How Are Body Contouring Procedures Performed?
Aside from Liposuction, all body contouring interventions are complex procedures performed with the patient under general anaesthesia. Depending on the type of procedure to be performed and the patient’s characteristics, the intervention can last up to six hours in some cases. Generally speaking, procedures that are performed in combination, such as Post-pregnancy Surgery and Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss, take more time to be performed.
Body procedures entail incisions in the areas targeted. The incisions are generally well-hidden in the natural folds of the skin or in areas where they will be difficult to notice. For example, when the Upper Arm Lift (Brachioplasty) Surgery is performed, Dr Hunt makes incisions on the interior part of the arms. When the scar healing process is completed, they generally look like fine lines.
Why Patients Might Consider Body Surgery
There are multiple reasons why patients might consider undergoing these procedures, such as:
- Removal of unwanted fat deposits
- Altering the appearance of the abdominal area with Abdominoplasty
- Altering the legs with a Thigh Lift (Thighplasty)
- Addressing the skin on the arms with an Arm Lift (Brachioplasty) Surgery
Recovery After Body Surgery
The recovery period after Body Surgery is highly dependent on the complexity of the procedure performed. Expect a certain level of discomfort to occur during the first few days post-op.
It is best to avoid strenuous physical activities during the first six weeks after Body Contouring Surgery and make sure to take time off from work to allow your body to heal. Here are more recommendations for the recovery period after plastic surgery:
- Avoid smoking, vaping, and drinking alcohol for at least two weeks
- Avoid steam rooms and saunas
- Have a healthy and balanced diet
- Keep your body hydrated
To avoid risks and complications during the recovery period, make sure to follow Dr Hunt’s indications.
Body Surgery Cost in Sydney NSW
The cost of Body Surgery in Sydney, Australia varies for each patient depending on the type of procedure, the results you want, and the time required in theatre.
Your total cost will include surgeon’s fee, anaesthetist fee, hospital fees, and surgical aftercare and support.
During your personal one-on-one consultation, Dr Hunt will review your medical history, perform a comprehensive assessment of your body shape and features, discuss risks, and provide you with an accurate cost for your Body Surgery procedure.
You can also learn more about possible Medicare & Health Fund coverage, a Body Surgery Payment Plan, and the costs of Body Surgery on our Surgical Costs page.
Speak With Dr Jeremy Hunt
Dr Hunt prides himself on practising the most appropriate techniques and practices for all patients, which begins from the first consultation.
Next Step – Fill in the Enquiry form or call Dr Hunt’s Team on 02 9327 1733.
Aesthetic Edge by Dr Jeremy Hunt
Your Next Steps
Always Do Your Research
Book Your First Consultation
- Your Surgeon Consultation Fee is $400
- You will need a referral from your GP
- Phone the team or email to Book Your Consultation
Prepare for your plastic surgeon consultation
- Bring a friend or relative to help discuss the information
- Take lots of notes and read the documents provided
- Dress in simple clothes as you may need to undress
- Bring your GP referral and your test results
Body Surgery Frequently Asked Questions
How Can I Get Rid of Loose Skin After Weight Loss?
We’ve all experienced fluctuations in our weight due to diet and exercise, pregnancy, or old age, but the impact significant weight loss has on our body can often be a confusing experience. Having achieved such a great goal, patients may be left with excess skin. As a result of being stretched for such a long time, our skin often fails to shrink back to its former shape and size. Some people are left with multiple loose folds of skin around their abdomen, arms, thighs, breasts, buttocks, and face. The same is true of pregnancy, where women experience huge changes to their abdominal and breast area. Despite regular exercise and a healthy diet, muscles have stretched and separated and don’t always return to their pre-pregnancy appearance.
Common side effects experienced include:
- Upper arms that become lax
- Flattened or deflated breasts (and nipples that become low)
- An abdominal area that extends around the sides and into the lower back area, resulting in an apron-like overhang
- Buttocks, groin, and thighs that have excess skin
Body Procedures may be a solution to remove excess skin and smooth the underlying muscles. Common procedures for loose skin removal include: Lower Body Lift (Torsoplasty), Thigh Lift (Thighplasty), Breast Lift Mastopexy, Upper Arm Lift (Brachioplasty), and Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty).
