Body contouring involves sculpting the body in one or more areas to achieve a smoother, more youthful figure. This can be done in one single surgery setting or in a series of surgeries, depending on the extremity of the changes you desire. Body contouring procedures are not designed for weight loss; they are simply methods for removing excess tissue and fat that cannot be reduced through diet and exercise.

Liposuction

Liposuction is performed to remove excess fat from target areas, such as the arms, stomach, back, buttocks, hips and thighs. It is equally effective among men and women, and it is often a complement to other cosmetic procedures.

A good candidate for liposuction may have “diet resistant fat,” which are fatty areas that are not in proportion with the rest of the body and do not go away with diet and exercise. These areas should have minimal amounts of excess skin and good skin elasticity, as liposuction removes fat and not skin.

Tummy Tuck

A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is used to remove loose skin and fat from the midsection and tighten weakened abdominal muscles. This can be caused by a number of conditions including heredity, substantial weight loss and pregnancy. In the case of pregnancy, the appearance of stretch marks may also be reduced.

An abdominoplasty candidate may suffer from excess or sagging abdominal skin, an abdomen that protrudes and is no longer proportionate to the rest of the body, abdominal muscles that have been separated and weakened or excess fatty tissue concentrated around the abdomen.

Lower Body Lift

In a lower body lift, the sagging skin and excess fat tissue are removed from the abdomen, lower back, outer thighs, hips and buttocks. This procedure tightens the muscles in the targeted areas and creates a smoother figure.

You may consider a lower body lift if you have loose skin in your buttocks, abdomen, hips or the back, side, front or inner thighs. They may also have had massive weight loss or have relatively thin layers of fatty tissue below the skin of those areas.

Arm Lift

This procedure, which is performed on a variety of patients, is used to restore the tightened look of a more youthful arm. Usually performed in conjunction with liposuction, the loose and flabby skin is surgically removed. This normally involves an incision on the inner part of the upper arm.