A body lift is a procedure that removes a band of tissue circumferentially and tightens the body to create a smooth contour. There are lower and upper body lifts. A lower body lift removes tissue of the lower torso and lifts the lower body, thighs, and buttocks. An upper body lift removes tissue of the chest and back and tightens the upper body.
When both these lifts are performed in a patient, we refer to it as a Total Body Lift or Full Body Lift or Complete Body Lift. If there is a need for a total body lift, often the patient will need 2 or more stages to accomplish their goal. However, there are times when upper body contouring or lower body contouring can be conducted within one event.
For each area, specialized techniques have been developed to address the skin laxity optimally. Several of these procedures have been developed by Dr. Agha himself and have appeared in plastic surgery textbooks.
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A total body lift can include any of the following procedures for a comprehensive correction.
A total body lift is about 16 to 24 hours of surgery. Dr. Agha prefers to complete these procedures in 2 stages when it is about 16 hours of surgery, or 3 stages when it is more than 16 hours. Each stage will be about 7.5 hours of surgery and the day is dedicated to one patient only. The third stage may be needed if additional procedures are desired. Dr. Agha advises his patient to wait at least 3 months in between each surgery for optimal healing, for nutritional replenishment, and for resolution of most of the swelling from the first surgery. Thus a total body lift may take one year before it is all done and healed.
In the past, body lift procedures were relatively unpopular and were performed after a patient had dropped dramatic amount of weight and was faced with the problem of excess skin. Currently, however, at Dr. Agha’s practice, more and more non-weight loss patients are getting a body lift to rejuvenate their body and to enhance their shape in order to match their younger spirit. Patients embark on body lift procedures in an effort to remove loose excess skin, to tighten their contour, to get ride of dimples and cellulites, to enhance their curvatures, and to augment their physique.
Dr. Agha typically starts a patient total body transformation with a lower body lift. This includes a tummy tuck, monsplasty, lifting of outer thigh and front of thigh, buttock lift, waist skin excision, liposuction and buttocks enhancement and augmentation. The lower body lift is the harder of the planned surgeries and optimal results will require optimal healing.
The second stage of the full body lift surgery includes extended L-brachioplasty, upper body lift, and breast reshaping. The L-brachioplasty corrects for the significant arm skin and tissue laxity. The upper body lift can be performed as a vertical incision on the outer chest (crescent upper body lift) or a horizontal incision on the back (transverse upper body lift). The choice depends on the degree of back tissue laxity, the orientation of the laxity, and the patient’s desires and scar aversions. Finally, Dr. Agha finishes the breast reshaping. This combination of procedures can take anywhere from 7 to 8 hours of surgery. The second stage of total body lift is best undertaken once all the incisions of the first stage are fully healed and the nutritional reserves of the patient replaced. In Dr. Agha’s practice, most patients typically wait three to six months to complete their full body lift.
Most of the procedures needed for a full body lift can be covered in a two stage approach. However, for some patients, a third stage may be needed for additional procedures or facial rejuvenation surgery.
Though a full body lift is the most comprehensive way to rejuvenate your figure, you need to take into account the recovery period required for such complex surgery. You should be prepared to remain at home for several weeks after each stage of your body lift surgery with ample help and to follow all instructions given to you meticulously.
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