Losing a massive amount of weight can renew your vitality and liberate you physically and emotionally. You can further enhance this positive experience with a body lift from Tampa plastic surgeon Dr. Daniel Greenwald. Whether you’ve lost the weight by exercising and eating healthy foods, or with bariatric surgery such as a gastric bypass or the Lap Band, losing hundreds of pounds can leave you with excess skin or cellulite that detracts from your hard work. However, a body lift can help you achieve the look you want and Dr. Greenwald and his staff at Bayshore Plastic Surgery will provide you with the outstanding patient care you deserve.

This procedure helps re-shape and tone targeted areas of the body. A lower body lift, or belt lipectomy, focuses on the stomach, thighs, buttocks, and back, while an upper lift zeroes in on the breasts, chest, and middle of the back. A total lift combines both procedures for a complete body improvement.

Ideal candidates for this procedure should have maintained a stable weight for the last six months to a year by following a healthy exercise and diet regimen, and will also have realistic expectations of the outcome. If you’ve undergone a gastric bypass or Lap Band procedure, we advise you to wait at least one year before pursuing body lift surgery.

What happens during a body lift procedure?

Bayshore Plastic Surgery's Dr. Daniel Greenwald generally begins a patient's lower body lift in Tampa with an excision above the outer thighs and buttocks to remove extra tissue. Next, a tummy tuck is performed to flatten and tighten the abdominal region. For this procedure, Dr. Greenwald creates a horizontal incision across the pubic area. Excess skin and tissue are removed from the area below the belly button, and when needed liposuction is used to eliminate any remaining fat. Dr. Greenwald then tightens the stomach muscles, repositions the remaining skin, and stitches it closed at the pubic area. During this portion of the procedure, the belly button is returned to its original position.

When the lower body lift is completed, Dr. Greenwald begins the upper lift by first removing extra skin and fat along the bra line. He then removes the tissue that creates fat rolls on the back, and narrows the waist. From there he eliminates any extra skin found under the breasts and over the lower rib cage. The remaining skin in both areas is sutured together for a smoother, tighter appearance.

While the total body lift can be performed all at once, it can be split into two procedures to reduce the risk of complications associated with multiple surgeries performed in one session. Body lift operations typically last between four to seven hours, and usually require general anesthesia.  

Surgical Concerns

After the procedure, patients may have to remain in the hospital for up to three nights. The typical recovery time for this type of plastic surgery is four to six weeks. Potential complications include seromas and small skin separations and reduced sensation in the treated area. Exercise or lifting any objects above five pounds is often discouraged during recovery.

Contact Bayshore Plastic Surgery today at 888-840-3199 for more information on our body lift surgery, liposuction, or any other procedures. We are here to help you enhance your natural beauty, whether you're in Tampa, St Petersburg, Clearwater, Naples, Sarasota, Florida, or beyond.