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Body Lift
Body Lift Information and Photosclick on any body lift photo to enlarge the picture
"I feel like I have a tire roll around my waist." What is a body lift?A Belt Lipectomy, also known as the lower body lift, offers the most dramatic transformation of the mid and lower body. It is truly a resculpting of the abdomen, hips, thighs, and buttocks. Broken into its components, the lower body lift includes a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), a thigh lift, and a buttock lift. The body lift procedure is performed on post bariatric patients as well as patients who have not had weight loss. The body lift transforms patients that have experienced massive weight loss and have excess skin. However, results are just as dramatic in patients who in addition to a tummy tuck want a tightening of the skin in their thighs and buttocks. The body lift (belt lipectomy) has the advantage that it can be done in one surgical session, or in stages, depending on the patients needs. Who benefits most from the lower body lift procedure?To determine if you might be interested in consulting a plastic surgeon about having a body lift, stand in front of a mirror and look at your abdomen. Use your thumb and palm of your hand to hold one edge of skin on your lower abdomen and then grasp the lower skin with all four fingers. If you like how your skin tightens, and the way your pubic mound lifts, you are a candidate for the abdominoplasty procedure. Now pinch the loose skin around your hips. See how it lifts the hips and thighs? If you like this maneuver, you are a candidate for the lateral thigh lift. In combination with abdominoplasty, this is called an extended abdominoplasty. Stand facing away from the mirror and look over your shoulder so you can see as much as you can of your backside. Reach back with the palm of you hand and lift the butt. This approximates what a butt lift can accomplish. The traditional butt lift will lift the butt by excising a wedge of skin and pulling up the skin so that the butt is lifted. Occasionaly, patients also want a fat injection into the buttocks if the butt has become very flat as a result of all the weight loss. The technique of transferring fat into the buttocks is called brazilian butt lift. If you want improvement in all these areas, the Lower Body Lift (belt lipectomy) is the cosmetic surgery procedure for you. What is involved in the lower body lift?Excess skin and fat from the entire midsection of the body is removed. The skin closure is tailored to enhance the figure. Dr. Rodriguez uses the Lockwood technique of body lifting. He has used this technique for years because it has the least amount of complications and provides the best surgical result. Learn more about why Dr. Rodriguez believes in the Lockwood technique. Please read his blog. What type of anesthesia is used?The body lift procedure is done under either IV sedation or general anesthesia. Dr.Rodriguez prefers to perform the procedure with IV sedation as patients have a quicker recovery. Dr. Rodriguez can perform your surgery in our Medicare Certified Out Patient Surgery Center or at one of three Baltimore hospitals. If your surgery is performed in the hospital you can elect to have an overnight stay. Alternately,if your procedure is performed Out-Patient, arrangements for for an overnight nurse are highly recommended. How long is the recovery for lower body lift surgery?Following the body lift procedure patients should plan to be out of work for 3 weeks. Some patients can resume limited work functions after 2 weeks. Can Dr. Rodriguez accommodate patients who live out of town?Dr. Rodriguez has performed the body lift procedure on many patients who live outside of the Baltimore area. We arrange for nurses to take you to your hotel from our Out Patient Facility or from the hospital. You will discuss these choices with our staff and Dr. Rodriguez. Our office can arrange for special accommodations in several local area hotels. Weekly hotel rates are as low as $450 per week for a handicapped room with a special shower and recliner chair. These rooms additionally offer a fully equipped kitchen with refrigerator, microwave, and stove top in addition to laundry facilities and free computer data port. Dr. Rodriguez and his staff will make post operative visits to your hotel room during the first week of your surgery. In the second week, his office staff will transport you to and from the office for your follow up appointments. Cosmetic surgery patients who live more than 5 hours from Baltimore should plan to stay in the city for two weeks. Cosmetic surgery patients who live within 1-2 hours of Baltimore are only required to stay in Baltimore overnight. What is the cost of the lower body lift procedure?The physician's fee for the body lift surgery (belt lipectomy) is $10-$13,000. Hospital and anesthesia costs are approximately $3000- $4000. Many types of financing are available and the entire body lift procedure can be financed. Please call our office in Baltimore at 410-494-8100 to find out how you can transform your lower body. Interested in More Body Lift Information?Try Dr. Rodriguez's interactive plastic surgery quiz, 'What's Right for Me?', to discover if a body lift is the right choice for you. Or view our lower body lift testimonials to read what actual patients have had to say about their experience. You may also like to take a peek at our patient portfolio of before and after body lift photos:
And, of course, we would be happy to have you Contact Us to discuss your individual needs with you and answer any questions you may have about the lower body lift.
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