Expertise in Body Contouring
Post Weight Loss Surgery
Reaching your goal weight is a significant achievement, whether through diet and exercise or bariatric surgery. After losing over a hundred pounds, you may notice some excess skin that can prevent you from feeling confident at your new weight. Post weight loss procedures, or body contouring procedures, usually include procedures that target the stomach, arms, thighs, or breasts. Body contouring procedures can also help with skin hygiene by reducing the occurrence of skin rashes and infections that form between the folds of excess skin in some patients.
Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Keyian Z. Paydar provides his patients with a variety of options to help eliminate excess skin, stubborn fat pockets, and ways to target specific areas of the body after losing a significant amount of weight. Whether you’re searching for total body transformation or you just want to target one specific area where excess skin is the worst, Dr. Paydar will listen closely and recommend the best ways to reach your goals safely and successfully.
To learn more about post weight loss surgery in Newport Beach at Paydar Plastic Surgery, first schedule your personalized consultation by contacting our office.
What Is Body Contouring?
Gaining a significant amount of weight can affect the quality and laxity of your skin. Over time, the skin slowly stretches to accommodate the added weight and amount of excess tissue. If you lose a lot of weight, especially if you lose it quickly, the excess skin might not spring back into place. Weight loss can also cause stretch marks and extra skin folds on your lower stomach, thighs, arms, chin, and breasts.
Body contouring, sometimes referred to as body sculpting, is a surgical procedure that removes the loose skin that is left after weight loss and improves the shape and tone of your figure.
Different Types of Body Contouring Procedures Offered At Paydar Plastic Surgery
Every patient is unique and may require a different set of body contouring procedures in order to meet their specific needs. Dr. Paydar will determine the areas of the abdomen, buttocks, groin, thighs, breasts, and arms that are in need of treatments. During your consultation, you and Dr. Paydar will have a chance to sit down and discuss the areas you’d like to target using these innovative procedures.
The stomach is one area on the body where excess skin can hang causing discomfort, clothes to not fit right, infections to grow beneath the folds, and can even hide the hard work you’ve put into losing weight. An abdominoplasty is a surgical procedure that flattens the abdomen by removing excess skin and fat from the lower abdominal region and tightening the muscles of the abdomen wall. With an abdominoplasty, Dr. Paydar can help you achieve that smooth, tight stomach and hourglass shape you worked so hard for.
Slim, toned arms are a staple goal when losing weight and transforming the body. Unfortunately, the arms, especially the back of the arms, can be a place where excess skin hangs and flops after weight loss. An arm lift, also known as a brachioplasty, removes excess skin and fat from the underside of the arm to achieve a more toned, fit, and proportioned appearance.
The thighs, specifically the inner thighs and hips can be another location where the skin has become overly stretched and gathers after weight loss causing uncomfortable chafing and lacking the look you desire. A thigh lift procedure effectively removes excess skin and fat in the thigh area to improve the contour and appearance of the upper legs.
Mastopexy is a procedure where the breast tissue and nipples are lifted back into a more attractive location on the chest wall. You can also choose to have the shape and fullness of your breasts improved with a breast augmentation and lift, where volume is added to the breasts with saline or silicone breast implants.
You may be considering just one of these body contouring surgeries or a combination. We’ll work with you to identify your goals, curate a plan tailored to your specific needs, and ensure the safest possible outcome.
Who Is A Good Candidate For Body Contouring?
If you have recently lost a significant amount of weight through bariatric surgery or diet and exercise, you might be a good candidate for body contouring surgery. Body contouring works best when you’re at or near your goal weight and have been for several months. Patients who have this procedure should also be mentally and physically healthy, but excess skin is getting in the way of their positive body image.
To qualify for body contouring surgery, you should approximately have:
- Completed bariatric surgery at least 12 months ago and will need to have approval from your bariatric surgeon
- Lost 100 pounds or more, a weight loss amount less than or equal to 40 percent
- Remained at a stable weight for least six months
Smokers, excessive drinkers, and individuals with medical conditions that may impede their ability to heal properly may not qualify to receive the body contouring procedure. If you’re unsure if you qualify for body contouring surgery, Dr. Paydar can discuss options that are available to you.
