Body Contouring Chicago
Body contouring is the name given to a set of surgical procedures designed to remove excess skin and stubborn deposits of fat while improving the shape and proportions of the body. Body contouring is most commonly performed after dramatic weight loss due to surgery or changes in lifestyle.
The procedures involved in body contouring are highly individualized according to each patient’s aesthetic goals, and may include a facelift, breast lift, tummy tuck, brachioplasty (arm lift), thighplasty (thigh lift), or others.
AM I A CANDIDATE FOR BODY CONTOURING?
As we age, our skin loses elasticity and deposits of fat gathered in specific parts of the body become more difficult to reduce or eliminate. If surgery or a lifestyle change has led to major weight loss and you find that some areas of the body sag or you have noticeable excess skin, body contouring may be an ideal solution.
Candidates should be in generally good physical health, non-smokers, and without any medical conditions that may affect the healing process. You should also reach your weight-loss goals before undergoing body contouring. If you believe that body contouring may be for you, schedule a consultation with a plastic surgeon board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR CONSULTATION
At the Plastic Surgery Clinic of Chicago, we understand that each patient’s aesthetic goals are unique. Dramatic weight loss can lead to a healthy increase in self-esteem and confidence, but excess and sagging skin can be a hindrance to your self-image.
When you schedule a consultation with our practice, you will speak with a board-certified plastic surgeon that specializes in aesthetic surgery of the face, breast, and body. You and your plastic surgeon will review your medical history to ensure that you are a good candidate for body contouring, and your surgeon will suggest treatment options that are right for your body type and goals. We will never perform any procedure unless we are certain that it is the best course of treatment for you.
HOW BODY CONTOURING IS PERFORMED
To begin, a general anesthetic is administered to ensure comfort during the procedure. The process itself varies according to the individual needs of the patient. Incision sites for body contouring are usually larger than most plastic surgery procedures due to the removal of excess skin; however, your plastic surgeon will place the incisions as strategically as possible and attempt to conceal them within natural folds and contours of the body.
Body contouring is usually performed in stages. Your plastic surgeon will outline each stage and discuss the particular process for each individual procedure during your consultation. The procedures typically involved in body contouring may include:
The details and process for each of these procedures can be read by clicking the link above.
RECOVERY AFTER BODY CONTOURING
The recovery period is different for each of the procedures that may be involved in body contouring. Most of these procedures are performed on an outpatient basis, so patients will usually be able to return home the day of surgery. Your plastic surgeon will prescribe pain medications and give specific instructions for post-surgical care. It is very important to follow all of these instructions to mitigate any potential risks that are associated with any of the procedures involved in body contouring.
Each subsequent stage of body contouring can be performed after the previous stage has fully healed. Results of each procedure are usually apparent right after surgery, but the full aesthetic results may not be visible until swelling and bruising subsides, which may take six to eight weeks.
POTENTIAL RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH BODY CONTOURING
Any surgical procedure involves some potential risks; in general, the risks of the procedures involved in body contouring may include:
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Hematoma (blood clot)
- Changes in skin sensation
- Skin discoloration
- Scarring
At the Plastic Surgery Clinic of Chicago, we take every precaution to avoid potential complications by employing the safest and most innovative techniques. You can further reduce the potential for risk by carefully following all instructions from your plastic surgeon, both before and after a procedure.
WHAT DOES BODY CONTOURING COST?
Due to the highly individualized process of body contouring, the associated cost varies too widely to be able to give an average. The cost may further be affected by your location, your plastic surgeon, and the surgical center at which the procedure is performed. Be sure to speak to your plastic surgeon during your consultation about the cost of body contouring, including any payment options that may be available. Medical insurance rarely covers the cost for body contouring, since it is considered a cosmetic procedure.
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION
If you are bothered by sagging or excess skin after major weight loss, body contouring may be right for you. If you would like to know more about the procedure, or if you have questions about body contouring, schedule a consultation with the Plastic Surgery Clinic of Chicago. We will be happy to speak with you and perform an evaluation to see if body contouring is the best fit for you and your aesthetic goals.
All surgical procedures by the Plastic Surgery Clinic of Chicago are performed at top hospitals in Chicago and CMS or AAAASF-certified surgical centers for safety.
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This is a great case to highlight the complexities associated with creating an aesthetic tip and how small changes can yield significant aesthetic improvement. In this case, the patient had a droopy tip, hanging columella, and too much nostril show. In the post-operative views you can visualize a tip that is lifted, more projected, and the presence of a more aesthetic alar-columellar relationship. Happy for this patient and her beautiful and natural result. Posted with permission.
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Proud of our research team for getting this published. In this article, we developed a unique risk assessment tool to predict major complications in facial aesthetic surgery. Thank you to the Aesthetic Surgery Journal for publishing our work.
#plasticsurgery #plasticsurgeon #cosmeticsurgery #asj #chicago #chicagoplasticsurgery
The hardest type of rhinoplasties for plastic surgeons to perform are cleft rhinoplasties. A major reason is that the anatomy of the nose and midface are asymmetric, therefore, you have an asymmetric nose sitting on top of an asymmetric midface. In this case, I used rib cartilage to rebuild the cartilage of the nose and fat transfer to improve asymmetries of the midface and lips. In the post-operative frontal views, you can see a straighter nose, the tip has been lifted, and the right nostril has been brought down and inwards. On profile view, you can see the dorsal hump was lowered, the tip of the nose has been lifted, rotated, and refined. The fat was placed in the cheeks and upper lip to improve the midface deficiency that is common in cleft lip patients. Posted with permission.
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Plastic surgery can be dramatic or understated. This is a before and after with subtle changes to improve the proportions and aesthetics of the nose in a natural way. This patient wanted only small changes of the dorsum and tip. In the post-operative photos, you can visualize the dorsal hump has been removed and the tip has been refined, slightly rotated and projected. Posted with permission.
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Couldn’t be happier for this beautiful patient and her natural before and after results. This patient is 3 months out from a deep plane or sub-SMAS facelift, neck lift, and facial fat transfer. Pay close attention to the neck, jawline, and midface or cheeks. In the post-operative views you can see a well-defined neck and jawline. The face appears less bottom heavy, there is restoration of the midface volume, and the overall facial configuration is more heart-shaped and youthful. Posted with permission.
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It’s been a minute but this is a great before and after of a facial feminization case and this patient is only 6 weeks out from surgery. Pay close attention to the hairline, the forehead, orbital rims, eyebrows, nose, chin and jawline. Does this patient look like they had major surgery 6 weeks ago? Posted with permission.
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Check out this interesting rhinoplasty case where I performed a combined primary rhinoplasty and sliding genioplasty. Fixing the crooked or deviated nose is very challenging for all rhinoplasty surgeons and the goal is to achieve a straighter nose because a perfectly straight nose does not exist. On the frontal view, you can see a nose that is midline and with beautiful dorsal aesthetic lines. On the profile view, you can visual a nice nasal profile with a slight break at the tip. The sliding genioplasty complements the nose and improves the overall proportions and balance of the face. A chin implant would not be able to achieve this amount of chin augmentation or chin length. Posted with permission.
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It’s never too early to starting thinking about that summer body. This patient underwent a mommy makeover or a breast reduction/lift and tummy tuck. Pay close attention to the belly button, this patient had an umbilical hernia, which made the reconstruction of her belly button even harder. Most plastic surgeons take their time trying to make the belly button look as natural as possible since the appearance of the belly button can be an obvious sign that the patient had a tummy tuck. Posted with permission.
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