If you have lost significant weight through bariatric surgery or diet and exercise, you may be considering body contouring surgery to remove loose skin. Penn Medicine's board-certified plastic surgeons are known nationwide for their expertise and exceptional outcomes in body contouring surgery. Our Body Contouring After Weight Loss team is at your side with care and compassion.
What to Expect with the Body Contouring Surgery Process
Understanding the body contouring surgery process is the best way to determine if this procedure is right for you.
Pre-Surgery Consultation
When you consider body contouring surgery, one of our expert plastic surgeons meets with you to understand your symptoms, learn about your goals, discuss surgical options and answer your questions. We also discuss potential risks and confirm that body contouring surgery is best for you.
If you choose to move forward with surgery, your surgeon creates a personalized plan for achieving your goals. Our team gives you important instructions to follow before and after surgery.
We will also ask that you arrange for someone to take you home after surgery and provide assistance for a few days.
Day of Body Contouring Surgery
At Penn, we hold the highest care standards. We use extensive protocols to promote the safest experience possible. On the day of your surgery:
- You arrive at the hospital and we prepare you for surgery.
- We place you under general anesthesia for comfort and carefully monitor all vital signs.
- Your plastic surgeon makes an incision in the area to be treated. The length of the incision depends on the amount and location of extra skin being removed.
- At the end of the surgery, your surgeon reconnects the skin with sutures, skin adhesives and/or surgical tape to help close and support the skin.
Surgery on one area of the body usually takes 75 to 90 minutes. For combined surgeries on several areas, the procedure can take up to six hours. You should plan to be at our outpatient surgical center for a total of about eight hours, which includes preparation time, the procedure and recovery after the procedure.
After Body Contouring Surgery
After your surgery, we monitor your vital signs and watch your incisions for bleeding and signs of infection. The length of your hospital stay depends on the type and number of body contouring procedures you have.
Recovery After Body Contouring Surgery
After you return home following body contouring surgery, it's important for you to know that:
- Discomfort is part of the healing process. We can help you manage it through prescription medication.
- Healing can take several weeks.
- If you have no issues with swelling or healing, you could be back to work in four to six weeks.
- You may need to wear compression garments after surgery. These garments help your healing process by decreasing swelling at the incision site.
- You need to follow all instructions we give you for the best results.
Common problems that may occur after surgery include fluid collection and infections. We make sure you know what to look for so you can notify us right away of any complications.
Risks of Body Contouring Surgery
Our body contouring surgical team is highly skilled with decades of experience. We have extensive protocols in place to minimize risk. However, we want you to know that every type of surgery has risks, including:
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Poor wound healing
- Unfavorable scarring
During your consultation, your Penn plastic surgeon and care team review all potential risks and side effects specific to you and your surgery. You can help reduce complications by carefully following all instructions before and after surgery.
Our plastic surgeons use the latest techniques and, whenever possible, strategically place incisions in areas that most types of clothing can hide.
Body Contouring Surgery Process: Why Choose Penn Medicine
Throughout your body contouring surgery process, the highly skilled professionals in Penn's Body Contouring After Weight Loss program offer:
- Advanced education: We ensure you know what to expect during the body contouring surgery process so you can determine if this elective procedure is right for you.
- An institution of excellence: Penn consistently is ranked among the top academic medical centers in the country. You benefit from the latest research and technological advancements.
- Surgical expertise: Our plastic surgeons are experts in all types of body contouring with decades of experience. Each year, many of our plastic surgeons are recognized as America's Top Doctors, Best Doctors in America and in the Top Docs issue of Philadelphia Magazine.
Request an Appointment
Call 215-662-7300 or request an appointment online.