With GLP-1 medications as the new normal, plastic surgeons are seeing increased interest in bodylifts. Once a procedure commonly sought by bariatric surgery patients, bodylifts and minimally-invasive alternatives have skyrocketed in popularity. Are you ready to address excess skin on your lower trunk?
Featured Experts
- Patrick Schaner, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon and Sono Bello partner in San Antonio
- Daniel Crane, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon with practices in Delray and Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Simone V. Pautler, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon in McMurray, PA
- Johnny Franco, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Austin, TX
What is a bodylift?
According to San Antonio, TX plastic surgeon and Sono Bello partner, Patrick Schaner, MD, a modern bodylift focuses on the abdomen, thighs and flank. “The procedure is often customized to address specific patient needs and may incorporate techniques like liposuction to contour the body,” he explains. “It usually includes the removal of excess skin and fat from areas such as the abdomen, thighs and flanks.”
The procedure is typically employed for patients who have lost large amounts of weight, notes Delray Beach, FL plastic surgeon Daniel Crane, MD. “The most common bodylift surgery is a lower bodylift,” he says. “Most of these patients have lost a significant amount of weight and have skin excess in multiple areas, which can’t be addressed with a tummy tuck alone.”
Why are bodylifts increasing in popularity?
“There has been a noticeable increase in bodylift procedures since the popularization of GLP-1 weight loss medications like Ozempic,” says Dr. Schaner.
We know that these medications can cause rapid weight loss, resulting in loose excess skin. Removing that loose skin ultimately requires surgery.
“You can’t exercise skin away,” says McMurray, PA plastic surgeon, Simone V. Pautler, MD. “When you touch the back of a cat or dog, you can see their entire back twitch, right? That’s because they have muscles in their skin that humans don’t have.”
The prevalence of GLP-1s has also influenced the age of the average bodylift patient.
“We’re seeing younger patients with skin laxity and volume loss, which are issues we typically associate with more mature patients,” explains Austin, TX plastic surgeon Johnny Franco, MD. “These patients are coming in for circumferential bodylifts, arm lifts and thigh lifts. For sagging and volume loss in the face, many are opting for facelifts instead of overfilling with filler.”
A New Approach to Bodylifts
“While we sometimes add liposuction to a bodylift for optimal contouring, the best candidate for a bodylift is someone who has lost the weight they are going to lose,” Dr. Crane notes. “And we want them to be at that stable weight for quite some time.”
Dr. Crane doesn’t recommend a bodylift for those with more fat than excess skin, but new options like Sono Bello’s LiftEX combine laser liposuction with minimally invasive technology to tackle fat and skin.
“Sono Bello’s new LiftEX procedure can complement the results of your massive weight loss and help you achieve your desired outcome,” says Dr. Schaner. “Small incisions are placed strategically to maximize fat extraction while camouflaging the resultant scars. Laser-assisted liposuction is performed to remove the remaining fat and mobilize tissues, allowing for the removal of excess skin and fat. The remaining tissues will then be carefully sutured in an elevated position to create the lift, minimize scarring and promote proper healing.”
And it’s all performed under local anesthetic.
“You will be up and walking the same day, able to resume light exercise in two weeks and able to exercise without restrictions in as little as six weeks,” Dr. Schaner explains.
Where the Bodylift Goes From Here
“The modern bodylift doesn’t just address the loose skin of the tummy and lateral thighs,” Dr. Crane explains. “We’re now also creating optimal body contour using auto-augmentation of the buttock, repurposing tissue you would have normally discarded to add volume and lift.”
And, as plastic surgery evolves to become safer and more efficient, bodylifts are also frequently combined with other procedures.
“When someone has a lost a lot of weight, that can cause big changes to their entire body,” Dr. Crane notes. “Especially in areas like the breast, which is why many patients now opt to include a breast augmentation or lift at the same time as a bodylift. The recovery time is very similar.”
