Weight loss is a long journey. If you manage to lose a few tens of kilograms and radically change your figure, you usually need to solve another problem – flaccid skin. It occurs especially in people who lose too much or too fast and most commonly occurs around the abdomen, buttocks, arms, breasts. But everything has its solution. Removing flaccid skin is the cherry on top not only for all who have managed to lose weight.
Do you also have flaccid skin on your body and would like to give it a farewell? Order a free consultation at PRIMED Clinic and you will discuss your options with our specialist, options that are provided by modern surgery. We will rid you of flaccid skin!
When a person puts on weight, the skin is stretched to store the fat. The other way around is however not possible. When you lose a few kilos you will not notice anything, but people who have lost weight by dozens of kilos are suffering from flaccid skin and it is quite obvious. It creates skin folds and that is definitely not anything nice.
If you lose weight slowly and eat the right way, have enough water and care for your skin with vitamins you may speed up the process of its regeneration. However, if you lose 30, 40 or more kilos it is improbable for the body to get rid of the excess skin on its own. Especially after a bariatric surgery, there is no other solution than surgical skin removal which is also called bodylifting.
Bodylifting is the removal of flaccid skin. This is a procedure during which skin is cut off. The scars will be there, but they will fade over time and then almost disappear. Additionally, they are kept as little obvious as possible. As for the abdomen, the cut is in the lower abdomen to be hidden in the trousers. At the back, the skin is taken above the area of the buttocks.
The intervention may be combined with other corrections of bodily proportions. For women, breasts are usually saggy, and so they are approached for augmentation. Some women may be interested in buttocks augmentation, which may be very flat after weight loss.
As was mentioned before the intervention primarily meant for people who have undergone radical weight loss. It is important to state that it is necessary to wait for some time before the weight stabilizes. If the patient would continue to lose weight there could be more skin excess later. If the patient would gain weight the surgery would be pointless.
Sometimes even women after pregnancy are interested in skin removal but they need to know that they will not plan another pregnancy. There are mothers who do not seem like they were pregnant, others carry this memory with a few excess kilograms and when they finally managed to lose those, there was excess skin left. If you do not plan another pregnancy, we can remove excess skin.
At PRIMED Clinic, of course, we also welcome patients suffering from the saggy skin for other reasons. Due to aging, it appears, for example, on the arms, and while on someone it is not so visible, on others it can be quite a problem.
The first step is a thorough consultation with a specialist. The doctor will determine if bodylifting is the right solution for you, he will plan where the skin will be removed, and explain how the procedure will be performed. It will also be described in terms of necessary postoperative recommendations.
The procedure is done in general anesthesia, therefore preoperative examination is necessary. A few weeks before surgery, you must quit smoking, stop using blood thinners and acetylsalicylic acid, and enzyme preparations. Six hours before surgery you should not eat, drink and definitely not smoke. All health complications, even those seemingly trite like flu, must be reported to us. The procedure can only be performed for healthy patients so that the body is able to cope with the changes best and quickly.
Removing the overhanging skin is preceded by drawing the surgery plan. A doctor will draw where the skin will be removed directly from your body. Then you will be given anesthesia, and put on elastic stockings due to the risk of thrombosis. Approximately one to three hours, you will be lying in the surgery room, but the length depends on how much skin the surgeon will be removing.
The surgeon will cut in places where it will not be too visible, that is, in the natural creases of the body, the lower abdomen, etc. The skin stretches off, its excesses are removed, drains are introduced and the wound is sewn.
We will not lie to you that the removal of excess skin does not hurt. This is a big hit to the body, treated areas are painful. To alleviate pain, however, commonly available analgesics are sufficient. You may find bruises and there may be swelling on your body but you can cool them. Within a few days, the pain will go away.
We will let you go home after 1-3 days and we definitely recommend having a vacation. You will be able to go to work after about 2 to 6 weeks. For about 2-3 months, you will need to wear elasticated sleeves. During this time you should avoid bodybuilding and other demanding physical activities.
