Body Contouring
“Body contouring” is the term used to describe the full range of aesthetic surgical procedures that reshape and improve the appearance of the body. These procedures often involve the removal of excess fat by liposuction techniques, the addition of fat by fat micro-grafting techniques, and the excision of sagging skin to correct contour problems throughout the body.
Body contouring surgeries, truly, are the only means to correct disproportions in people of all shapes and sizes. “Saddle bags,” “thunder thighs,” and “belly pouches, “are examples of areas that are reduced to achieve improvement. However, body contouring is not strictly about liposuction. Fat micro-grafting is the “addition” of fat cells to achieve an enhancement of the buttocks or of any other body region that is disproportionately flat or small.
The term “mommy makeover” has become synonymous with body contouring after pregnancy. It is typically a combination of procedures to correct sagging and deflated breasts and to tighten the loose skin and muscles of the abdomen. Body contouring can also solve the problem of sagging skin and poorly distributed body fat in men and women who have lost significant amounts of weight. Brachioplasties, torsoplasties, and thighplasties are three surgical procedures for the correction of skin excesses in the arms, chest, and thighs, respectively.
Even when the body proportions are good, body contouring can also be relied upon to create a superior athletic physique. Abdominal etching and pectoral etching are two operations that can create gym-worthy bodies that sometimes cannot be achieved by working out alone.
Body contouring is about using any and all of the techniques of liposuction, fat micro-grafting, and surgical skin tightening to achieve improvement in body proportions when good body proportions don’t naturally exist. The results of body contouring can be dramatic and long-lasting, and its positive effects on an individual can be powerful and life-changing!
Body Contouring Sevices
Dr. Fortes has performed thousands of liposuction procedures in Houston using the latest techniques to ensure his patients are satisfied and safe. During liposuction (generally an outpatient procedure under general or local anesthesia), a small incision is made in the skin to insert a small hollow tube (or cannula) that helps remove excess fat from the body.Once the desired amount of fat is removed, the area is stitched and prepped for recovery.
Abdominal etching gives men the “washboard” or “six-pack” look by combining liposuction with liposculpture to create subtle ripples in the abdominal area, allowing the underlying abdominal muscles to show greater detail. Fat is removed from the abdomen through a small hollow tube inserted through one or more tiny incisions. Most incisions are hidden in the natural body creases of the body and leave very small scars.
Fat micro grafting is an operative technique that involves the addition of mature fat cells and undifferentiated “stem” cells to a region of the body that is in need of volume for the purpose of achieving a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. Fat micro grafting is the “addition” part of the “addition-subtraction” body contouring equation that pairs micro grafting with liposuction and liposculpture.
Abdominoplasty, or a “tummy tuck,” is the most common plastic surgery procedure used for men and women to flatten the stomach. During abdominoplasty, excess skin is removed from the middle and lower abdomen, and the muscles of the abdominal wall are tightened. Women whose stomach muscles have become stretched after pregnancy or who have lost a large amount of weight are candidates for this procedure. Men who find the “spare tire” difficult to reduce also find relief.
“Body lift” is the term used to describe a number of different operations intended to remove redundant skin, especially in patients who have experienced significant weight loss. The redundant skin typically occurs in the region or regions of the body where the greatest loss of weight (in fat) has occurred. These regions can include the abdomen, the waist, the buttocks, the hips, the back, and the thighs.
Brachioplasty is the term for the surgical procedure to reduce excessive skin of the upper inner arm. Dramatic weight loss, aging, and genetic predisposition are among the factors that create sagginess of the upper arm, often referred to as a “bat wing” deformity. The specific operation to correct a bat wing deformity is dependent on the extent of the redundant skin. Brachioplaties are always customized to the specific needs of the individual patient.
Body contouring is often planned as a combination of individual procedures, together creating a unified whole that is greater than the individual components. Liposuction, abdominoplasty, and aesthetic surgery of the breasts, when combined, often are referred to a a “mommy makeover”. In patients who have experienced dramatic weight loss, combination procedures often are performed to correct redundant skin in multiple regions of the body.
CoolSculpting by ZELTIQ™ is the only FDA-cleared, non-surgical non-invasive fat reduction procedure that uses cooling technology to reduce fat in problem areas such as the stomach or thighs.
Over 10,000 patients worldwide have seen the benefits of CoolSculpting.
Looking for More than Diet and Exercise to Remove Excess Fat?
The CoolSculpting procedure is most commonly performed on the problem areas that are difficult to control with just diet and exercise, such as the muffin top, back fat, love handles and post–pregnancy pooch.
