The lower body lift raises the buttocks and thighs while tightening the lower back and the abdomen. Some patients who previously had a tummy tuck seek a completion of their surgical result by doing the thigh and buttock lift.

But in the patient who has not yet had any lift surgery, the thigh and buttock lift is combined with a tummy tuck. This complete lower body lift is the most commonly requested procedure in massive weight loss patients. It tightens the trunk and the waist, raises the buttocks, and smoothes the thighs.

One of the most striking results in all of plastic surgery are patients who have had lower body lifts. Dr. Teitelbaum has been doing them for many years and has the experience to design an ideal body lift for each patient’s particular needs. He goes to the finest level of detail in order to help place the incisions where they will be the least conspicuous and to create the greatest amount of lifting and tightening where it is needed the most.

Body Lift or Tummy Tuck?

The abdomen is the most common location for which weight loss patients seek plastic surgery. Skin can be loose or there can be substantial folds and overhang of skin at the waist. It is also common to have skin laxity wrap around towards the back. The front of the thighs can be loose as well. So while a tummy tuck in the typical mommy makeover focuses on their abdomen, weight loss patients often have issues in the body parts near the abdomen, which need to be considered as well.

With individualized planning, tummy tucks can improve the front of the thighs. The laxity around the trunk needs to be considered so that the incision is made at the right height and continues as far around the flanks as necessary to create the ideal shape.

It is important to evaluate whether there is laxity in the low back or in the buttock. If there is laxity in the low back but the buttock and thighs are not too low, then a so-called "belt-lipectomy" is done, which is essentially a tummy tuck that goes all the way around the body to remove all the extra skin at the waist level.

If the buttock and outer thigh have fallen, then a "lower body lift" is done. Both the belt-lipectomy and body lift scars go all the way around the waist, but the body lift focuses on raising the buttock and thighs while the belt-lipectomy focuses on removing the excess skin around the waist. Dr. Teitelbaum performs both of these procedures and can help explain which best solves the problems you have.

When planning a tummy tuck for a man or a woman who has lost significant weight, mapping out the extent of laxity is important because everyone is so different following weight loss. Only after assessing a patient’s condition can a proper surgical plan be created for the patient.

In all of plastic surgery, there is no procedure with the results as dramatic and life-changing as is a tummy tuck on a patient that has lost a significant amount of weight. Because of the large amounts of skin that are often removed, extraordinary attention must be paid to carefully designing and executing the surgical plan.

Lower Body Lift

Body Lift or Tummy Tuck?

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