After Weight Loss Surgery

Conveniently located to serve the areas of Duluth, GA

Post-Bariatric Surgery Atlanta, GA

After weight loss surgery is a collection of customizable body contouring procedures to eliminate excess droopy skin, a common concern for weight loss patients. For those who have experienced dramatic weight loss, whether from traditional diet and exercise, medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide, or bariatric surgery, there are both positive and negative results. The positive aspect is becoming much healthier and learning how to live a healthy lifestyle, which can lead to a much longer lifespan. However, weight loss can result in excessive amounts of sagging skin and excess fat around a person’s face, neck, abdomen, arms, thighs, and other areas of their body. While years ago there may have been few if any options for this, today’s surgical procedures allow for body contouring that can remove excess skin and fat with minimal scarring.

Dr. R. Morgan Davoudi is a board-certified plastic surgeon with decades of experience helping patients achieve their dream figures. At the Atlantic Center for Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, we have helped many patients transform their figures for a more athletic physique after weight loss. Weight loss takes time and a commitment to long-term lifestyle changes. Thankfully, removing excess skin does not. We can quickly help you achieve results with our customizable treatments. Contact our office in Atlanta or call (770) 418-1234 to learn more about how we can help you meet your goals.

About After Weight Loss Surgery

Post-bariatric body contouring procedures have helped thousands eliminate excess skin and achieve a smoother body shape. Surgeons performed after weight loss surgery approximately 46,577 times in 2020. (1) Similarly, the demand for “Ozempic body” treatments is on the rise, with more and more people taking GLP-1 medications experiencing skin sagging in specific areas of the body, masking their hard-earned weight loss results.

After weight loss surgery is not just cosmetic because it affects your quality of life. Sagging skin can impair your hygiene, intimate relationships, mobility, and body proportions– making it difficult to maintain healthy lifestyle habits. Although medically-assisted weight loss treatments such as semaglutide and tirzepatide can help you accelerate your metabolism, weight loss treatments alone cannot tighten the skin that was stretched from excess fat. We offer several body contouring treatments to help you achieve a leaner, smoother figure.

After Weight Loss Treatments

Tummy Tuck

A tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), is a procedure that helps you achieve a smoother midsection by removing droopy abdominal skin. If you recently experienced weight loss, sagging skin may be a concern, especially for patients who lose weight quickly with medical weight loss treatments such as tirzepatide and semaglutide. During a tummy tuck, Dr. Davoudi makes a thin incision along the underwear line to reposition your skin and remove excess tissue. If your muscles were stretched from pregnancy, we can repair and tighten them during the procedure. We can also combine a tummy tuck with:

  • Liposuction: We can remove excess fat from your body with a small cannula and gentle suction. During the procedure, we use tumescent fluid to swell the fat cells for easier removal.
  • Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL): A BBL can restore your buttocks after weight loss if you are suffering from what is sometimes known as “Ozempic butt.” During a BBL, we will use liposuction to remove fat from one area of your body and inject it into your buttocks for a rounder, curvier look.

Breast Lift

If you have excess, sagging skin on the breasts, colloquially known as “Ozempic breast,” we can remove it with a breast lift. Droopy breast skin (ptosis) from weight changes, aging, and pregnancy can make your chest look flat and you may be uncomfortable wearing form-fitting clothes. We can reposition the breasts and lift their position for a fuller, more youthful figure. Dr. Davoudi can make several different types of incisions depending on the severity of your ptosis:

  • Crescent: Dr. Davoudi can make an incision along the top half of the areola to reposition your skin and correct mild to moderate sagging.
  • Donut: He can make an incision along the circumference of the areola to eliminate excess skin.
  • Lollipop: Also known as a vertical lift, He can make an incision that is similar to a donut lift but more invasive for more severe ptosis.
  • Inverted T: An inverted T incision runs horizontally from the edge of the areola to the inframammary fold and horizontally along the fold to address severely sagging skin.

We can also combine a breast lift with breast augmentation if you recently lost volume in your breasts after weight changes. We offer several types of implants depending on the look you would like to achieve. Saline implants are filled with salt water after we insert them into the breast pocket. Silicone implants are firmer than saline and can provide more of a lift for patients with a curvier figure. Gummy bear implants are filled with silicone and provide a soft feel and natural shape.

Facelift

Sagging facial skin after weight loss, sometimes known as “Ozempic face” is a common issue. Dr. Davoudi can perform a facelift to eliminate excess, droopy tissue, and wrinkles after weight loss. We can perform several different types of facelifts depending on the severity of your ptosis:

  • Traditional facelift: Dr. Davoudi can make an incision along the hairline and behind the ears to reduce wrinkles and reposition your skin for a smoother appearance.
  • SMAS facelift: An SMAS facelift tightens the layer of connective tissue beneath the skin called the superficial musculoaponeurotic system. The tissue lies just beneath the cheekbones and as you age, the muscle and fat in your face atrophy. Tightening the SMAS layer lifts the lower face for a more youthful facial profile.
  • Combined face and brow lift: If you have droopy skin on the face and forehead, we can tighten it with a combined face and brow lift. During a brow lift, we make an incision along your hairline above your brows to tighten your skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Arm Lift

Colloquially known as “bat wings,” droopy skin on the arms can affect your self-esteem, the way your clothes fit, and your body proportions. An arm lift is a procedure that eliminates excess, sagging skin on the upper arms. Many patients feel better about their appearance and notice long-lasting results after an arm lift. We can also remove excess armpit skin. During the procedure, Dr. Davoudi will make a discrete incision beneath the arms for a tighter, smoother arm contour. We can also combine an arm lift with back liposuction if you notice that you have excess fat on your back.

