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Masters Plastic Surgery
7316 N Classen Boulevard
Oklahoma City, OK 73116
Phone: (405) 849-6354
Monday–Friday: 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Surgery After Weight Loss
Losing a significant amount of weight is a big achievement and one that should make you feel proud and confident. Whether you’ve accomplished it by changing your lifestyle to include exercise and dieting or by undergoing weight loss surgery such as a gastric bypass, the health benefits are unmistakable. Many people, however, have excess skin that keeps them from truly enjoying their new leaner bodies. Board-certified plastic surgeon and body contouring specialist Dr. Oscar Masters performs plastic surgery after weight loss in Oklahoma City, OK, to help you put the finishing touches on your new body.
What Happens During Your Consultation?
A board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience performing body contouring procedures, Dr. Masters spends an extraordinary amount of time with you during your consultation. He listens to you describe your unique weight-loss journey and your cosmetic goals. Depending on the extent of surgery needed, he may recommend staging the procedures in separate operations to minimize the risk of complications.
He’ll ask about your medical history and make sure you have no underlying conditions that could pose a health risk. It’s important that you have maintained a stable weight for at least 6 months and are comfortable with your current weight. Dr. Masters also makes a point of describing the techniques he’ll use and discusses the importance of having reasonable expectations about what plastic surgery can accomplish.
Why Do People Get Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss?
Women and men who lose a significant amount of weight usually have excess skin that sags from their upper arms and thighs and hangs over their waists. As beneficial as it is for their health to lose weight, the sagging skin can leave people almost as self-conscious about their appearances as they were before losing weight. Additionally, the folds of skin can trap bacteria between the layers and result in rashes or infections.
Body contouring procedures performed after weight loss remove the excess skin, creating more attractive contours and providing the confidence to wear clothes they might otherwise avoid, such as shorts, tank-tops, and swimwear.
How Is Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss Performed?
There are several types of cosmetic surgery to help you gain a trimmer, firmer shape. Here’s a brief summary of the most common procedures:
Tummy Tuck
A tummy tuck, also called abdominoplasty, is a procedure Dr. Masters often performs on patients who have had children. It involves making a hip-to-hip incision, another around the navel, and removing excess abdominal skin. Dr. Masters may also tighten separated abdominal muscles during the surgery.
Panniculectomy
The excess skin on the lower abdomen that hangs over the waistline is called the pannus. It typically occurs after major weight loss. The technique used is similar to a tummy tuck, but the excess skin that’s removed is limited to below the belly button.
Body Lift
Sometimes called a belt lipectomy, a lower body lift re-contours the abdomen, waist, hips, thighs, and buttocks. Dr. Masters makes an incision around the body’s entire circumference, enabling him to lift and remove excess skin from the entire area. By making the incision around the waistline, it can be concealed when wearing shorts or a bikini.
Thigh Lift
Many weight loss patients have severe dimpling, saddlebags, sagging, and wrinkling on their thighs. An outer thigh lift involves extending a tummy tuck incision and then removing the excess skin from the lateral thigh. Dr. Masters also elevates, smooths, and tightens the skin of the mid-thigh. An incision high on the inner thigh is used to perform an inner thigh lift.
Arm Lift
Patients concerned about loose and flabby upper arms—sometimes referred to as “bat wings”—opt to include arm lift surgery as one of their body contouring procedures. Depending on the extent of the loose skin, Dr. Masters may perform a traditional arm lift or a mini arm lift. The length and location of incisions are customized based on the patient’s specific needs.
Facelift
Loose skin and lost facial volume are common for people after weight loss, causing severe jowling and sagging neck skin. A facelift can create more attractive, youthful contours.
How Much Does a Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss Cost?
As you might expect, the cost of plastic surgery after weight loss depends on the number of procedures needed and the extent of the surgeries. These procedures are often staged in 2 or 3 separate operations spaced several months apart. It’s important to choose a plastic surgeon with experience performing these types of body contouring procedures rather than looking for the least expensive option. You should be comfortable discussing your concerns and goals with the surgeon.
Start with a Consultation
Meeting personally with Dr. Masters can help you feel confident and more at ease about getting multiple body contouring procedures. You can request a consultation using the online form or by calling our practice at (405) 849-6354 to schedule an appointment.