Excellence & Artistry
Dr. Keyian Paydar is an award winning clinical professor and board-certified plastic surgeon with over 20 years of experience. He performs a full spectrum of aesthetic plastic surgery procedures, including breast enhancement, tummy tucks, and liposuction, in addition to face procedures like facelifts, brow lifts, fat injection, eyelid surgery, and rhinoplasty.
How To Prepare For Body Contouring Surgery?
Dr. Paydar will give you specific instructions to follow on how to prepare for your Orange County body contouring surgery, including guidelines on what to eat and drink, possible bowel prep, smoking, drinking, taking vitamins, and if you can take certain medications including over-the-counter pain medications like Tylenol or Ibuprofen. Successful, healthy, and stable weight loss is an essential preparation for body contouring surgery. If you smoke, plan to quit for at least four weeks before your surgery and do not resume for at least six weeks after your surgery.
Body contouring procedures can take anywhere from 2 to 10 hours depending on the extent of the operation. Prepare for someone you trust to take you to our facility and pick you up once you’re released to go home and care for you for a day or two after you leave the hospital.
What To Expect From Body Contouring Recovery?
It is normal to experience some swelling and discomfort at the incision or operation site. You may be given a compression garment to help reduce swelling and improve the healing process. The final shape of your contouring procedure may not be completely visible until all swelling and bruising has subsided. You should limit all activity for the first 7 to 10 days after your surgery. Rest is the best thing you can do to help speed along your recovery process and limit any postoperative complications. Expect to postpone any rigorous activities for at least 6 to 8 weeks or until Dr. Paydar gives you the clearance to do so. Light walking is generally allowed and encouraged to promote blood flow and help reduce swelling, but listen to your body. If something feels too difficult, rest and reassess in a few days.
Schedule Your Newport Beach Body Contouring Consultation With Dr. Paydar
Dr. Paydar’s primary commitments as a surgeon are his patient’s safety, happiness, and satisfaction with their results. He’ll work alongside you to come up with the best body contouring plan that accentuates your hard work and determination to achieving the body image you’ve worked so hard for. To begin the consultation process, contact our office online or call (949) 755-0575. We look forward to starting your post weight loss surgery journey together soon!
Newport Beach Post Weight Loss Surgery FAqs
The skin contains an adaptable mechanism called elastin fibers, allowing it to stretch, move, and adapt to weight fluctuations. When you experience rapid weight loss or gain, your skin loses those elastic fibers, or rather they become stretched out. Think of a rubber band. When you remove it from the package, it stretches and immediately returns to its original form. But the more you use the rubber band, the more the fibers become stretched, and they can no longer return to their original size. Although your skin will tighten some after weight loss, it is likely unable to fully recover. Even with regular exercise, you will likely have some areas, especially around the abdomen, arms, inner thighs, and chest, with skin laxity that must be addressed with body contouring surgery.
Every surgery comes with its potential benefits and risks. The most common risks for body contouring procedures after weight loss include scarring and possible wound related issues. Scarring is unavoidable after surgery; however, Dr. Paydar does his best to place incisions in areas where scars can be hidden while maximizing the contour outcome. You can also help to make scars less noticeable by following all incision care instructions given by Dr. Paydar and by avoiding the sun or keeping sun protection on your scars at all times. Many patients feel that to be free of the loose skin and weight that’s been keeping them down for years is worth the scarring that follows their surgery.
Potential bleeding and infection risks will be reviewed with Dr. Paydar at your pre-operative appointment. He will give you detailed instructions on how to care for your incisions. Good personal hygiene and careful aftercare and avoiding strenuous activities will significantly reduce your chances of developing bleeding or infection. In addition, Dr. Paydar may prescribe antibiotics you’ll start taking during your recovery to help fight off any potential infections before they can even start. He will personally be checking on you early and often after your operation to ensure the best healing and the best possible outcome.
Weight loss affects multiple areas of the body. Some people experience loose skin in their abdomen, some have it in their abdomen and arms, and some have loose skin everywhere. A common question presented to Dr. Paydar is how many areas he can address loose skin in one surgery. The answer depends on several factors, such as your anatomy and areas with the most need or your preferred area to treat first. These topics will be discussed during your consultation with Dr. Paydar. He will go over your surgical goals, and together, you will devise a treatment plan that works with those goals while prioritizing your safety and overall health. If you need or want to have your surgeries done separately, additional surgeries will need to be done at least 2-3 months apart to allow your body to fully recover.