Belt Lipectomy

This operation was designed for patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery and are at least a year post operative. Their weight loss should also be stable for more than nine months. After gastric bypass, patients feel better—but they often do not think they look better because their dramatic weight loss has resulted in sagging skin. A plastic surgery procedure known as belt lipectomy can complete their transformation. Before a belt lipectomy, I will spend up to an hour-and-a-half marking the areas of your body that need skin removal and body contouring. Your surgery will be custom made to order. Photographs will be taken and used during surgery. Depending upon the amount of weight loss and the extent and the number of areas treated, a procedure can take up to seven hours. The surgery is designed to remove the remaining fat and skin that remains around the entire mid section of the body—front, sides, and back. The procedure requires turning the patient three times during the procedure in order to reach the areas of the back and under the arms. Recovery takes about six weeks. For additional information, please visit the pages on liposuction and tummy tuck.