Upper Body Lift
What is Upper Body Lift surgery ?
An Upper Body Lift consists of multiple procedures, such as a Bra Line Lift and a Reverse Tummy Tuck. An Upper Body Lift creates a tighter, smoother body contour and improves the patient’s profile.
Aging or excess weight loss caused by pregnancy or Bariatric Surgery can result in excess skin and fat around the upper body and an Upper Body Lift Lift surgery is often the best option.
Why is Upper Body Lift performed?
Bra Line Lift:
Bra Line Lift, also known as Torsoplasty, is recommended to patients who have fat pockets and stretched skin on their upper and middle back.
An incision is made horizontally across the back to create new contours for the upper back.
Reverse Tummy Tuck:
A Reverse Tummy Tuck is recommended to patients who have loose skin in their upper abdomen, who generally do not have a full diastasis affecting the lower abdominal contour, and have excess fatty tissue in the lower abdomen without excess skin.
What are the conditions for Upper Body Lift surgery?
Bra Line Lift:
A Bra Line Lift is an extensive surgery. As such, it is best performed when the patient does not intend to lose additional weight or who has considerable loose skin that cannot be reduced otherwise. It is recommended to patients that have sagging skin on the upper part of their back
are over 40 as the skin starts to lose elasticity with age. However, it can also be done on younger patients who have lost a significant amount of weight in a very short time and their skin hasn’t been able to keep up with their body shape.
Reverse Tummy Tuck:
A Reverse Abdominoplasty is targeted towards patients that have excess loose skin on the upper abdomen.
Both surgeries require the patient to be able to safely undergo anesthesia and to not have any health conditions that might impede the healing process after the surgery.
What Are The Things To Be Considered Before Upper Body Lift?
Before Upper Body Lift, patients should:
- Be at the hospital a day before their surgery for pre operative tests to be performed.
- Stop smoking and consuming alcohol at least 2 weeks before the surgery to alleviate the risk of a blood clot.
- Avoid medication containing aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) for two weeks before and after surgery. As these medications may increase the risk of internal bleeding. Patients should confirm each medication and supplement they wish to take with their Patient Coordinator.
- Stop taking Multivitamin supplements 7 days prior to the surgery, and if it contains vitamin K should not be used for 30 days following the surgery.
- Stop taking oral contraceptives 30 days before the surgery.
Also, the patient's body will be examined and measured, and the surgeon might have photographs taken so that the patient can compare the appearance before and after the Upper Body Lift.
How is the Upper Body Lift performed?
Bra Line:
The patient is marked while wearing their underwear to make sure that the final incisions are concealed underneath the bra. The patient then undergoes general anesthesia and the surgeon makes the incisions according to the previously made marks.
Excess skin and tissues are removed through the incisions, which are then pulled tight and sealed with sutures. Liposuction might also be administered if needed. The surgery, approximately, takes 2 hours.
Reverse Tummy Tuck:
Incisions are made that go through the lower breast fold and then connect the sternum to the both sides of the upper abdomen. The excess skin is removed, and then the remaining skin is stretched down and set in place using sutures. Likewise Liposuction might also be administered if needed. The resulting scars can be hidden beneath underwear or even two piece swimsuits.
What are The Things To Be Considered After Upper Body Lift?
Patients are recommended to take the provided medicine as instructed by their Plastic Surgeon.
Bra Line Lift:
For the first 2 weeks following surgery, the patient is recommended to avoid strenuous exercise and to not wear a bra or any similar garment that supports the upper body.
After two weeks, the patient needs to wear a loose-fitting bra for a month. This bra should be made of soft and breathable loose fabric with no underwire, and have a wide horizontal strap.
Reverse Tummy Tuck:
Recovery period of Reverse Tummy Tuck takes, on average, two weeks, during which post surgery bruising, swelling and tenderness will slowly decrease. To support the abdominal counter, surgical bandages provided at the hospital must be worn for several days.
What Are The Risks of Upper Body Lift?
Risks of an Upper Body Lift include but are not limited to:
- Persistent swelling and bruising
- Seroma, also known as fluid collection
- Thick, visible scars
- Temporary numbness of the area
- Bleeding
- Hematoma
- Damage to the surrounding tissues
- Infection
- Adverse Reaction to the anesthesia