Reshaping a body part is the goal of a body contour procedure, or body sculpting technique, which can be medicinal or surgical. It could entail operations to remove excessive skin, fat, and to contour or restructure the area. Generally speaking, body sculpting does not aid in weight loss. Rather, it aids in body shaping and targets particular places where weight reduction is ineffective or causes excess skin after significant weight loss.
Benefits of Body Contouring
A lot of people who get body contouring report having smoother skin, younger, thinner looks, better-defined, well-shaped body components, and improved symptoms. Surgery has more immediate and observable results. It could take a few weeks or months to observe results from nonsurgical treatments.
Uses of Body Contouring
Individuals go for body contour procedures in order to achieve a specific form or to appear and feel slimmer. When diet and exercise aren’t producing the desired results, it’s frequently used to particular body parts. Extra skin can also be surgically removed to give the appearance of younger, smoother skin. Those who have extra skin after major weight loss may benefit from such surgeries. Additionally, it can help with skin that is loose, sagging, or wrinkled from normal aging.
The majority of body parts can be targeted by body contouring. Arms, back, abdomen and flanks, buttocks, neck, chin, and thighs are common locations.
Types of Body Contouring
Lipolysis
Liposuction is a non-surgical method of body contouring. There are other lipolysis techniques, such as cryolipolysis, which breaks down fat cells by using extremely low temperatures. By injecting deoxycholic acid into the body, fat cells are the target of injection lipolysis. While radiofrequency lipolysis targets fat cells with heat and ultrasonic waves, laser lipolysis uses lasers to kill fat cells. But occasionally, the outcomes can differ.
Surgical Body Contouring
Lifts and tucks, which are surgical treatments to remove excessive skin and excess fat, are options for surgical body reshaping. Examples include double chin surgery and abdominoplasy, rhytidectomy, and mastopexy for facelifts, breast lifts, and stomach tucks, respectively. The lipoplasty process extracts fat deposits.
Procedure of Body Contouring
Pre-Treatment
In your initial consultation, a plastic surgeon will go over your objectives, medical history—including illnesses, allergies, and past surgeries—as well as any current medications—including over-the-counter and vitamin—and usage of illicit, alcohol-, and tobacco-related substances.
In addition, the healthcare provider will measure and inspect the region or areas you wish to modify, mark the area(s) with a pen or marker, and take images. If you are thinking about having surgery, they also go over your alternatives, offer advice, go over the risks and benefits, and talk about anesthesia and post-operative pain management.
You will need to sign a consent form if you choose to proceed. You authorize the healthcare provider to carry out the procedure by signing it. You also acknowledge that you have reasonable expectations and are aware of the procedure’s dangers. The medical staff may request that you cease smoking, stop taking specific medications, get blood work done or have a physical examination with your primary care physician, depending on the type of body sculpting you select.
During Treatment
Surgical Body Contouring
The majority of cosmetic procedures are performed at a hospital, surgical center, or surgeon’s office. It can take anywhere from 45 minutes to many hours, depending on what you need done. When performing a surgical procedure, the team may mark the areas beforehand, place you on a surgical table, perform safety checks with the anesthesiologist and nurse, and then, depending on the treatment, provide local or general anesthetic. They make incisions in your skin based on the procedure(s) carried out after cleaning and prepping the skin in the surgical area.
To achieve the desired appearance, they trim extra skin, tighten muscles during an abdominoplasty, and cut, reposition, or shape tissue and excess fat. When the operation is finished, they seal any wounds, apply bandages, and do liposuction alone or in conjunction with other procedures to remove extra fat.
Lipolysis
The majority of lipolysis operations happen in a clinic or office. A 30- to 60-minute session is all that is needed. The team might place you on a chair or table, offer you a robe or medical gown to wear, and use a pen or marker to mark the skin. Depending on the type of lipolysis, they inject a medicine in the desired area of fat reduction and use an instrument, such as paddles or a wand, to apply heat, cold, laser beams, or ultrasound waves.
Post-Treatment
Even following surgery, the majority of patients return home the same day. It is advisable to have someone drive you home after surgery and spend the first night with you. Additionally, to drain fluid and reduce swelling, you might have a small tube next to one or more incisions.
You will receive instructions for recovery from your surgical team. These will be discussed prior to surgery and may involve reporting any issues, taking care of the drains and changing the bandages, avoiding overactivity, but walking around to prevent blood clots. It’s also necessary for post-treatment care that you avoid the sun. as well as taking prescription drugs or ointments to treat pain or avoid infection.
In contrast, you will depart the office or clinic right away following nonsurgical body sculpting. Normally, you could go about your day normally and wouldn’t need a transport home.
As nonsurgical operations are low risk, you probably won’t need to worry about any side effects. The following symptoms of infection or other complications should be reported if you have surgery: chest pain, dizziness, fever over 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit, severe pain that is not relieved by medication, nausea, vomiting, bleeding, drainage, redness, or swelling at the incision site.
Recovery Time
Depending on the extent of the work and the size of the incisions, recovering after surgical procedures might take several weeks to several months. But the recovery periods for nonsurgical alternatives are far shorter. Most patients resume their jobs and other activities right after following treatment.
Final Words
When diet and exercise are not effective, a body contour treatment can assist reduce fat and shape certain body parts. Achieving your optimal weight leads to better outcomes with fewer issues. While liposuction is a surgical method of removing fat to help tighten and smooth any loose or wrinkled skin, lipolysis is a nonsurgical therapy. You should discuss your alternatives and associated risks with your healthcare professional.