Body Contouring
Face and body images other than staff and patients of Dr. Rodriguez are stock models.
Las imágenes de la cara y el cuerpo que no sean del personal y los pacientes de la Dra, Rodríguez son modelos estándar
Removeloose skin
First and foremost, body contouring surgeries help to remove loose skin. For almost every area of the body, there is a procedure to address the redundant skin. These procedures can include:
Arm lift (brachioplasty)
Smooths the upper arms
Bra line lift
Addresses the extra skin and rolls at the upper back, along the bra line
Mastopexy
Lifts the breast by removing and tightening loose breast skin
Lower body lift
Removes extra skin at the lower back, hips, and buttock
Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)
Flattens the abdomen by removing extra skin
Thigh lift
Gets rid of extra skin at the inner thighs
Restorevolume
Second, body contouring surgeries may help to restore volume in areas where it has been lost. The two most common areas that can look deflated after weight loss are the buttocks and female breasts. To address these issues, Dr. Rodriguez may suggest one of these procedures:
Fat grafting
Uses your own fat to add volume to the buttocks and/or breast
Breast augmentation
Restores fullness to the breast that may have been lost by using an implant
Removestubborn fat
Lastly, even after significant weight loss, some pockets of fat may be left behind. Dr. Rodriguez commonly does liposuction to remove stubborn fat. This is often done in conjunction with other procedures to create the best contour possible.
Frequently ASkedQuestions
Can I have all my surgeries at once?
For many patients who have lost significant weight, they are troubled by several different areas of the body and want several different surgeries to improve these areas. It is extremely common for patients to want to get all their surgeries done at the same time so that they can minimize time off work, have “one recovery,” and be “one and done.”
Some patients may be able to combine all their surgeries at once. Dr. Rodriguez will recommend this when it is safe to do so.
However, it is not uncommon for patients to have surgeries staged. Staging surgeries means that some of the procedures are done during a first surgery while others are done at a second or even third surgery. Dr. Rodriguez will advise which is safest and most practical depending on the surgeries you are having, your situation, and your desires.
Will there be scars?
With body contouring surgeries, some scars are inevitable. The scars, however, are oftentimes much less bothersome than all the loose skin that can be left behind after weight loss. Patients of Dr. Rodriguez often say that they were happy to trade the loose skin for a scar.
These scars are placed in areas that are as hidden as possible such as along the bra line, below the underwear line, etc.
If the incision is too tight when it is closed, it can contribute to poor scarring. To try and avoid the incision being too tight, Dr. Rodriguez uses progressive tension sutures and always closes the skin in several layers.
Scar therapy after the incisions have healed also helps to optimize the appearance and feel of the scar.
Can I have non-surgical skin tightening instead?
Technologies like BodyTite™ are fantastic tools for skin tightening in some patients but are unlikely to help patients who have lost a lot of weight. If you have lost a significant amount of weight, the loose deflated skin that is left behind is left behind because it has lost its ability to “spring back” and tighten up again. The skin has lost some of its elasticity. Because of this, we cannot rely on the skin itself to tighten up even with skin tightening technologies like BodyTite™. Typically, the only reliable way to tighten this skin adequately is to remove the extra skin.
What if I have had bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery)?
Some types of bariatric surgery are more likely than others to make you more susceptible to vitamin deficiencies.
Surgeries like Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and biliopancreatic bypass are likely to cause protein malnutrition and deficiencies of vitamin B12, folate, thiamine, and iron.
Surgeries like sleeve gastrectomy or gastric banding are less likely to cause these types of nutritional deficiencies.
So, depending on the type of bariatric surgery you have had done, Dr. Rodriguez may recommend that you have some labs checked before surgery. This is important to do ahead of surgery so that your body is well equipped with the tools it needs to get you through the healing process as safely as possible.
am I a goodcandidate?
If you are a woman or man in the Houston area and have had a significant amount of weight loss, you may be a candidate for body contouring surgery with Dr. Rodriguez. Great candidates for this surgery should:
- RBe at a stable weight for at least 6 months
- RBe at their goal weight
- RHave good control of all medical issues
- RMaintain good nutrition
- RHave realistic expectations for what these surgeries can achieve
body contouringrecovery
Depending on how long your surgery will take, Dr. Rodriguez may recommend that you stay overnight in our facility on the night of your surgery. You may return home the next day but will need a caregiver to be with you. You will need to plan for childcare, especially during the first 2 weeks after surgery. You should not be lifting anything over 5 lbs during this early recovery period.
Dr. Rodriguez recommends that you wear compression garments for about 6 weeks after surgery.
Most patients will need to plan for about 2 weeks off from work, though this may vary depending on your job and the procedures you have done.
body contouringresults
Maintaining a stable weight before and after the surgery is important to maintaining your results. Even during your recovery period, your weight should not fluctuate much. Dr. Rodriguez encourages you to stick to your routine of healthy eating after surgery, especially since your ability to exercise will be quite limited for several weeks after surgery. Weight maintenance is the key to making your results last for years to come!
Swelling after surgery is to be expected. This means that some of the more subtle contouring may not be visible for a few months after surgery. Some swelling may come and go for up to 6 months after surgery.
Starting about 3 weeks after surgery, silicone scar therapy is started to help soften the scars. It is important to protect the scars from any sun exposure, as this can cause the scar to darken significantly.
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relatedprocedures
Arm Lift
Body Lift
