Body Contouring After Massive Weight Loss
Premier Female Plastic Surgeon in Atlanta
Premier Female Plastic Surgeon in Atlanta
Losing a significant amount of weight is a life-changing accomplishment, whether achieved through bariatric surgery, GLP-1s, lifestyle changes, or a combination. However, dramatic weight loss often leaves behind excess skin making it difficult to fully enjoy your transformation.
Body contouring after weight loss is designed to remove excess sagging skin, reshape your figure, and enhance the contours of your body, helping you feel more confident and comfortable.
At Lovell Plastic Surgery, Dr. Sabine Lovell specializes in advanced body contouring surgery, creating natural, beautifully sculpted results for patients who have lost a significant amount of weight. By customizing each procedure to your needs, Dr. Lovell helps patients achieve a smoother, more toned appearance, restoring balance and proportion to the body.
Body contouring surgery is a combination of surgical procedures designed to remove excess skin and fat, tighten underlying tissue, and sculpt smoother, firmer body contours. After massive weight loss, the skin often lacks elasticity and cannot conform to your new, smaller shape, leading to loose skin, folds, and sagging in multiple areas of the body.
Common body contouring procedures include:
Lower Body Lift Surgery
A lower body lift removes excess sagging skin from the abdomen, hips, thighs, and buttocks, creating a smoother, more sculpted lower body.
Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)
A tummy tuck tightens abdominal muscles, removes loose abdominal skin, and repositions the belly button for a flatter, firmer stomach.
Arm Lift (Brachioplasty)
The arm lift procedure removes excess skin from the upper arms, restoring a more toned, defined appearance.
Thigh Lift
A lower body lift targets the inner or outer thighs, removing extra skin and stubborn fat for smoother leg contours.
Breast Lift (Mastopexy)
The breast lift procedure corrects flattened breasts, improves contours, and lifts the breasts to a more youthful position. Patients desiring more volume may combine a breast lift with breast augmentation using breast implants or fat transfer.
Upper Body/Back Lift
A back lift addresses sagging in the upper back, improving skin folds and body proportion.
1. Consultation & Surgical Planning
Each body sculpting procedure is tailored to your specific needs and goals, ensuring the best possible outcome.
2. The Procedure
Depending on your goals, your body contouring surgery may be performed in a single procedure or more commonly staged over multiple surgeries to ensure your safety and optimal results. In addition, Dr. Lovell uses drainless techniques so you don’t have to care for a drain after surgery.
3. Recovery & Healing
4. Long-Term Results
With proper aftercare and a healthy lifestyle, your body contouring results are long-lasting, allowing you to fully enjoy the benefits of your weight loss transformation.
Losing a significant amount of weight is an incredible achievement, but many patients find that excess skin prevents them from fully enjoying their accomplishments. Body contouring surgery removes loose, sagging skin, enhances body proportions, and creates smoother, firmer contours—helping you feel confident and comfortable in your new body.
Reveal the Shape You Worked Hard For: After major weight loss, stretched skin may not shrink back to fit your new figure. Body contouring helps reshape and define your body, allowing you to finally see the sleek, toned silhouette you’ve earned.
Improve Comfort & Mobility: Excess skin can cause chafing, irritation, and discomfort, especially in areas like the inner thighs, arms, and abdomen. Removing excess sagging skin can make everyday activities, exercise, and wearing fitted clothing more comfortable.
Long-Lasting, Natural Results: Body contouring surgery provides permanent results by removing skin and fat that won’t return—as long as you maintain a stable weight.
A More Proportional & Balanced Figure: Body contouring procedures like a lower body lift, arm lift, and thigh lift help restore balance and proportion to your body by reshaping problem areas and enhancing your natural curves.
Boost Your Confidence & Self-Esteem: Many patients feel more confident wearing fitted clothing, swimsuits, and activewear after body contouring. When your outer appearance matches your inner transformation, you can move forward with renewed confidence.
You may be a good candidate for body contouring after losing a significant amount of weight if you:
During your body contouring consultation, Dr. Lovell will evaluate your medical history, goals, and skin elasticity to determine the best surgical plan for your needs.
Recovery times vary based on the extent of the procedure(s):
Most patients can resume light activities in 2-3 weeks and return to normal routines within 4-6 weeks.
The initial improvements from body contouring after weight loss are noticeable immediately after surgery, but swelling and bruising may temporarily obscure your final shape. Over the first few weeks, swelling will begin to subside, and your body will continue to heal and refine its contours.
Most patients see significant improvements within 3-6 months, with final results fully visible around 12 months as the skin settles and scars begin to fade. Body contouring results are long-lasting, especially when paired with a healthy lifestyle and stable weight. While natural aging continues, maintaining a consistent weight will help preserve your new shape for years to come.
At Lovell Plastic Surgery, we offer more than transformation—we curate an experience defined by refinement, intention, and exquisite care.
Under the direction of Dr. Sabine Lovell, a double board-certified plastic surgeon known for her precision and elevated aesthetic, every treatment is a bespoke expression of your vision. Each procedure is artfully tailored to celebrate the feminine form with results that feel effortless, graceful, and entirely your own. Our practice is intentionally boutique—intimate, discreet, and designed with you at the center. From the moment you arrive, you’ll step into a space where luxury meets sincerity, and every detail reflects our commitment to thoughtful, high-touch care. In partnership with Balanced Aesthetics + Wellness, we extend your journey beyond the surface, blending aesthetic artistry with inner balance for a result that is as radiant as it is refined.
It’s recommended to wait at least 3-6 months after reaching your goal weight before undergoing body contouring surgery. This ensures your weight is stable, which is essential for long-lasting results and optimal healing.
No, body contouring is not a weight-loss procedure. It is designed to remove excess skin and refine your shape after you’ve already lost a significant amount of weight. Patients should be at a stable body mass index (BMI) that is below 31 before considering surgery.
In general, two. But this also depends on your health, goals, and the complexity of each procedure. Most massive weight loss patients need staged procedures separated by 3 months to ensure a safer recovery.
Scars are inevitable with skin removal surgeries after significant weight loss, but Dr. Lovell uses advanced techniques to place incisions in discreet areas. Over time, scars fade significantly with proper aftercare, including scar management treatments and sun protection.
