Body Lift

Some of our selection criteria to include you as a body lift candidate include:​​

• Extra skin and fat in the lower abdomen, bulging of the central abdomen, love handles, loose thigh tissues, redundant gluteal and lower back fat and skin
• A history of bariatric surgery followed by massive weight loss, or similar weight loss achieved nonsurgically
• No hernias on physical exam – although we can repair them in some cases. We may request a preoperative CT scan in many cases
• General good health, meaning you do not have major uncorrected cardiovascular, respiratory, kidney or other major organ conditions, and would be able to be medically cleared for general anesthesia by an internal medicine physician, who will order preoperative laboratory studies and perform a comprehensive physical examination
• Not pregnant or immediately planning to become pregnant
• Nonsmoker or willing to commit to NO NICOTINE IN ANY FORM for at least 3 weeks preop and for the duration of your recovery
• A body mass index below 35 and ideally below 30 for optimal results, with rare exceptions – we may stage your procedures depending on how many areas you need treatment and how long we expect surgery to take, as we try to limit surgery to 6 hours or less
• Available support system of friends, family, caregivers or others who can help you to keep your appointments, complete your preop and postop tasks, and emotionally bolster you through this exciting journey
• Reasonable expectations of how much breast enhancement is possible with specific techniques

Most lower body lift procedures take at least 4 hours and up to about 6. We try to limit the scope of procedures that we combine in order to keep surgery at 6 hours or less in duration. You may require a blood thinner medication and some patients have their surgery performed in a hospital facility. The gluteal (back/butt) portion of the procedure usually takes less than an hour, and the abdominal component takes 2 to 3 hours in most patients. Dr. Sayed may utilize a surgical assistant to help with the procedure in order to use time most efficiently, as there is a lot of suturing involved in these procedures.

Most lower body lifts are performed either on an outpatient basis in a AAAASF-certified operating room, meaning the facility is up to very high standards of accreditation, or in a hospital, depending on the patient’s medical factors and the scope of the procedure. Patients usually spend up to a couple hours in the postoperative suite. Many patients may be advised to spend the night in hospital, although occasional patients are good candidates for ambulatory surgery. Dr. Sayed gives a 24 hour phone number to all patients who can reach him for urgent questions, and we also issue access to a patient engagement application that allows the patient or companion/caregiver to send SMS messages, photos, video and other content to our team in a secure, private digital format. This keeps us mutually informed on your recovery and allows us to update your instructions while requiring a respectful number of face-to-face visits in the office.

Early postop recovery findings can include abdominal pain, muscle cramping, mild nausea, back discomfort from walking in a semi-bent position, bruising and swelling, numbness or diminished sensation in the skin, and some mental adjustment to the process of healing which most patients undergo. Most patients are advised to take up to 3 weeks out of social circulation and we’d prefer that you not drive yourself in the first 14 days or as long as you are taking any prescription pain medication. Most sutures are dissolvable but there may be a few that need to be removed at around 14 to 21 days postop. You will probably have drains in place which are usually removed in the office at 10-14 days. While Dr. Sayed has occasionally performed abdominoplasty without drains, he has never been convinced that such a technique gives better results and he feels he can avoid some of the nuisance issues of fluid collections best by using drains, as do most plastic surgeons.

We ask that you abstain from exercise for 4 weeks and then return to light fitness routines after that. It is very important that you get up and walk even the first night following your procedure. You may have to walk doubled-over for the first week or so as the muscle tightening accommodates. You will be asked to wear a surgical garment for about 3 months, and it will be easiest for you if you wear tops that button down in the front in the first3 weeks or so. Dr. Sayed and his team provide close postop care in the office and with our remote engagement tools. You will be asked to take some supplement medications to aid in your recovery, which may include medications for pain, bruising, swelling, constipation, and dietary optimization.