Total Body Transformation
Total body transformation after significant weight loss
Bariatric surgery, which includes obesity treatments such as gastric banding, gastric bypass, and sleeve gastrectomy, has rapidly developed over the past few decades. It can now relieve individuals from both the physical effects of obesity and its psychological and social impacts. However, massive weight loss leaves its marks on the body. Plastic surgery steps in to erase these marks, enabling a total body transformation!
After losing a significant amount of weight, the result of such procedures, excessive skin laxity occurs due to previous skin stretching, fat loss, and decreased tissue elasticity. This laxity typically appears in the abdomen, buttocks, thighs, breasts, arms, and neck, making the body’s contour uneven and the appearance unattractive. These issues, although mainly aesthetic, greatly affect individuals’ quality of life, as they face difficulties in daily activities, limited clothing options, inability to highlight parts of their body they hoped to after weight loss, avoidance of certain social situations, and embarrassment during personal moments.
If you have lost a lot of weight, either through diet or surgery, and have stabilized at your ideal weight, you are an ideal candidate for body contouring surgeries. The success of these procedures, whether they involve reduction, augmentation, or lifting, depends on many factors, including age, body type, skin tone, and primarily weight stability. Although these surgeries leave some scars, most patients find them acceptable and experience great postoperative satisfaction. Improving their body image changes their lives for the better, leading to positive emotions and enhanced self-confidence when wearing swimsuits, sleeveless tops, and generally clothes that expose various body parts.
Watch the video of the impressive total body transformation after significant weight loss:
Surgeries for total body transformation after bariatric surgery can be performed either separately or in combination, achieving a total makeover with dynamic and dramatic changes in external appearance. The surgical plan usually follows this sequence:
Stage 1: Lower Body Lift, Inner Thigh Lift
In this stage, issues such as a “hanging” abdomen, “sagging” and loose buttocks, “saddlebags” and laxity on the outer thighs, “love handles” on the sides of the abdomen, and laxity on the posterior body are addressed simultaneously.
The incision extends circumferentially around the body and is not visible when wearing underwear or a swimsuit. Although mild laxity cases may benefit from abdominoplasty, the circumferential lift (lower body lift) is the surgery of choice for optimal results.
The inner thigh lift successfully addresses laxity in the inner thighs by removing excess skin and restoring their youthful appearance. The incisions are hidden in the groin crease.
Stage 2: Breast Reduction, Lift, or Augmentation, and Brachioplasty
Changes in breast shape and size are another inevitable consequence of significant weight loss. Breast reduction – in men, gynecomastia surgery – removes excess glandular tissue and skin, repositioning the nipples to the appropriate height. Breast lift elevates and reshapes sagging breasts by removing excess skin. In cases of severe laxity, breast augmentation may be necessary to restore lost volume.
Brachioplasty reduces excess skin and fat in the arms, improving their contour. The incision is placed on the underside of the arms, making it invisible when the arms are in a horizontal position.
Stage 3: Facelift
The facelift is the most effective way to address facial and neck laxity after significant weight loss. It restores the descent of soft tissues in these areas and replenishes fat in other areas that have “hollowed,” resulting in an uplifted, rejuvenated, youthful, and less tired appearance.
At this stage, any necessary aesthetic improvements are also made to perfect the results of the previous surgeries.
The interval between different stages ranges from a few weeks to several months, primarily depending on the candidate’s overall health condition.
Beyond the impressive results on the external appearance of those undergoing it, the “total body transformation” symbolically equates to a personal transformation in all aspects of their lives, as they report postoperatively. In recent years, plastic surgery, with its vast capabilities for addressing the most characteristic problems after massive weight loss, is considered the second and most crucial step in the effort of obese individuals for a longer, healthier, and more satisfying life.
For more photos of total body transformation, click here.
