Massive Change for Massive Weight Loss Patients from Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Ronald Schuster, Baltimore, Maryland

Oh what a difference a day in the operating room can make. For patients who have had large weight loss from either voluntary control or from bariatric weight loss surgery, body contour surgery makes the final transformation. Most patients who lose more than 50 lbs., not to mention those who lose in excess of 100 lbs., develop loose hanging skin. While this can sometimes be hidden beneath clothing, it is difficult to conceal and can be a real barrier from enjoying a more active lifestyle. Body contour surgery removes the unwanted skin folds and reshapes the body into more normal curves. The plastic surgeon becomes a body tailor. Generally the transformation is done in stages, beginning with an abdominoplasty and lower body lift. Next an inner thigh lift can be combined with breast surgery. The breasts typically sag and have lost volume. Treatment can range from a simple breast lift (mastopexy) or can include breast implants (augmentation) as well. Arm surgery, usually liposuction in combination of an arm lift (brachioplasty) can usually be done at the same time. Finally, attention is turned toward the face where facelift surgery can  be performed together with fat grafting to restore the lost volume and tighten the sagging skin. While these are the most common procedures there are others that also address different areas of the body. This type of surgery is typically performed in the hospital setting especially when combining several procedures at once. Patients who have had this type of body contour surgery are some of the most grateful patients I see. They have been able to experience first hand the power of plastic surgery in changing lives.