Body lift After Bariatric Surgery in Raleigh, North Carolina*

This patient is a 33-year-old woman who struggled with weight problems from her teenage years. She underwent a gastric sleeve and lost 135 pounds. Several years later she sought Dr. Lyle's help. She had several areas of concern including her thighs, abdomen, breasts and arms. Typically the areas of most concern are prioritized and in this patient she wished to have her abdomen addressed as well as her arms. Future surgery on her breasts and thighs would be contemplated. The patient was a runner and had difficult time with the loose skin all the way around her abdomen as well as her loose flabby arms during running. She chose to have circumferential abdominoplasty or body lift combined with brachioplasty. Typically this combination allows for a very reasonable recovery. The arm surgery is typically fairly easy with Ace wraps initially followed up by compression sleeves . The arms are free to continue self care in the postoperative period. Her recovery was relatively uneventful and within a few months she was back running. Circumferential abdominoplasty is recommended when loose skin extends into the back and can improve buttock appearance, lateral hip excess and helps to avoid dog ear formation which occurs when more limited incisions do not address the skin laxity present in the back and flank area. Generally, Dr. Lyle likes to limit the combination procedures and stage them as it is very challenging to address all concerns in one operation.