Following major weight loss, there may be excess or loose folds of skin and fat in the lower part of the body. Diet and exercise can help to some extent but it may not remove all the excess skin and fat and many patients find it difficult to get back to their original body shape. Patients often feel very self-conscious of their appearance and feel unable to wear any tight clothing or participate in activities such as swimming and they may feel uncomfortable when intimate with their partner.
A ‘lower body lift’ (also called a ‘belt lipectomy’) is a procedure that is usually performed after major weight loss as it aims to improve the contour in those with an overhanging tummy, loose sagging skin over the buttocks, flanks and outer thighs. The operation removes excess skin and fatty tissue from around the lower trunk, combining a tummy tuck, buttock lifts and hip/flank lifts and leaves a circumferential permanent scar along the lower trunk.
A lower body lift improves the overhanging loose skin over the tummy, buttocks, flanks and outer thighs by removing a circumferential area of tissue containing skin and fat from the lower trunk. The white dotted area shows the area that will be removed during the procedure and the red line shows the permanent scar around the lower trunk. There will also be a scar around the belly button.