Belt Lipectomy Columbus
You feel wonderful after losing significant weight on your own or after bariatric surgery. Your friends and family say you look great, and you are certainly much healthier. However, when you look in the mirror, you may not feel that you have achieved all of your goals because loose, baggy skin remains on your lower body. This is a common experience among those individuals who have lost a great deal of weight. To help his patients feel better about their appearance, Dr. Bivik Shah provides belt lipectomy procedures for bariatric surgery patients and others in the Dayton and Columbus, Ohio areas who have lost a significant amount of weight.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of a belt lipectomy after bariatric surgery, contact plastic surgeon Bivik Shah.
- The Benefits of Belt Lipectomy After Weight Loss
- Who Is a Candidate for a Belt Lipectomy?
- Anticipating the Results of Your Belt Lipectomy Procedure
- What to Expect After Your Surgery
- Understanding and Minimizing Risk
Dr. Shah cares for many patients who have achieved significant weight loss on their own or after bariatric surgery. He uses his expertise to provide belt lipectomy surgery for patients from the Columbus and Dayton, Ohio areas, and from as far away as West Virginia. Dr. Shah uses the latest techniques so their patients can experience the maximum benefits of their weight loss.
The Benefits of a Belt Lipectomy After Bariatric Surgery
A belt lipectomy is comprehensive surgery for completely transforming your lower body to the best shape possible. This procedure is referred to as a lower body lift, circumferential body lift, total body lift, or abdominoplasty and buttock lift. A belt lipectomy procedure at our Ohio office can address those bulges in the hips and the rolls of skin in the lower back that often remain after extreme weight loss. With Dr. Shah's technique for belt lipectomy, you can achieve a lower body that is tight, firm, and as thin as possible. You may have anywhere from 15 to 25 pounds of skin and fat removed during a belt lipectomy. At the Columbus Institute of Plastic Surgery, serving all of Ohio, Dr. Shah helps his patients reduce their pant size by as much as six to eight inches.
Who Is a Candidate for a Belt Lipectomy?
A circumferential body lift, or belt lipectomy, is an operation for anyone who has excess skin around the lower belly and back. If you have lost a dramatic amount of weight through dieting or bariatric surgery, then you might be the perfect candidate for belt lipectomy surgery. Our patients from Dayton, Columbus, and throughout Ohio have achieved remarkable results with the procedure. In your personal consultation, Dr. Shah and his staff will discuss all the aspects of the surgery with you so you can better understand how a belt lipectomy will help you transform your body.
If you have accomplished dramatic weight loss through bariatric surgery or other means and believe you may be a candidate for a belt lipectomy, contact our Ohio plastic surgeons serving Columbus and Dayton, Bivik Shah.
Anticipating the Results of Your Belt Lipectomy Procedure
To better understand the results you will experience after a belt lipectomy, stand in front of a mirror so that you are facing it directly. Then pull the skin of your belly together from each side – this will allow you see how the sides of your body will appear after surgery. Next, with one hand pushing the skin towards the middle of your belly, grab the skin on your hip with the other hand and pull up. This will show you how your thighs will look. Finally, turn around so that your back is to the mirror. Then look over your shoulder and, with both hands, pull the buttocks up. This will give you an idea of how your buttocks will look after surgery. This technique is just a rough measure of the results your belt lipectomy surgery might produce after bariatric surgery. At our office serving Dayton and Columbus, Ohio, the results are usually much better.
What to Expect After Surgery
A belt lipectomy procedure takes about four to five hours to perform. Most people who undergo the surgery need to spend at least one night in the hospital. This procedure, like most skin reduction surgeries, such as an abdominoplasty, thighplasty, arm lift (brachioplasty), or breast lift (mastopexy), is a major operation that requires significant recovery time. The recovery time differs from person to person. Most people need about two to three weeks before they can return to light activity. Usually, people will need about two months before they feel completely recovered. Of course, if there are complications, it can take longer before healing is complete. The complex nature of this type of surgery requires that your surgeon be intimately familiar with the belt lipectomy procedure, bariatric surgery, and the nutritional requirements of patients who undergo these procedures. Dr. Shah and staff serve patients from Dayton, Columbus, and all over Ohio with the care and attention they need and deserve.
During recovery from a belt lipectomy, a binder will need to be worn around the belly and back for about six weeks. It is often helpful to have someone to assist you perform day-to-day tasks during the first few weeks after your surgery. Immediately following a belt lipectomy, however, you will be able to walk, lie down, and sit for brief periods of time.
During belt lipectomy consultations, we provide thorough information about all the stages of preparation and recovery. It is important to remember that the only way to remove skin is by making incisions. Therefore, while you will be trading loose skin and fat for a wonderful shape and firm, tight skin, there will be some scarring after the incisions heal. The incision for a belt lipectomy or circumferential body lift, as performed by Ohio surgeon Bivik Shah of the Columbus Institute of Plastic Surgery, is around the circumference of the lower body near the beltline. An incision is also sometimes made straight up and down in the middle front of the belly. Some patients already have an up and down scar there as a result of their gastric bypass operation.
Understanding and Minimizing Risk
As with any major operation, there are risks linked to bariatric surgery and the belt lipectomy that you should fully understand before proceeding. Patients who undergo bariatric surgery and a belt lipectomy can be at risk of infection, bleeding, and blood clots. If bleeding and infection are severe, a blood transfusion may be required. Blood clots, if they travel to the lungs, can be a life-threatening problem. More specific to belt lipectomy after bariatric surgery, the incision may separate; the skin at the incision may not get enough blood to live; or the incisions may not heal well. It takes a surgeon experienced in belt lipectomy surgery to safely perform this procedure. Ohio plastic surgeon Bivik Shah has the experience and expertise to analyze the particular risks that each patient faces and take every measure necessary to ensure a safe and effective procedure.
Contact Us for a Consultation
Dr. Shah and his staff are thoroughly trained and highly experienced in reducing risk factors before, during, and after surgery. They will help you understand what to expect from your belt lipectomy after bariatric surgery procedure. Please contact plastic surgeon Bivik Shah, serving Dayton , Columbus, and all of Ohio, to discuss potential risks and other important elements of surgery.