Losing Weight Before Body Contouring
Conveniently located to serve Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland
WHY CHOSE THE COLUMBUS INSTITUTE OF PLASTIC SURGERY FOR YOUR BODY CONTOURING PROCEDURES?
At the Columbus Institute of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Shah specializes in all aspects of body contouring surgery including liposuction, tummy tucks, body lifts, thigh lifts, arm lifts, Brazilian Buttock Lifts and buttock augmentation. With decades of experience and leadership in cosmetic body contouring surgery, mommy make-overs after childbearing, and body contouring after weight loss we will provide you with the latest information on body contouring to help you make an informed decision. Our goal is to exceed your expectations with superlative care and results. Come find out what a difference our expertise can make in your body contouring journey!
SHOULD I LOSE WEIGHT BEFORE MY BODY CONTOURING PROCEDURE?
Weight loss before body contouring surgery is typically recommended to not only make the procedure safer, but to enhance the final cosmetic outcome. Getting your body mass index below 30 will reduce your risk of wound healing and blood clot problems. It also enhances your cosmetic outcome because loss of weight around the organs will make your abdomen and waist smaller and enhance the effects of body contour procedures such as tummy tucks, body lifts, liposuction and the Brazilian Butt Lift. This is the goal in the best of circumstances. There are certain circumstances where either patients have reached a plateau with their diet and exercise regimen or have stopped losing weight after a bariatric weight loss procedure where body contouring procedures can provide a useful assist. These procedures can support your choices for a healthy lifestyle and get you back on the path to continued weight loss. Current research shows that these procedures can also help weight loss patients to maintain their weight loss long term.
HOW MUCH WEIGHT SHOULD I LOSE BEFORE MY BODY CONTOURING PROCEDURE?
There is no exact amount of weight loss that is recommended beyond getting close to your ideal body weight. Typically the recommendation is that you at least get your weight below the threshold that would give you a body mass index or BMI of less than 30 (weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters). There are lots of free BMI calculators that you can find on-line to do the conversions and calculations for you. It is important that you complete your weight loss journey before surgery and that you stay at a weight that is realistic and can be maintained long term. Starving yourself to look good, then rebounding up is not good for your health, self-esteem or healing. Body structures differ from patient to patient so only an in person evaluation can help determine how much weight loss is recommended and what the effects might be.
WILL MY SKIN GET LOOSE AFTER WEIGHT LOSS PRIOR TO A BODY CONTOURING PROCEDURE?
Very large amounts of weight loss (more than 10% of your body weight) can lead to significant loss of volume in certain areas such as the face, breasts or buttocks. If the weight loss is significant, it can result in some laxity or looseness of the skin in the affected areas. If you have completed your weight loss journey before surgery, then the skin laxity issues can be taken into consideration before surgery and addressed if necessary.
CAN DIETING AFFECT MY HEALING AFTER SURGERY?
Healing can be stressful to the body. During the healing process, the body needs additional protein stores to heal effectively and without problems. Because your body is consuming more protein, supplementation with at least 80 grams of protein a day is recommended to aid healing as long as you are healthy and do not have any kidney issues. If you diet after surgery because you are concerned about your weight, you may starve the body and impair its ability to heal. This could lead to wounds opening, slow healing, fluid collections and infections. Dieting is definitely not recommended in the period immediately after surgery, so your weight should be stable by the time you decide to proceed with surgery.
I WORKED HARD TO LOSE WEIGHT, WILL I GAIN WEIGHT AFTER BODY CONTOURING SURGERY?
Immediately after body contouring surgery, it is not uncommon for your weight to remain the same or even go up slightly. This slight increase in weight is not due to fat from not exercising or increased protein intake, but from fluid retention. Surgery naturally causes fluid retention due to temporary hormonal changes that signal the body to start the healing process. Additionally, fluid administered during surgery can stick around. Finally, swelling of the tissues as a result of the healing process can cause you to retain fluids. The important thing to remember is that this change is temporary. Most body contouring procedures remove excess tissue, fat and skin, so your overall body contour and weight should go down slightly. As your swelling decreases and your body heals, you will see significant desirable changes in your contour for months after surgery and your weight returns to baseline or slightly below where you started. You clothes will eventually return to fitting well or may even be too big for your new body!
