How much scarring can I expect after a body lift?

Question:

I’m from Hilton Head, South Carolina and I’ve lost over 100lbs. I love how I look in clothes, but when not in clothes I’ve got a lot of saggy, wrinkly skin. I’d like to get a body lift to address the excess skin, but just how much scarring would I be looking at?

Answer:

For a body lift of the midsection including the upper thighs, tummy, back, and buttocks, this would involve an incision that basically goes all the way around the waist like a belt. It dives down a little futher in the pubic area and a little bit between the buttock cheeks, but you get the idea. Often times, patients like you have loose skin on the arm, and this requires a scar that goes from the elbow back into the armpit. Occasionally, a thigh lift is indicated, which gives a similar scar in the groin crease and sometimes even extending from the groin crease down towards the knee.

Every patient is different, and priorities are different, so we would have to see you to address this head –on.