Abdominoplasty
Addresses abdominal skin excess and contour, with assessment of the abdominal wall and the relationship between the central abdomen, flanks and mons.
Explore Abdominoplasty →Body Contouring
Reshaping the body by addressing skin excess, tissue distribution and proportion.
Body contouring may involve one area or several. Some patients seek treatment after major weight loss; others are concerned by changes following pregnancy, ageing or localised skin and tissue excess.
The operation should be matched to the anatomy and the patient's priorities rather than assuming that body contouring means the same thing for everyone.
Understanding the contour
Three elements commonly influence planning.
Skin envelope
Skin excess and elasticity determine how much tissue can be redraped and when skin removal is required.
Tissue distribution
Subcutaneous fat and soft tissue influence volume and contour. Liposuction may be useful as an adjunct where localised fullness contributes to the shape.
Proportion
An isolated area should be planned in relation to adjacent regions so correction does not create a new imbalance.
After major weight loss—and beyond
Major weight loss can leave significant skin excess across several body regions, but these operations are not limited to patients who have lost a large amount of weight.
Abdominoplasty, arm lift or thigh lift may also be appropriate for more localised changes following pregnancy, ageing, genetics or moderate weight change.
The term body contouring therefore describes the problem being treated rather than a particular patient group.
Surgical pathways
The operation is selected according to where the skin excess and contour change are located.
Arm Lift
Brachioplasty removes and reshapes excess tissue of the upper arm where skin laxity cannot be corrected adequately by volume reduction alone.
Explore Arm Lift →Thigh Lift
Thigh lifting addresses skin excess and tissue descent, with the operative plan determined by whether the dominant problem is medial, vertical or more circumferential.
Explore Thigh Lift →Belt Lipectomy
For circumferential lower-trunk skin excess, a belt lipectomy can address the abdomen, flanks and posterior trunk as a continuous contour rather than isolated regions.
Explore Belt Lipectomy →Liposuction as an adjunct
I use liposuction to refine contour where localised fat contributes to the shape of the treated area.
It is most useful when integrated into the overall plan rather than treated as a substitute for removing genuine skin excess.
In body-contouring surgery, liposuction may help transition between treated and untreated areas, reduce selected fullness and improve final proportion.
One area or several?
When more than one region requires treatment, the question is not simply whether the procedures can technically be combined.
Priority
Which area matters most and which correction will provide the greatest overall improvement in contour?
Safety
The length and extent of surgery, blood loss, mobility and recovery all influence whether procedures should be combined or staged.
Proportion
Sometimes treating neighbouring areas together produces a more coherent result; in other situations staging provides greater control.
Scars are part of the plan
Body contouring trades excess skin for a scar. Scar position and length are therefore planned deliberately around the amount and direction of tissue removal required.
I would rather place an appropriate scar that permits effective reshaping than compromise contour simply to make the scar artificially short.
Stable weight matters
Body-contouring results are more predictable when weight is relatively stable and nutrition is adequate.
Where major weight loss is ongoing, or where there are concerns about smoking, nutrition, medical fitness or healing risk, surgery may be better deferred until those factors have been addressed.
Consultation
Consultation allows us to identify which regions are contributing most to the concern, what can reasonably be improved and whether the safest and most effective plan involves one operation or a staged approach.
Arrange a consultation →