Sydney plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Drielsma from Beauty by Design explains the concept of the body lift.

Flabbiness of the abdomen, hips, thighs and buttocks region is a common concern of women, particularly in middle age.

In some cases, where skin elasticity is well maintained and there is little skin excess, liposuction alone can be effective in re-contouring these areas.  For most women however, particularly following pregnancies, skin excess as well as fatty excess is present and the skin has been overstretched and has lost tone.

Traditionally, abdominoplasty is the solution for flabbiness of the abdomen. The results of abdominoplasty can usually be much improved by utilising the "High Lateral Tension" technique to tighten the outer thigh area and also adding liposuction to further harmonise the contour of hip, thigh and buttock regions.

Relatively recently the importance of skin laxity and collapse of the outer hip, thigh and buttock regions has been recognised. In such cases, just as removing the excess skin and fat from the front of the body (abdominoplasty) makes sense, so does removal of excess skin and fat from the sides and back of the body.  This is the concept of the "body lift."

Before	After body lift with Dr. Drielsma

The Body Lift is an extension of the abdominoplasty principle to reverse collapse of the whole flabby mid body, including abdomen, hips, thighs and buttocks.  Because skin tightening and lifting occurs to all these areas, an entire body lift can be achieved with effective results and a return to a youthful figure.

The operation is quite involved and takes around 6 to 8 hours of surgery.  A hospitalisation of 5 days is usually required with a recovery period of 3 to 4 weeks.  The results achieved, for those who are willing to invest the extra time and effort, are, however, dramatic.

Suitability will depend on formal consultation where fitness for surgery will also be assessed and it will be decided if liposuction alone, abdominoplasty with liposuction or the body lift is more appropriate for the individual patient.

Before	After body lift with Dr. Drielsma