Patients who have undergone bariatric surgery often find they have excess skin in many areas of their body including the face, arms, breasts, abdomen, and thighs.
This is true, particularly, in those who have lost more than 100 lbs.
Postbariatric contouring procedures in 2018 were more than 55,000, to remove unnecessary hanging skin.
Because previous weight, has stretched the patient’s skin to the maximum, it has lost its elasticity.
Fat loss in the adipose/cutaneous envelope that covers the body frame occurs.
The adipose-fascial envelope covering the body frame incurs laxity leading to the development of sagging skin and fatty tissues.
There is a spectrum the degree of tissue laxity and loss of fat in varying compartments and regions of the body.
The regions of excess body skin after extreme weight loss includes abdomen, trunk, thighs, breasts, chest, and arms.
Patients confronts layers of extra hanging skin including an overhanging panniculus, which is a large apron of skin hanging from the stomach that can cover the pubis and groin areas.
Such floppy skin may hang from the upper arms, chest, stomach, upper thighs and buttocks,and sheets of skin can rub against each other, creating areas of irritation and difficulties with hygiene.
Body contouring procedures are performed by plastic surgeons to eliminate and/or reduce excess post-bariatric surgery.
Its purpose is to improve the shape and tone of underlying tissue.
It removes excess sagging fat and skin, resulting in smoother body contours and a normal appearance.
Body contouring can be done in a single session, but is usually performed in stages under general anesthesia.
Common body contouring procedures:
Arm lift or brachioplasty.
Breast lift or mastopexy.
Stomach lift or abdominoplasty.
Central and lower body region procedures include: panniculectomy or abdominoplasty, lower body lifts, and thigh lifts.
To provide improved contours on the waist, back and flanks, surgeons sometimes perform a belt lipectomy.
Lower body lift trims excess skin on the buttocks and thighs.
A panniculectomy refers to removal of the abdominal skin and fat apron, and is considered a necessity because of resultant skin breakdown, intertrigo, and skin infections.
Lower body lifts and belt lipectomies manage the circumferential laxity of the lower body.