Losing weight can be incredibly hard, so people who manage to meet their goals deserve to feel good about themselves and their bodies.
Unfortunately, even people who stick to their diet and exercise plans and successfully make it back to their healthy weight ranges tend to have fat reserves in some areas of the body that just won’t go away on their own.
Removing excess fat after weight loss is the best way to tackle these small areas of stubborn fat and loose skin.
The Important Role of Plastic Surgery
In a perfect world, the people who put in the most work would get the best rewards.
Unfortunately, that’s not how things work in any area of life, let alone weight loss. Human bodies shed excess weight in different ways, which means that two people who start and end at the same weight may not look alike.
More specifically, some people may be holding onto stubborn fat that no amount of dieting and exercise will get rid of, which is where plastic surgery comes in.
There are many types of plastic surgery that can help with excess fat removal after weight loss. While liposuction is the best-known of them, it’s not necessarily the most commonly performed post-weight-loss surgery.
Gynecomastia surgery can give men the more sculpted chests they envisioned when they started losing weight, while a panniculectomy removes the excess fat and skin often left behind on the abdomen. Other similar types of surgeries include:
- Brachioplasty
- Mastopexy
- Lower body lifts
- Thigh lifts
- Abdominoplasty
In many cases, people elect to have multiple fat and skin removal surgeries performed at once to eliminate the need for extra anesthesia events and help to control costs.
Alternatives to Surgery
There are a lot of companies out there selling lotions and creams, and plenty of clinics that use laser treatments for skin tightening. Unfortunately, these kinds of topical treatments aren’t a good fit for people who have lost significant amounts of weight.
In those cases, body contouring is really the only way to eliminate loose skin. It’s not worth wasting the time and money on ineffective topical treatments designed for people with significantly less excess skin.
Paying for Excess Fat and Skin Removal
Plastic surgery isn’t cheap. However, those who undergo surgical procedures to eliminate excess skin and fat following successful bariatric surgeries or substantial weight loss almost always report feeling that it was worth the investment.
For those who have undergone bariatric surgery, some insurance companies will pay for at least part of the surgical procedures required to remove excess folds of skin left behind, so it’s worth inquiring before setting up a consultation.
For those who don’t have insurance, or whose policies consider excess fat removal surgeries elective, there are plenty of other financing options. Some clinics offer help with loan applications and making introductions to established lenders.
Most also accept credit cards, which can be a good solution for people who have good credit but little cash on hand at the moment.
Find a Reputable Plastic Surgeon
Every plastic surgeon has a slightly different focus.
Men, in particular, should be sure to investigate local clinics before deciding who to trust with their post-weight-loss procedures. Most plastic surgeons market toward women, so, unsurprisingly, women make up the majority of their clients.
Be sure to ask about the doctor’s experience with surgeries for treating male-specific issues like gynecomastia at the consultation.