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Tighten Up and Lose the Loose
If you’ve lost a significant amount of weight – whether through diet, exercise, bariatric surgery, or weight loss medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, etc. – you may find yourself dealing with excess skin and droopy folds across your upper and lower body.
You can feel more comfortable and confident with a body lift performed by Dr. Ellen Mahony, a highly trained plastic surgeon in Westport and Fairfield, Connecticut. Dr. Mahony can “lift” and remove your extra skin folds from virtually every area of the body, or you can elect to focus on just your lower or upper body. With any cosmetic body procedure, Dr. Mahony’s ultimate goal is to make you feel secure in your new body, and you can count on that!
What Is a Body Lift?
A body lift is a surgical procedure that helps people who have loose, sagging skin after losing a significant amount of weight or as part of the aging process. By removing excess skin and tightening the remaining tissue from your upper, mid, and lower body, this procedure helps create a more natural-looking shape.
See Dr. Mahony’s results: before and after a body lift.
What Is a Lower Body Lift?
If your excess skin is mostly just around your waist and thighs, Ellen offers lower body lifts that combine a tummy tuck and liposuction, along with skin removal around the pubic area, buttocks, thighs, and hips.
The surgery removes excess skin and tightens the area to give you a more sculpted lower body. We may also use liposuction to refine your results.
What Is an Upper Body Lift?
A brachioplasty, or upper arm lift, can remove excess skin that flaps beneath the arm to give your upper arms a tighter, more toned appearance. An upper body lift can also smooth out folds that extend from the chest area to the mid-back. And, if your skin has retained its elasticity, liposuction can remove fatty tissue in your arms and back.
Whether on its own or paired with a lower body lift, this procedure helps you feel more confident showing off your body in ways you may have avoided before.
What Happens in a Body Lift Procedure?
A body lift is one of the most customized and comprehensive procedures in plastic surgery. Every person has unique needs, and we’ll discuss yours during Dr. Mahony’s consultation and examination. The consultation is also where we’ll decide where your incisions will be made and how far they will extend around your torso.
Surgery may be performed in an accredited outpatient surgery center. In some cases, body lift surgery is performed in a hospital, and you will stay overnight for observation. If your surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure, you should have someone stay with you at home for at least 24 hours after you are released.
Here’s what happens in the procedure:
- The procedure is performed using general anesthesia.
- You’ll be monitored by dedicated staff throughout the procedure.
- As outlined in the treatment plan, Dr. Mahony makes incisions in strategic locations where resulting scars can be hidden beneath clothing.
- Once incisions are made, the tissue is pulled tightly to create a smooth appearance. Internal suturing is performed to create support for newly shaped contours.
- Excess tissue is trimmed, as is excess skin.
- The procedure is complete when the incisions have been carefully stitched closed.
Good Candidates for a Body Lift
Adults who have lost a lot of weight and have loose, sagging skin may experience a variety of frustrating problems. This issue is becoming increasingly common with the rise of weight loss medications like semaglutide, but it can happen with any kind of weight loss or even just as a result of aging.
Diet and exercise cannot get rid of the extra tissue you’re left with after significant weight loss, but a body lift can. The best candidates for a body lift share a few traits, including:
Stable Weight
It is not beneficial to undergo a body lift before you have reached your goal weight and maintained it for at least one year. Having a lift too soon could lead to additional frustration after losing more weight, as some degree of tissue laxity may once again occur. Surgeons advise patients to wait a year or more after reaching their goal weight to have a lift because tissue may retract to some extent on its own.
Avoidance of Smoking
People who smoke are generally not good candidates for elective procedures. This is because smoking inhibits oxygenation, a process that is critical to tissue repair. If you are interested in having a body lift and you smoke, you must quit as soon as possible. Smoking greatly increases the risks of serious complications during and after surgery.
General Health
Like smoking, poor general health can make you much more likely to experience complications after a surgical procedure. Patients with cardiovascular disease or diabetes may not be good candidates for a body lift due to restrictions in the circulatory system.
If you are considering a body lift, you should consult with your primary care physician for a general checkup to make sure you're currently in good health.
Finally, we encourage you to practice excellent nutrition and hydration daily in the weeks leading up to your procedure to give yourself the best chance at an optimal, complication-free experience.
Why Get a Body Lift?
A body lift can have quite a few physical and emotional benefits, including:
- Improved Body Contours: Removes loose, sagging skin and reshapes the body for a smoother, more proportional appearance.
- Enhanced Comfort: Stops the irritation, chafing, or discomfort caused by excess skin rubbing against clothing or itself.
- Boosted Confidence: Helps you feel more comfortable and self-assured in your body, especially in fitted clothing or swimwear.
- Better Mobility: Reduces the weight and bulk of excess skin, so physical activities and daily movements are easier.
- Healthier Skin: Decreases the risk of skin infections and hygiene issues caused by folds of skin trapping moisture.
- Long-Lasting Results: Provides a permanent improvement in body contours as long as you maintain a stable weight.
Why Choose Dr. Ellen Mahony?
Dr. Ellen Mahony is a highly skilled plastic surgeon in Westport, CT, with a unique background that sets her apart. She holds a degree in physical therapy from the University of Connecticut and a master’s in public health from Yale University. Her medical education and advanced surgical training at the University of Pennsylvania included residencies in general surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery.
As one of the few board-certified female plastic surgeons in Connecticut, Dr. Mahony is known for her meticulous approach. Her work has been featured in national media and recognized by leading medical organizations. Patients choose Dr. Mahony for her dedication, skill, and ability to deliver results that will change their lives for the better.
Is Brachioplasty a Solution for You?
BODY LIFT/BRACHIOPLASTY
FAQ'S
You Deserve to Feel Confident in Your Skin Again!
A body lift can transform not only your appearance but also your confidence and quality of life. Whether you're addressing excess skin simply from aging or from weight loss medications, bariatric surgery, or diet and exercise, Dr. Ellen Mahony in Westport, CT, has the expertise to help you achieve your goals.
Call Dr. Mahony's office at (203) 221-0102 to schedule your consultation today.
DR. MAHONY'S ACTUAL PATIENTS
BEFORE & AFTER
