the contour of the inner and/or outer thighs by removing excess skin and in some cases, removing a limited amount of fat with liposuction.  A lower body lift may include skin removal and tightening on the thighs, but also on the buttocks and hips.  In some cases, a tummy tuck should be performed as well. The Incisions are made in natural body folds, in areas that allow surgery scars to remain concealed.

You may have heard of topical creams for reducing stretch marks. They do exist, but will not help the way a tummy tuck or lower body lift will, nor are they guaranteed to work. The creams are expensive too. However I found information on topical creams. These creams are rated the highest in 2013 in decending order: Marksplex, Skinception, Trilastin-SR, StriVectin-SD, Revitol Stretch Mark Prevention Cream, Bella B Tummy Honey Butter Stretch Mark Cream, Mama Mio Tummy Rub, Melvita Stretch Mark Prevention, and Cellex-C. Creams to prevent or heal stretch marks must include ingredients that penetrate deeply because stretch marks are caused by tears on the inner layer of the dermis, thus the active ingredients must reach them.

As I said, none of these creams can be as effective as a tummy tuck, or if you have lost an extreme amount of weight, a lower body lift. Creams certainly will not remove excess hanging skin.

To qualify for a lower body lift at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center, your weight should be stable for at least 3 months. If you have been losing 2 pounds a week, it is likely the fat will stay off. If you have been exercising, doubly so. This is because you have changed your muscle to fat ratio. Building up muscle is a sure fire way of keeping the fat off. This is good preparation for a lower body lift. If you think you might be a candidate for this procedure, give us a call to set up your consultation.

Dr. Branman

Call Melinda at the front desk to set up a consultation 501-227-0707