What Is Included in a Body Lift?

Do you feel frustrated by loose, sagging skin? Do you have excess skin causing you to lack self-confidence? Are you at or near your ideal weight and relatively healthy? If so, you may be the perfect candidate for a body lift at Christopher Tiner M.D. Cosmetic Surgery in Pasadena, CA. Today, we’re taking a closer look at this suite of procedures, including the scope of it and who may qualify.

What Is Included in a Body Lift?

Generally, a body lift includes lifting loose skin in the lower half of the body. For instance, it is common for people who opt for this suite of procedures to have their thigh, waist, buttocks, hip, and stomach skin lifted at the same time. However, this procedure is incredibly customizable. For instance, if you are only worried about your inner, outer, and upper thighs, hips, and lower abdomen, we won’t make incisions in the buttocks.

Also, some body lifts include such operations as arm lifts or breast lifts. To determine what areas will be treated, it is imperative that you attend an initial consultation. During this consultation, Dr. Christopher K. Tiner, MD will evaluate your areas of concern and discuss your cosmetic goals. There is a good chance that an area of concern will qualify for treatment, but the health of your skin in the area will affect whether you qualify.

How Long Does This Suite of Procedures Take?

It is not uncommon for a comprehensive lift to take between four and five hours to complete. However, the length of your procedures depends on numerous factors, including how severe your cosmetic concerns are, how many areas you are treating, the size of the areas being treated, and your cosmetic goals. Sometimes, a body lift can take closer to seven hours to complete.

For instance, abdominoplasty can take anywhere from one to five hours depending on the scope. If you only need to lift your lower abdominal skin, your abdominal lift may only take around an hour. On the other hand, if you need to lift your core skin circumferentially, it may take five hours to lift your lower and upper abdominal skin and your lower back skin.

Am I a Good Candidate for a Comprehensive Lift?

The only way to know for sure whether you are a good comprehensive lift candidate is to come in for an initial consultation. Nevertheless, we can tell you that you will probably be considered a good candidate if you are at or near your ideal weight and worried about loose and sagging or excess skin. It is important that you are at or near your goal weight because you are more likely to need a follow-up procedure if you still have a lot of weight to lose.

Also, we need to verify that you are currently healthy enough to undergo this procedure. To determine this, we will ask you about any illnesses you have had recently. To qualify for this procedure, it is crucial that you have not been ill in the two weeks prior to your scheduled appointment. We will also review your health history thoroughly to verify that there are no medical conditions that would preclude you from a body lift.

What Medical Conditions May Preclude Someone From a Comprehensive Lift?

In order to qualify for a lower body lift, it is crucial that your heart and lungs are in relatively good health. The reason for this is that a lower body lift is performed under general anesthesia, and your heart and lungs need to be healthy for general anesthesia to be safe for you. It is also important that you do not suffer from type 1 diabetes. You need to be able to fast for a third of a day prior to your procedure.

What Other Preparation Steps Will I Need To Take?

In addition to fasting for eight hours post-op, there are a number of preparation steps you will need to take. For example, you need to stop taking blood thinners several days in advance of your treatment. You also need to be able to go several weeks without consuming any tobacco products or alcohol. This includes smoking cessation tools, like nicotine gum or nicotine patches.

Furthermore, you will need to be diligent in maintaining your health. Make sure you are well-hydrated and well-nourished when you come in for your procedure. Also, do your best to protect yourself from viral or bacterial infections in the two weeks leading up to your procedure. Moreover, you will need to protect your skin from sun damage in the weeks leading up to your lower body lift.

How Long Will My Recovery Take?

You can expect to need to take approximately two weeks off from work to focus on your recovery. Also, you should anticipate restrictions to your usual activities for anywhere from four to eight weeks. Moreover, you should be aware that it may take your skin up to six months to recover, depending on several factors. For instance, your skin will take longer to heal if you are a smoker, you drink alcohol, or you do not eat well after your procedure.

What Should I Eat After My Procedure?

Other than avoiding alcohol, there are no real dietary restrictions during your recovery period. However, you should keep in mind that proper nutrition is essential for your recovery. Your skin produces collagen, a healing protein, naturally. Nevertheless, it cannot manufacture collagen effectively if you are not getting enough protein, vitamin C in your diet.

Make sure that you are eating at least half of your lean mass in grams of protein until your skin has recovered. If you don’t know your lean mass, you can buy a scale that will calculate it for you. If you don’t want to buy a smart scale, you can search for an online lean body mass calculator. Finally, you can get a good idea of your lean body mass by multiplying your height in inches by five and height in feet by 20, and summing the resultant products.

Are There Foods That Are High in Vitamin C and Protein?

When most people think of vitamin C, they think of citrus fruits. Some people think of berries, but not many people think of dark, leafy vegetables. Excitingly, dark, leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables are very high in both vitamin C and protein. In other words, it may be a good idea to incorporate kale, spinach, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts into your post-op meal plan.

Also of note, dark green vegetables are high in soluble fiber. It is important that you get plenty of soluble fiber and water in your diet. In fact, staying hydrated is one of the most important factors affecting how long your post-op recovery takes.

How Much Should I Drink After My Procedure?

In the weeks following your lower body lift, you should drink enough that your urine is pale consistently. If it is bright, you are consuming more vitamin B-12 than your body needs. There is nothing dangerous about this. On the other hand, if it is dark, you are probably dehydrated, and need to focus on increasing your hydration. One of the best ways to stay hydrated after your lower body lift is to keep several small bottles of water nearby.

It is not ideal to keep a large bottle of water nearby because you will feel exhausted after your procedure. You may not find yourself with the motivation to lift a heavy bottle of water. Another great way to stay hydrated post-op is to incorporate green smoothies and broth-based soups loaded with vegetables into your diet. You’ll get plenty of water, bioavailable protein, vitamin C, and soluble fiber.

How Much Should I Sleep After My Procedure?

You should sleep consecutively as much as you can during your procedure. Ideally, you should be getting nine hours of consecutive sleep every night. If you can’t sleep for nine consecutive hours, sleep as long as you can and take naps during the day.

Schedule Your Initial Consultation Today

Are you concerned about the way significant weight loss or the natural aging process has affected your lower body? Do you wish you could lift and tighten up several areas at once? If so, a comprehensive lift may be right for you. To find out for sure whether you qualify, drop us a line today at Christopher Tiner M.D. Cosmetic Surgery in Pasadena, CA to schedule an initial evaluation.