Body contouring is a procedure that improves your shape by removing excess fat or skin and tightening the skin in certain areas to re-contour the body. Body contouring is not a weight loss procedure, rather it is used to reshape areas of the body. Generally, there are two main reasons to consider body contouring. The first is to remove extra skin after massive weight loss to eliminate symptoms such as rashes. The second is to obtain the body shape you want through making adjustments to certain areas.
Body Contouring and Weight Loss
Body contouring is usually performed after an individual has already lost a significant amount of weight through diet and exercise or weight-loss surgery. Because of this, it is recommended to achieve your desired weight before undergoing body contouring surgery. Although body contouring does remove fat and excess skin, it does not remove fat to the same extent as weight loss surgery. For a deeper look at timing your procedure correctly, see our guide on weight loss before body contouring.
Types of Body Contouring Procedures
There are different kinds of body contouring procedures including tummy tuck, liposuction, and body lifting. With a tummy tuck, excess skin is removed from the abdominal area and the muscles are tightened. Liposuction removes or reduces fat pockets and reshapes these areas. Body lifting removes extra skin on the arms, thighs, and upper or lower body. You can also explore our fat reduction treatments for non-surgical alternatives that complement these procedures.
What You Need to Know Before Surgery
Maintain a Stable Weight
The first thing is that you will need to be able to maintain a stable weight before undergoing the procedure. It is recommended to keep your weight stable for at least three months before considering body contouring surgery. Keeping your weight stable means only fluctuating between 2–3 lbs.
Iron and Hemoglobin Levels
You may also need to raise your iron or hemoglobin levels before undergoing body contouring surgery. Especially if you have undergone weight loss surgery, your body’s ability to absorb iron has been compromised. Because of this, your iron and hemoglobin levels may be low, which can negatively affect healing. Iron helps hemoglobin carry oxygen to the tissues, which require oxygen for healing. There are different ways to increase your iron levels ranging from supplements to blood transfusion.
Set Realistic Expectations
It is also very important that you maintain realistic expectations going into body contouring surgery. Although plastic surgery will help to improve the overall contour of your body, it does have its limitations and may not correct every area equally due to factors such as underlying bone structure, poor tissue quality, weak fascia, and inaccessible pockets of fat around the intestines. Furthermore, most body contouring surgeries require multiple procedures to achieve uniform results all over the body. In most cases, it is recommended that these procedures should not be performed at the same time. Our post on body contouring techniques that can polish your problem areas offers a helpful breakdown of what each approach can realistically achieve.
Do It for the Right Reasons
Finally, you want to make sure that you are undergoing plastic surgery for the right reasons. Body contouring surgery can be quite extensive, meaning that you will need a support system afterwards. You will also most likely have some residual scarring. However, it also allows you the chance to complete your weight loss journey and achieve the body you’ve been hoping for. You just need to make sure that you are, in fact, doing this for you and no one else. If you’re still exploring your options, our overview of toning trouble areas with non-surgical body contouring may be a good starting point before committing to surgery.
Schedule a Consultation at Ayala ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery
If you’re ready to take the next step in your body contouring journey, Dr. Carlos Ayala and the team at Ayala ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery in McAllen, TX are here to help. Schedule a consultation today to find out which procedure is the right fit for your goals.