Body lift (torsoplasty)

Body lift is the name given to a procedure done for massive weight loss where not only the abdomen is pendulous is pendulous but the skin looseness extends laterally around the hips, back and buttock area.

The resultant scar of a body lift is a circumferential scar which anteriorly mimics a radical abdominoplasty scar but then extends around the hips and the scars end up meeting just above the top of the buttock cleft. This is a very good procedure with very happy patients.

The body lift operation takes approximately six hours with patients staying in hospital for 3 to 7 days. With massive weight loss, most body lift patients require other sites to be improved and the main areas are the arms with the loose skin being corrected with an operation known as a brachioplasty. Medial thigh skin also does not take up very well and a medial thigh lift is usually performed to correct the looseness and fat in the medial thigh area.  The breasts in women and chest in men are also a problem area in massive weight loss patients.

Depending on the breast condition in females or the chest condition in males either skin excess is excised from the lateral chest wall. In women breast lifts with or without implants can also be performed.

It is my experience that people who have had massive weight loss are only too happy to accept scars to get rid of the troublesome and lax loose skin.

The scars generally heal very well. Most patients accept the scars very well and are all very happy with the final outcome.

With massive weight loss the buttocks are usually very flat. If so I often perform a buttock augmentation with fat from that area which is otherwise excised and discarded. This can be done and is done in most cases.