After Weight Loss Surgery

Weight Loss Surgery and Bariatric Center in Fort Worth, Texas

Overview

Major weight loss is something to celebrate, whether achieved by dieting and exercise alone or after bariatric surgery. After significant weight loss, patients are healthier, happier, and more active, but the body is typically left with excessively loose skin. Many of our plastic surgery patients want to remove excess skin after weight loss and seek surgical body contouring. Fort Worth Plastic Surgery provides comprehensive treatment plans to help patients achieve the physique they desire after significant weight loss. Treatment plans may include correcting droopy abdominal skin, excess thigh skin, loss of breast fullness, stretch marks, and “bat wing” arms. Whatever your goals, our plastic surgeons will work with you to establish a post-weight loss body contouring treatment plan that is appropriate for your individual needs and budget.

Conditions Treated

Weight loss patients will consider after weight loss surgery to correct or enhance one or more of the following conditions:

  • Loose and hanging skin on the abdomen
  • Deflated and sagging breasts with nipples that point downward
  • Excess skin and pockets of fat on the hips
  • Excess and deflated skin on and under the buttocks
  • Loose and hanging skin around the knees and inner thighs
  • Hanging skin on the underside of the arms (“bat wings”)
  • Loose and hanging skin on the neck (“turkey neck”)

Combination Surgeries

The goal of after weight loss surgery is to reduce the amount of loose skin that collects and hangs on the body and to lift the body part, so it appears tighter. Multiple areas of the body may need to be addressed, depending on the needs of each patient. Most surgeons will group body parts together and stage them in multiple surgeries. Doing so helps reduce the risk of complications, such as blood loss and infection. Examples of this grouping include:

  • Upper body (Liposuction, breast lift, tummy tuck, arm lift)
  • Lower body (Liposuction, butt lift, thigh lift, lower body lift)

During/After Surgery

After weight loss surgery is performed under general anesthesia in an accredited surgical facility. Patients are usually required to stay overnight in the hospital so they can be monitored. The recovery following this surgery can be a slow process. While the post-surgical results can be life-changing for many weight loss patients, scarring is an unavoidable part of this process. Every attempt is made during surgery to minimize scarring as much as possible, and afterward using silicone-based products. Patients should adhere to a healthy lifestyle so that the results achieved through surgery are not compromised.

After Weight Loss Surgery

Average Cost
Available upon request
Recovery Time
2 Weeks
Avg Procedure Time
3-6 Hours
Post-Op Follow-Up
1 Week
Recovery Location
Out-Patient