Is It Better to Lose Weight Quickly or Slowly?
Weight loss is typically beneficial for your health if you are overweight, whether the weight is lost quickly or slowly. Regardless of how quickly the weight is lost, the deterioration in skin elasticity may still lead to excess skin after dramatic weight loss.
Is There an Ideal Weight at Which to Undergo Body Contouring Surgery?
After Massive Weight Loss or following weight loss surgery, many people will have lost up to 100 kg of weight, sometimes even more.
The ideal time for surgery is once a person has reached their goal weight and this weight remains stable. If someone has undergone bariatric surgery, such as a gastric bypass or gastric sleeve, this can be up to 12 months post-surgery. If someone has achieved weight loss through diet and exercise, this can be when they have reached their goal weight and their weight is no longer dramatically increasing or decreasing.
Is It Possible to Combine Procedures After Massive Weight Loss?
Patients who have lost a substantial amount of weight may be troubled by extra skin on the abdomen, hips, and thighs. They may also have loose skin on their upper arms and female patients may find they have lost volume in their breasts.
It is possible to target several of these areas during one surgery; however, the number of procedures that can be combined in one sitting will be limited. If more than one surgery is required, a staged approach will be undertaken, with potentially two procedures combined in one operation, followed by a second procedure 3 to 6 months after the initial surgery.
To ensure patient safety, all surgical procedures should take place in a fully accredited hospital with a surgeon who has extensive experience in performing the procedure.
Is Body Lift Surgery After Weight Loss Just Removing Skin?
This is not necessarily the case, as skin removal will often create a flat and poorly defined result. Surgery After Weight Loss, or Body Contouring treatment, can involve the tightening of loose muscles, Liposuction of disproportionate fat, and also the tightening or removal of excess skin to create a 360° re-contouring of the area being treated.
Is Body Lift Surgery After Weight Loss Just About the Abdomen?
Patients who have undergone weight loss will typically notice that they have lost weight over the entire body, which can lead to excess skin around the abdomen, arms, legs, and chest. For this reason, Surgery After Weight Loss will often involve procedures to address loose skin and fat deposits on the abdomen in the form of a Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty). However, we can also address areas such as the hips, flanks, and lower back with 360° procedures such as a Lower Body Lift (Torsoplasty). Treatment plans for other areas include the arms, thighs, and breasts or chest.
What Happens if I Gain or Lose Weight After Body Contouring Surgery?
Following Body Contouring Surgery, such as a Tummy Tuck – Abdominoplasty or Thigh Lift (Thighplasty), patients will be able to comfortably increase or decrease their weight by approximately 10 to 15 kg without significantly impacting the results of their surgery.
Does Fat Come Back After Liposuction?
Liposuction will remove fat cells permanently from the body and the fat cells in that location will not come back. If a patient continues to have a high-calorie diet after their Liposuction, the body will still need to store the extra fat. As a result, the fat will now be stored in different fat cells in the body and these may become enlarged if calorie intake is not reduced. This often creates the belief that the fat has moved to a different area of the body, which is not necessarily the case.
Can You Tighten Excess Loose Skin with Exercise?
After extreme weight gain and consequent weight loss, the skin can lose its elasticity and is unable to return to its original state, usually resulting in large amounts of excess skin. Many people assume that regular exercise will be able to tighten this excess skin; however, this is not the case. Regular exercise will help in building muscle tone and it will also burn calories and decrease fat volume. However, exercise will very rarely tighten the skin – perhaps in younger patients with great-quality skin. Tightening of skin will usually require a surgical intervention to achieve a significant result, although there are some non-surgical treatments, such as fat freezing, that may be able to tighten small areas of skin such as the neck.
Will Medicare Cover Body Lifting After Massive Weight Loss?
Body Contouring is usually regarded by Medicare and health funds as a medical and reconstructive procedure in many cases of significant weight loss. There are potential health benefits from removing excess chafing skin that is prone to rashes and potential infections. Medicare and health funds recognise this, and, depending on the level of your health fund, it is likely that the procedure will be deemed medical not cosmetic.Each patient is different and needs to be assessed on an individual basis to determine if this is the case.
