Body Contouring – St. Louis

If you have lost a significant amount of weight on your own or after massive weight loss surgery, Dr. Michele Koo can reconstruct your breasts, arms, tummy, thighs, and face. She will approach your body contouring in stages and will begin with the areas that are the most bothersome for you. She wants you to understand that body contouring after weight loss is a multi-step process. Dr. Koo performs the most aggressive combination surgeries to do as much body contouring as possible in one procedure, but always has your safety in mind first.

I have extensive experience with body contouring after weight loss and will stage your reconstruction safely and economically. I often can rejuvenate your breasts and tummy during one stage and perform the thigh and lower body surgery at a second stage. Adding liposuction or arm rejuvenation can be performed in either stage.

Most commonly requested following bariatric weight loss surgery, body contouring after major weight loss improves the shape and tone of underlying tissue supporting fat and skin.  The procedure also removes excess sagging fat and skin. Post-bariatric plastic surgery combines reconstructive and cosmetic techniques to tighten, lift and contour sagging areas for a more attractive appearance. The patient may choose to treat the arms, breasts, abdomen, buttocks, thighs, neck, face or other areas. I will help you develop a personalized treatment plan to maximize your results.

Bariatric surgery is an elective procedure that is highly successful at helping obese individuals lose large amounts of weight and achieve healthier lifestyles.  In many instances, however, this dramatic weight loss leaves behind sagging, redundant skin on the face, neck, arms, breast, abdomen, buttocks or thighs.  The excess fat deposits and excess skin can be frustrating for patients who have recently lost substantial weight, and body contouring is designed to restore the body to a more youthful and firm state.  Body contouring after major weight loss corrects areas that may not have bounced back after substantial weight loss and are not affected by proper exercise and diet.

For our other body surgery procedures, click here!

Body Contouring Procedure

Body contouring is not a single procedure, but rather a combination of advanced procedures designed to specifically target areas of the body where sagging skin may persist.  Through a series of lifts, the body can be restored to a more youthful and firm appearance.  The procedures that may be recommended by Dr. Michele Koo include:

• Lower body lift- Corrects sagging of the abdomen, buttocks, groin and outer thighs
• Breast lift- Corrects sagging and/or flattened breasts
• Arm lift- Corrects sagging in the upper arms
• Thigh lift- Corrects sagging in the inner, outer and mid-thigh

Depending on the amount of correction necessary, these procedures may need to be spread over time to allow the body to heal.  All of the body contouring procedures require incision that may be extensive, and the body will need time to heal following these procedures prior to correcting other areas of the body.  Dr. Michele Koo will design a personalized plan that will take into account the goals desired as well as the timing of these procedures.

Incision length and size will vary depending on the amount of correction needed to produce the desired result.  In most cases, advanced techniques allow for incision to be hidden in the natural folds and creases of the body that can be covered with most forms of clothing.  However, this is not always the case.

Body contouring is a highly individualized procedure that will be customized to the needs of each individual patient.  Particular conditions and goals of patients will help Dr. Michele Koo define a surgical plan.  In cases where sagging is extreme and located in multiple areas of the body, body contouring can take up to 2 years to complete given the need to space out procedures while the body heals.

Arm Lift St. Louis

After substantial weight loss from bariatric surgery or gastric banding, skin on the upper arms can become inelastic, loose and flabby. Arm lifts, also known as brachioplasty, remove that excess skin and fat. Patients who have significant amounts of fat may want to consider combining the procedure with liposuction.

Body Lift St. Louis

Also called belt lipectomy, torsoplasty and panniculectomy, the circumferential body lift is performed to remove excess skin from the torso and upper legs. Candidates for body lifts typically suffer from loose (inelastic) skin on many or most areas of the body as a result of significant weight loss after bariatric surgery or gastric banding. Because of this, the procedure is often combined with others such as breast lifts, arm lifts and liposuction to retain a proper body proportion. Body lifts tighten and tone the abdomen, back, buttocks, hips and thighs.

During the procedure, skin is lifted from underlying tissue, muscles are tightened and stitched and fat is removed where necessary, and the skin is sutured closed. The navel is often removed and replaced in its new position.

Buttock Lift St. Louis

A buttock lift trims excess skin from the buttocks that has resulted from massive weight loss. Buttock lifts produce a firmer contour.

Body Contouring Results

Results from body contouring are almost immediately visible following the procedure.  As long as a proper diet and exercise regimen are followed, the results can be long-lasting.  If excessive weight is gained or lost following any of the body contouring procedures, drooping and sagging skin may return.  Due to the size and length of incisions, visible scarring will remain, but will fade over time as the body heals.

To see a full list of the services we offer, click here or call us today with questions!