When people embark on a journey to lose weight, whether naturally or through surgical means, they often think about the benefits related to their health and appearance. Rarely do people think about the excess skin layers that come as a result of drastic weight loss.
When you have lost a substantial amount of weight, you may feel a sense of achievement, especially when you have overcome several hurdles to get to your fitness and wellness goals. However, when you look at your body, the extra skin can leave a reminder of your past.
Through body contouring—a type of cosmetic surgery—people who have undergone weight loss can overcome that one last barrier to fully transforming themselves.
Body contouring surgery is a broad term that is used for different types of procedures that entails the removal of excess skin. There are two basic types of body contouring: upper and lower body contouring. Upper body contouring focuses on the arms, face, neck, chest and back areas. Lower body contouring, on the other hand, focuses on the stomach, thighs and the areas surrounding the midsection.
Because of the number of body parts involved, the procedure can last more than eight hours, with more than one surgeon working on a patient.
If you are considering undergoing body contouring, be aware that there are a few potential drawbacks. These include wound infection, reopening of wounds and excess bleeding. There are some cases wherein patients need blood transfusions or develop blood clots.
However, the total number of incidences wherein these side effects have occurred has rapidly dwindled. One reason behind this is that many cosmetic surgeons advise their patients who have undergone bariatric surgery to wait a full year before undergoing body contouring surgery.
In order to prepare for body contouring, there are a few crucial steps that you need to take first.
For starters, you have to achieve and maintain your ideal weight for at least three months. You also have to make sure that you do not have nutritional deficiencies.
Recovery from the surgery may take somewhere between four to six weeks. Make the necessary arrangements at work.
Also, be aware that the procedure will leave permanent scars on your body. Although scars do lighten up, they won't disappear.
Consider which parts need surgical work. There may be some body parts which do not really require body contouring.
Before undergoing surgery, quit smoking and increase your intake of protein. Smoking can lead to complications, while increasing your protein intake can facilitate faster recovery.