Congratulations! You’ve come a long way after the gastric surgery and pushed yourself every day to eat healthier, exercise more, and genuinely strive for a healthier body and healthier life. And you’ve achieved it!
Even though you’ve lost a remarkable amount of weight and you’re most likely feeling a whole lot better now, there have risen new topics that don’t let you thoroughly enjoy and celebrate the “new you.” One of those topics may be loose skin. But how to get rid of it so you can show your astonishing transformation and weight-loss to the world with confidence?
One of the most popular and effective ways to target this topic is plastic surgery. To give you an understanding of how plastic surgery can help you trim the body, what outcome you can expect, and how to maximize the results, we’ve put together a solid overview so you can decide whether it’s the best option for you too.
Which Plastic Surgery Should I Pick?
The reason why the majority of bariatric clients opt for plastic surgery after their weight-loss journey is simple –– there are very few options out there that can eliminate the saggy skin to this significant extent. Plastic surgery is, by far, the most effective one.
Some of the best and most popular procedures for post-bariatric surgery body contouring include:
- Breast augmentation – breast implants can help with issues like sagging and overall stretching of the skin;
- Breast lift – won’t significantly change the breast size but helps correct the shape, firmness, and contour;
- Liposuction – helps to eliminate stubborn pieces of fat after the weight-loss;
- Tummy tuck – flattens the loose belly by removing excess skin and fat and tightening muscles in your abdominal wall;
- All kinds of lifts for arms, thighs, face, neck, etc.
As you can see, there are plenty of procedures to choose from, but to pick the right one, analyze which parts of your body have the loose skin you want to get rid of and get in touch with the field experts to determine the best fit for you.
When is the Right Time to Do It?
The best time to consider a tummy tuck, breast lift or any other kind of plastic surgery is when you are as close to your ideal weight as possible. This doesn’t usually happen before 12-18 months have passed from the initial gastric surgery. Why? There are several reasons for that:
- The results from cosmetic surgery tend to be better if you’re already at a stable and healthy weight. Otherwise, if you go and lose a remarkable amount of weight after the plastic surgery, your skin might start to sag again, and you’re back in the same place you are right now.
- Also, the more you lose weight before the plastic surgery, the lower is your BMI (Body Mass Index), and the lower is the risk of complications that might arise when completing surgery with a high BMI.
- Lastly, but even more importantly –– your body has just gone through an immense transformation, and you’ve been in a negative nutritional balance during that rapid weight loss. This means that your body isn’t in the best condition for healing new surgical wounds.
As you’ve probably seen from your own experience, getting close to your goal weight isn’t happening overnight, and the journey is long and needs a tremendous amount of effort, grit, and determination. This strong patience and work are vital in waiting for plastic surgery too.
#1 Key for Satisfying Results – Set Realistic Goals
I should’ve mentioned it already earlier but remember –– having loose skin is nothing to be ashamed of or feel wrong about. You’ve done a tremendous job with transforming your body, and your extraordinary dedication has paid off.
But let’s face it –– even though the doctors said before gastric surgery that doesn’t set yourself unrealistic expectations, deep down, you were secretly hoping to get the lean and fit body that you’ve seen from fitness and lifestyle magazines and social media. Am I right?
Don’t get me wrong – dreaming and visualizing are normal things to do – but at the same time, you need to keep your feet on the ground. The best premise to be genuinely satisfied with plastic surgery results is to come to terms with your goals and expectations. And one right way for it is to forget about achieving a Baywatch-worthy body.
Another fact that you need to get used to living with is that the surgery scars will not disappear anywhere. Yes, they will gradually fade out a bit over time, but they will remain. Fortunately, in most procedures, the scares are hidden in places where they will be covered by clothes, such as along the bra-line or waistline.
So before going for the plastic surgery, ask yourself whether you are willing to trade the loose skin in this body part for a permanent scar. If you have no doubts about it and the answer is yes, you will likely be pleased with the cosmetic procedure.
Tips to Maximize the Results of Plastic Surgery
In addition to coming to terms with your goals and expectations and preparing yourself mentally, there are several other options to put into practice to deal with loose skin.
The following steps can also help you prevent saggy skin from spreading to a more considerable extent, decrease the scope of the current situation, or prepare you to get the best maximum results from the plastic surgery that is around the corner:
- Stop smoking – plastic surgery won’t be operated on active smokers;
- Follow a good exercise program – especially, focusing on strength-training exercises tones your skin and muscles, contributes to long-term weight-loss success, and lead to better results after surgery;
- Follow a good diet program – comprehensive nutrition is vital to maintain a stable and healthy weight and to heal properly (protein, especially, boosts the healing process);
- Use firming creams and massage the areas – this helps increase blood flow in the massaging area and is seen as an anti-aging strategy. A study has also shown that regular massage with a hand-operated oscillating massage tool amplifies the positive effects of the cream;
- Take supplements – there are no magical pills to fix saggy skin, but some supplements may be beneficial to soothe the condition;
- Maintain a stable weight – vital before plastic surgery but also after it.
As you can see, there are plenty of approaches to target your loose skin or prepare it well for the upcoming cosmetic surgery. However, to determine what are the “perfect-fit” steps for you to deal with the loose skin, and whether plastic surgery is a reasonable step for you or not, contact our expert team to find it out.