Thigh Lift

During a thigh lift, we can remove droopy skin on your thighs. We can reposition your skin and remove sagging tissue for a leaner look. You can also balance your proportions. Dr. Davoudi can perform different types of thigh lifts:

  • Mini: He can make an incision along the upper third of your thigh (groin crease incision) to remove excess skin and reposition it.
  • Traditional: He can make a discrete incision from the top of the thigh to the knee (inner thigh or longitudinal incision) to remove excess tissue. We can also make an incision from the groin to the buttocks to remove loose skin.
  • Crescent: With a discrete hip-to-hip incision along the underwear line on the back of the waist, he can lift the skin on the thighs for a more youthful figure.
  • Extended: He can make an incision that extends from the buttocks to your groin for more severe ptosis to remove excess skin.

After Weight Loss Surgery Benefits

After weight loss surgery can help you:

  • Balance your proportions: Removing sagging, and excess skin can help rebalance your body proportions.
  • Enhance mobility: You can enjoy feeling more comfortable in your body after removing droopy excess skin.
  • Improve quality of life: Many patients find that their intimate relationships improve and their self-esteem increases after removing excess skin that is affecting their body proportions.
  • Improve skin health: Folds of sagging skin can result in infections that affect your overall health and quality of life.
  • Long-lasting results: Many patients enjoy long-lasting results if they can maintain a stable body weight with a healthy diet and consistent exercise.
  • Improved self-esteem: Improving your appearance can also affect your daily performance and professional relationships when it affects your self-confidence.
  • Easier exercise: When you do not have to worry about droopy skin, you may find that exercise and maintaining a healthy lifestyle becomes easier.
  • Smoother figure: Removing droopy folds of skin helps you achieve a smoother body figure and a more athletic appearance.

After Weight Loss Surgery Candidates

As with any surgery, there are always risks involved. However, for those wishing to have post-weight loss surgery, several characteristics help to determine if they are good candidates. Among these are:

  • Overall good health and free of chronic health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.
  • Following a healthy diet with regular exercise
  • Non-smoker
  • Positive mental outlook about the treatment plan
  • Realistic expectations

One mistake many people make is assuming once they have after-weight-loss surgery, their skin will automatically return to looking the same as it did in their younger years. While it will make a dramatic difference, the skin will eventually sag as a result of the aging process. For those who may have chronic health conditions or a high body mass index (BMI), you will need to obtain a clearance from a primary care doctor to ensure the procedure is safe for you. (2) If a patient is a smoker, this may also be an obstacle to surgery. Smoking can impede the healing process and greatly increase the chance of complications from post-bariatric surgery, so smokers wishing to have this surgery must stop smoking at least six weeks before their surgery.

Consultation

Several factors can play a role in determining if the time is right for after-weight-loss body contouring. These can include:

  • Weight stabilization for a minimum of 18 months after weight loss
  • Is the excessive skin causing rashes or infections?
  • Will the post-bariatric surgery meet the patient’s expectations?

While one of the major goals of after-weight-loss surgery is to help improve a person’s self-esteem, they must also realize that the surgery results can be affected by such factors as the aging process, lifestyle choices, and any future weight gain they may experience.

Results of After Weight Loss Body Contouring

Under normal circumstances, the results of plastic surgery after significant weight loss are long-lasting. Pregnancies or additional weight gain, however, may alter a person’s appearance in some ways, and the aging process will also play a factor. However, with regular follow-up visits and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle, patients are pleased with what they see in the mirror for many years.

As always, anyone considering post-bariatric surgery should speak first with their primary care doctor, and then with a board-certified plastic surgeon who has experience in this specialty. By having realistic expectations and approaching the procedure with a positive attitude, after-weight-loss body contouring can enhance a person’s self-esteem while also making them healthier and happier.

Cost of After Weight Loss Body Contouring in Atlanta

The cost of your surgery will depend on the types of procedures you need to meet your body goals. During your consultation, we can provide you with an all-inclusive quote for your procedure based on your needs. We have helped thousands of patients feel more comfortable after weight loss.

Contact our office or call (770) 418-1234 to learn more about how we can help you meet your body goals.

FAQ

How do I know if after-weight-loss surgery is right for me?

If you recently experienced significant weight changes and wish to remove excess skin for a smoother figure, you are likely a good candidate for after-weight-loss surgery.

Why is sagging skin so common after weight loss?

Excess fat from weight changes, pregnancy, or aging can stretch your skin. Whether or not your skin recovers depends on many factors such as the amount of collagen in your skin and your skin’s elasticity. 

If I plan on losing weight, but I am close to my goals, can I still have after weight loss surgery?

We recommend that you delay undergoing body-contouring surgery until you have met your weight loss goals. Otherwise, you may need additional procedures since excess fat can stretch your skin.

Will sagging skin go away on its own without weight loss surgery?

Sagging skin does not usually go away on its own. We can easily help you remove it with our body contouring procedures.

References

  1. Sadeghi P, Duarte-Bateman D, Ma W, et al. Post-Bariatric Plastic Surgery: Abdominoplasty, the State of the Art in Body Contouring. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2022;11(15):4315. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11154315 
  2. Stahl JM, Malhotra S. Obesity Surgery Indications and Contraindications. Nih.gov. Published July 24, 2023. Accessed August 6, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513285/#:~:text=Patients%20with%20a%20BMI%20of