Body Lift

Enhance The Shape And Tone Of Your Body Contours In New Jersey

After losing a significant amount of weight—whether due to post-childbirth changes or successful diet, exercise, or bariatric surgery—you may be left with sagging skin and unwanted fat. Aging and other factors can also cause stretched skin that give everything from the belly to the back to the arms and legs a flabby look. With a body lift at New Jersey’s The Peer Group, you can improve these body contours and more. Body lift has been one of the most in-demand procedures in 2023 for patients who want to reshape their overall silhouette and enjoy a leaner, “tighter” appearance.

How Does A Body Lift Work?

A body lift involves removing excess skin along with underlying fat in specifically targeted areas to improve the tone and shape of the body. Full body lifts will involve a combination of cosmetic surgery procedures that enhance both the upper body and lower body. An upper body lift typically involves an arm lift, breast lift, and work on the upper back. A lower body lift typically involves a thigh lift and other work on the legs and hips, as well as a tummy tuck to flatten the abdomen.

What Causes Sagging Skin And Diet-resistant Fat?

Significant weight loss can make a big difference for a person’s appearance—and health. Shedding pounds creates slimmer contours, but stretched-out skin and pockets of isolated fat cells can hide those contours beneath stubborn bulk. A body lift addresses this problem by removing the lax skin and any diet-resistant fat cells that create noticeable bulges.

Sagging skin can be a problem for anyone who loses weight, but it is a particular issue for people who slim down very rapidly. The quick reduction in volume does not give skin a chance to retract and sit flat. Aging also contributes to laxity, since the older a person gets, the faster collagen and elastin break down in their skin. Skin that has lost its elasticity does not easily “snap back” into place, which can cause breasts to droop, tissue to hang from the belly like an apron, and similar problems all over the body.

Our Approach

The experienced plastic surgeons at The Peer Group do not approach patients from Livingston, Morristown, and beyond with a “cookie-cutter” plan. Instead, each surgeon develops a customized suite of procedures that do more than just remove loose skin. The plastic surgery involved in a body lift is designed not just to create more sculpted contours, but to make these contours appear balanced, proportional, and natural.

Ideal Candidates

“When should you get a body lift?” Some patients may be unsure as to which type of procedure is best suited to helping them achieve their goals, choosing between a minimally invasive surgical /non-surgical procedure or a body lift, which is a more involved type of cosmetic surgery. The best type of treatment for you depends on various factors, such as the laxity and age of the skin. The older you are, the more likely you will need a surgical body lift, since you lose a large amount of collagen and elastin (the proteins that maintain firm, elastic skin) as you age. Patients also may decide to have a body lift after significant weight loss, since they may have excess skin and want to improve their overall body contours.

Ideal candidates for a body lift will usually be people who have significant soft tissue looseness on one or multiple areas of the body, are in good health, maintain a stable weight, don’t have any serious medical conditions that would make surgery risky, have a positive outlook and realistic goals for what a body lift can achieve, are non-smokers, and are committed to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It’s generally best to wait until you’ve finished having children to undergo a body lift because pregnancy can compromise the results of the procedure by stretching skin and other tissues all over again.

Considerations

We will discuss your overall cosmetic goals with you during your initial consultation. After hearing your motivation and desired cosmetic changes, your plastic surgeon can develop a plan tailor-made to safely and reliably give you the results you are seeking. This may involve an upper body lift, lower body lift, both—or some other combination of procedures and treatments.

All of your available options will be discussed with you, and you can decide on what you want based on the advice from your experienced plastic surgeon. Viewing our before-and-after photo gallery is a good way to explore the possibilities and see for yourself what various lifts and tucks can do.

Preparation

There are some steps you’ll need to take to prepare for a body lift, such as getting a lab test or medical evaluation and avoiding aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs or herbal supplements that thin the blood. If you are a smoker, you will be asked to quit well in advance of your surgery.

Procedure

Every surgery at our private on-site AAAASF-certified operating room involves working with a specialist who administers the necessary anesthesia. This helps to keep you comfortably asleep, reducing sensation and making the surgical procedure as safe and straightforward as possible.

The specific steps involved in the procedure will vary depending on which types of lifting procedures are used. Any incisions will be made with a goal of minimizing visible scarring. Your plastic surgeon will remove excess skin and fat before tightening the remaining skin and closing the incisions.

Recovery

While patients typically manage their body lift recovery well, you should be aware that healing and recuperation can be extensive if multiple areas have been addressed at once. Expect some swelling, bruising, and discomfort for several weeks. It is a good idea to take time away from any jobs and social obligations during this time. While light walks are encouraged soon after the procedure is over, more intense physical activity—and particularly exercises or tasks that require heavy lifting—should be avoided for at least six weeks.

Results

Curious about what to expect after a body lift? Results are visible right away, with the flatter contours becoming increasingly apparent as the initial swelling resolves. Remember that these contours are best maintained through a continued healthy lifestyle that includes good diet choices and regular exercise. Gaining weight in the future can stretch skin once again, leading to new sagging—especially as a person gets older.

Costs

While general financing information is available to anyone considering a body lift, the specific cost of the procedure can only be determined once the individual components have been decided. The more extensive the work done, the more the procedure will cost. Cost, financing, and other details are best discussed during a personalized consultation.

Which Cosmetic Treatments Lift Sagging Skin On The Face?

Patients who choose a body lift also often have lax skin on and around the face, since skin there is also prone to stretching and sagging after weight loss. A facelift can address droopy jowls and similar problems, while a neck lift focuses specifically on that feature. Other surgeries include brow lifts and eyelid lifts. These are common complementary procedures that can enhance the benefits from a body lift.

Other Surgery Options

A body lift is just one option for improving your body shape. There are also other procedures available at The Peer Group to help you achieve more balanced contours, including cosmetic surgeries to enhance the breasts and other procedures that reduce stubborn deposits of fat. Breast augmentation involves the use of implants to enhance the size and shape of the breasts. A breast reduction, on the other hand, makes breasts smaller by removing fat and excess skin. Liposuction reduces diet-resistant fat on specific, isolated areas of the body to sculpt your contours while achieving better proportions and symmetry.

There are also non-surgical options for fat reduction and skin tightening for patients to consider. Ultherapy^® uses ultrasound energy to promote collagen production.