Abdominoplasty is a surgical procedure that helps to flatten and shape the abdomen and waist by removing excess fat and skin and tightening muscles. The best candidates are in good physical condition with pockets of fat or loose skin that haven't responded well to diet and exercise. Older, slightly obese people whose skin has lost some of its elasticity can be helped. Abdominoplasty can also be useful for women with stretched skin and muscles from pregnancy, although results from the procedure will diminish if they continue to bear children. For this reason, women who plan to have children again are advised to delay abdominoplasty.
If you want to enlarge or re-shape your buttocks and have discovered that they do not respond to diet or exercise, buttock implants may be the solution. Implants come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are made of soft silicone, which provide a firm, smooth yet natural feel. They are placed away from the bony area on which you sit. The procedure takes about two hours and is performed under general anesthesia. Incisions are made inconspicuously in the depression between the buttocks. It may be performed in conjunction with liposuction for a more dramatic change in contour.
One of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures, liposuction sculpts the body by removing undesirable fat from areas of the body such as the abdomen, waist, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, chin, cheeks, neck and upper arms that have not responded to diet and exercise. Local anesthesia or general anesthesia may be used and can last anywhere from one to five hours depending on the amount of fat being removed.
A thigh lift is performed to remove excess skin and fat from the upper legs. Candidates typically suffer from loose, inelastic skin after extreme weight loss due to diet, exercise or bariatric surgery. Because of this, the procedure is often combined with others such as breastlifts, facelifts and armlifts to retain an attractive body proportion.
After substantial weight loss, weight gain or simply from the effects of aging, skin on the upper arms can become inelastic, loose and flabby. Arm lifts, also known as brachioplasty, remove that excess skin and fat. Patients who have significant amounts of fat may want to consider combining the procedure with liposuction.