Body Lift and Breast Augmentation

If you have recently lost a dramatic amount of weight and kept it off, our staff at Jefferson Plastic Surgery would like to congratulate you on your achievement. We understand just how much hard work and dedication you have put into improving your health and well being. Now that your weight has stabilized, it may be time to think about showing off the results of all your hard work to your friends and family.

You may find that a body lift surgical procedure and a breast augmentation can give you the boost of confidence you need to look as fabulous on the outside as you feel on the inside. This is where our team of surgeons can help you achieve your goal of putting that finishing touch on all of your weight loss goals. Read further to understand what is involved with these procedures.

Body Lift and Breast Augmentation Surgical Procedure

These are actually two separate procedures that can either be combined or performed separately.

Body Lift Procedure

A body lift procedure is designed to remove excess loose skin and underlying tissue following dramatic weight loss. A lift procedure can be done to just about any area of the body, including your inner or outer thighs, upper or lower arms, hips, or back.

The most common body lift that our surgeons perform after bariatric surgery is what is known as a 360 circumferential body lift. It uses an incision that goes all the way around the upper or lower torso. The surgeon will then lift up your skin and underlying tissue, tighten up underlying muscle with internal sutures, re-drape the skin over the new body contour, remove excess, and then suture the remaining skin back into place.

Breast Augmentation

Even if your breasts are on the small side, they will lose volume if you drop a large amount of weight. To increase the size of the breasts we can place saline or silicone implants behind the mammary glands (subglandular) or behind the pectoral muscles (subpectoral).

Our surgeons have found that subpectoral placement works better for patients who are combining this procedure with a body lift. They may also recommend a breast lift, as your breasts may also have sagged due to volume loss.

Together or Separately?

Depending on your medical history and overall health, you may wish to undergo both procedures at the same time. Each patient is unique, and it will be up to your surgeon. However, there are some pros and cons to consider.

Having both procedures done at once will mean that you only need to take off time from work, school, or caring for children from one surgery, rather than two. It may also cut down on cost.

On the other hand, the one surgery will be longer (up to six hours), which can increase your risk for complications.

Furthermore, the body lift will change your body proportions, particularly an upper body lift. This can particularly affect the position of your breasts. Some surgeons recommend doing an augmentation as a separate procedure to let the breasts settle into their new position before doing an augmentation.