More About The Body Lift

I am jumping out of my skin (pardon the pun) with excitement over this body lift surgery. I have wanted this done before I ever lost a single kilo because I knew my stretched out stomach was never going to go back into place when I lost weight. I can't believe I will have a flat stomach for the first time in my life. I can't even imagine what that will feel like!

Things I am looking forward to (warning-- there is some TMI):

• Jogging without my stomach flapping about
• Being able to wear clothes from normal size shops
• Not being mistaken for a pregnant lady constantly
• Doing pilates without my stomach falling in my face
• Wearing whatever I want without having to check if it's clinging to my stomach
• Sexy time... if you know what I mean...
• Not hitting my stomach on furniture when I underestimate how big it is as I walk past something
• Being able to see my 'down stairs' when I look down
• Wearing jeans that fit me properly in the waist and my legs/bum at the same time
• Having a waistline for the first time ever
• Sitting down without my stomach sticking to the top of my legs
• Not having to wear spanx quite so much
• Less lower back pain
• Being able to fit into friends clothes
• Not being so self-conscious when going for massages and beauty treatments
• Getting a bikini wax without having to hold up my stomach
• Wearing nice underwear without my stomach hanging out
• Buying an expensive winter jacket and know it will fit for years to come
• Washing and drying myself without it having to be an olympic event
• Summer time without the sweat rashes
• Losing the shelf of skin and fat that hangs over my bottom
• Seeing myself in the mirror and feeling normal

Now you know why I am spending $15,000 on a body lift!

I know most people are not overly familiar with a body lift as it is not as common as the tummy tuck so I'll try and explain a little more...

A lower body lift is a complex surgical procedure. It is performed under a general anaesthetic, given by an anaesthetist, in an accredited hospital, so you can be assured of the best care.
During the procedure, incisions are made around your waist, across your lower abdomen and down your thighs. Excess skin is trimmed, muscle is tightened and any excess fat is removed. The skin is sutured in place with absorbable sutures.
Drains are placed under the incisions and will remain in place for 7 to 10 days. The incisions are closed and covered and a compression garment is applied.

Source

These pictures may help a bit more as they show where the surgeon will cut. The skin between those red dotted lines will be removed and the remaining skin pulled up/down and stitched together so that it is tight. Yes that is going to hurt! You will also notice that I will lose my belly button, so the surgeon will create a new fake belly button. I guess I would look pretty weird without one.

I found an article published in the UK about one woman's experience with getting a body lift. I can't say it is particularly positive or negative, but it gives a good idea of what I am up for, you can read it here.

If anyone has any questions about the surgery just leave a comment and I will answer them in the comments section.