What to expect: Body Contouring

Average Time:
Varies, depending on the amount of surgeries performed
Anesthesia:
General
Am I a good candidate?
Stable weight, in good health
Recovery:
Recovery instructions will be given to you post-surgery.
Risks:
Bleeding, infection, poor healing, uneven body contour or body asymmetry, and anesthesia risks
Inpatient/Outpatient:
Both are possible.
Cost:
The cost of the procedure will be discussed at your consultation with Dr. Peterson.

Significant weight loss should be a time for celebration. Whether accomplished through diet and exercise or surgical methods, losing a large amount of weight can provide a fresh start and an improved outlook.

Unfortunately, the rapid loss of weight often leads to other physical problems. The upper arms, breasts, abdomen, buttocks, groin, and thighs often begin to sag as stretched skin is unable to conform to your new, slimmer body. Body contouring improves the shape and tone of the tissue that supports muscles, fat, and skin. It also removes excess skin, leaving a smoother, more natural appearance.

If you continue to lose weight following your body-contouring procedure, new pockets and areas of loose skin will develop, mitigating the improvements made by the procedure. If you begin to gain weight following body contouring, your already-stressed skin may begin to stretch. This leads to wide scars and unpleasant stretch marks.

Surgery Details

As the goal of body contouring is to remove excess skin, a series of significant incisions is necessary. Depending upon your body and condition, your body-contouring process might include a lower body lift, breast lift, thigh lift, arm lift, body contouring, breast augmentation, or breast reduction.

The recovery from body contouring is different from other cosmetic surgeries, as it requires a number of individual procedures spaced over a relatively long period of time. While the different procedures that make up your body-contouring plan might seem to be unrelated, your general health is a major factor in determining the spacing between procedures.

The results of your body contouring will be noticeable as soon as swelling goes down following each individual procedure. While it might take time to reach your goals, it is important to be patient and live a healthy lifestyle. When it is all said and done, the change will make the process worthwhile.

What to expect: Body Lift

Average Time:
Varies, depending on the amount of work required
Anesthesia:
General
Am I a good candidate?
Significant soft tissue looseness in one or multiple body areas, stable weight
Recovery:
Recovery instructions will be given to you post-surgery.
Risks:
Bleeding, infection, poor healing, uneven body contour or body asymmetry, and anesthesia risks
Inpatient/Outpatient:
Inpatient
Cost:
The cost of the procedure will be discussed at your consultation with Dr. Peterson.

Be it the result of aging, sun damage, childbirth, or fluctuations in weight, excess skin, cellulite, and fat can cause a loss of confidence in one's appearance and a poor body image.

A body lift can be performed on the abdominal area and lower back, the buttocks, the groin, the thigh, or any combination of these locations. A body lift is not a substitute for weight loss and is not intended strictly for the removal of excess fat.

If skin elasticity is sufficient, liposuction, instead of a body lift, may be used to remove unwanted fat. If the skin is not able to support liposuction only, a combination of the two procedures may be needed to achieve best results.

Surgery Details

The incisions required to perform your body lift are almost entirely dependent on what combination of areas are being treated and factors unique to your body. In the case of a complete body lift, Dr. Peterson will make a circumferential incision around the body. This one incision will be used to remove excess skin and fat and tighten the underlying tissue with deep sutures. When the incision is closed, skin will be stretched and tightened to more closely fit the contour of the body.

The results of your body lift will be noticeable as soon as swelling goes down and fluid build-up has been removed, but it may take up to a year or more for the full effects to become visible. Your incision scars will never completely go away, but they will fade significantly over time.

What to expect: Liposuction

Average Time:
Two to three hours
Anesthesia:
Local or general, dependent on area of body
Am I a good candidate?
Adults within 30% of their ideal weight who have firm, elastic skin and good muscle tone, committed to a healthy lifestyle
Recovery:
Recovery instructions will be given to you post-surgery.
Risks:
Bleeding, infection, poor healing, uneven body contours, and anesthesia risks
Inpatient/Outpatient:
Outpatient
Cost:
The cost of the procedure will be discussed at your consultation with Dr. Peterson.

Liposuction can help remove unwanted deposits of fat on the thighs, hips, buttocks, abdomen, back, chest, cheeks, calves, or ankles. The procedure is minimally invasive, and either on its own or in conjunction with other cosmetic procedures, it can help patients find the body they've always wanted.

Liposuction is not a substitute for weight loss. In fact, it is only an appropriate solution for adults who are within a 30 percent range of their ideal weight. If large amounts of fat are being removed from the body, additional procedures may be necessary to remove excess skin. Dr. Peterson will be happy to discuss what procedures and methods are possible to help you achieve your desired shape.

Surgery Details

Dr. Peterson will perform a liposuction procedure through small, inconspicuous incisions. A sterile anesthetic solution will be used to treat the area before a cannula, or thin hollow tube, is inserted through the incisions and used to loosen the fat that is to be removed from the underlying tissue. This fat is then removed from the body, either by vacuum suction or by a syringe attached to the cannula.

Swelling may last for several months, and as swelling begins to wane, the new contour of the surgery site will become more apparent. While the surgery is technically permanent, weight gain can reverse the effects of liposuction, and the procedure is best paired with a healthy lifestyle.

What to expect: Thigh Lift

Average Time:
Two to three hours
Anesthesia:
General
Am I a good candidate?
Adults with excess soft tissue along the inner or outer thigh, in good health, stable weight
Recovery:
Recovery instructions will be given to you post-surgery.
Risks:
Bleeding, infection, poor healing, uneven body contour or body asymmetry, and anesthesia risks
Inpatient/Outpatient:
Outpatient
Cost:
The cost of the procedure will be discussed at your consultation with Dr. Peterson.

A thigh lift is designed to remove small amounts of fat and skin while tightening the supporting tissue underneath. A thigh lift is not a substitute for weight loss and is not intended strictly for the removal of excess fat. If skin elasticity is sufficient, liposuction, instead of a thigh lift, may be used to remove unwanted fat. If the skin is not able to support liposuction only, a combination of the two procedures may be needed to achieve best results.

Surgery Details

To perform a medial thigh lift — or inner thigh lift — it may be possible for Dr. Peterson to use only an incision in your groin. If more correction is necessary, the incision can be extended downward to wrap around the back of the thigh.

To perform an outer thigh lift, the incision generally runs from the groin to around the top of the hip.

Once the incisions have been made, Dr. Peterson will first shore up and reshape the tissue that supports your fat and skin. This improves the contour of the finished thigh. Excess skin is removed before the incisions are closed, and the skin is pulled tight to fit the new contour of the thigh.

The results of your thigh lift will be noticeable as soon as swelling goes down and fluid build-up has been removed. If you maintain a stable weight, the results of the procedure will be mostly permanent.