Body lift results from Dr. Gehaan D’Souza in Carlsbad. A body lift removes loose skin around the full circumference of the lower torso — abdomen, hips, flanks and outer thighs — and lifts what remains.

This is the operation for patients who have lost a great deal of weight, whether through surgery or their own effort, and are left with skin that no longer fits the body underneath. It is a bigger undertaking than a tummy tuck, because a tummy tuck addresses the front only and skin loosened by major weight loss rarely stops at the sides.

What to look for

These results are best judged from the side and the back, not the front. Look at the transition from waist to hip, whether the outer thigh has been lifted along with the abdomen, and how the buttock sits afterwards. The scar runs the whole way around, and the after photographs show it.

Where this sits in a longer plan

Patients after major weight loss often want several areas addressed — arms, breasts, thighs — and these are usually staged over time rather than done at once. If that is your situation, the consultation is worth treating as a conversation about sequence and timing, not a single procedure.

About these photographs

Every patient shown had surgery at this practice, photographed in matched positions and lighting. Each case lists the patient’s age range and every procedure performed.

For technique, scar placement and what the procedure involves, see the body lift page.

Results vary from patient to patient. These photographs show outcomes for the individuals pictured and are not a prediction of any other patient’s result.