Making the decision to get fit and take control of your health is a commendable one that can benefit you in many ways. However, it’s very common for people who have lost a significant amount of weight to be left with sagging skin, which can feel uncomfortable and look unsightly and make you appear bigger than you are. If you’ve thought about post-weight loss body contouring, consider these five facts to help you make a more informed decision. From there, you can work with your plastic surgeon to develop a surgical plan that fits your lifestyle and body goals.
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You Need to Be at a Stable Weight
If you’ve only recently lost a good deal of weight, give yourself time to stabilize. Before you can be considered a good candidate for skin removal surgery after weight loss, you should be able to maintain a steady weight long-term. If you continue to lose weight after surgery, you may end up with more excess skin. Further, if you gain weight after surgery, your results could be compromised.
It’s best to wait until you are at a stable weight before moving forward with body contouring after weight loss.
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The Recovery Is Harder Than Recovering From Weight Loss Surgery
Recovering from body contouring surgery can be more painful and take longer than recovering from bariatric surgery. Talk to your plastic surgeon about what you can expect during recovery, from pain management to how long you’ll need to take off work.
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Don’t Worry About Exercising During Recovery
After working hard to drop the weight, it might seem a bit scary to just stop exercising after your post-weight loss plastic surgery. This is a very normal concern. However, being sedentary during your recovery period is highly unlikely to cause you to gain weight back. Resting is actually an important part of the healing process. Body contouring after weight loss, like any major surgery, requires a period of downtime during which your body can heal. If you don’t allow for proper healing by following your plastic surgeon’s activity restrictions, you could actually prolong your recovery period.
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Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss Is About More Than Your Appearance
Having plastic surgery after weight loss can certainly give you a slimmer and smoother silhouette, but there are plenty of other reasons it makes sense to eliminate the excess skin left behind after major weight loss. For one, many people who have had post-weight loss body contouring surgery find it’s easier to maintain their new weight long-term once the skin is removed. Further, people also tend to be more active after body contouring procedures, due to both an increase in body confidence as well as feeling lighter and more comfortable in general.
