Hair & Beauty

What Is Body Contouring: All You Need To Know

Body contouring has slowly become one of the most popular cosmetic augmentation methods in the books of celebrities as well as the public. Apart from fillers and injections to enhance certain parts of the anatomy, body contouring is a cosmetic surgery which has the ability to eliminate body fat and shape certain areas of the body that may have sagged or loosened over  time by tightening the skin. It is one of the non-surgical alternatives that involve the use of tools to subject cold or hot temperatures to the fat, or use lasers to eliminate fat from undesirable regions. 

However, cases where people want to go under the knife for drastic results immediately require surgical procedures such as tucks, lifts, or liposuction. Surgeries may take more time for the patient to recover and also pose risks of infections if not careful, but the results are more prominent, considering the fat is removed instead of left for the body to process.  Since people today don’t want to have downtime recovering from cosmetic surgeries with minimal scarring, they opt for non-invasive methods. If you’re cusrious to know what surgical and non-surgical does, and why it is so hyped in the cosmetic industry today, we’ll tell you all about it in this blog.

What Does Body Contouring Do?

Body contouring gets rid of excess fat, flabby skin and reshapes a target area to appear more firm, supple and defined. People may think this is a weight loss surgery, but it is not. It deals with the aftermath of drastic weight loss where excessively stretched skin appears to have lost its elasticity, tightening it up and also removes fat from areas where weight loss is not a practical choice.

What are the Different Kinds of Body Contouring?

The non-surgical type of body contouring is called lipolysis which also has various subtypes where:

  • Cryolipolysis
  • Radiofrequency lipolysis 
  • Laser lipolysis 
  • Injection lipolysis

Why Do People Get Body Contouring?

Body contouring is used to sculpt areas in the body where diet and exercise don’t deliver the results people want. It can help people deal with sagging skin or furrowed skin that is a byproduct of aging. Body contouring can target areas such as the belly, back, buttock, arms, or love handles.

What Happens Before a Non-invasive Body Contouring Session?

Your visit with a plastic surgeon will involve discussing:

  • Your reasons to get body sculpting and what you expect.
  • The patients medical records, including pre-existing or past health conditions, allergies, or previous treatments.
  • Any drugs or medicines they’re presently prescribed to.
  • Their consumption of alcohol, tobacco, or illegal substances and the frequency.

Depending on your  treatment course, the surgeon may ask you to:

  • Get blood sample reports
  • Quit smoking till the treatment ends to avoid infections or cell necrosis
  • Take a break from certain medications and drugs

On the day of your appointment, the team of the plastic surgeon may:

  • Examine and measure the regions you will be treated
  • Take pictures for before and after comparison
  • Review the risks and benefits of localized and general anesthesia
  • Discuss postoperative pain management if there is any soreness and discomfort
  • Mark the skin region to be treated with heat, cold, ultrasound or laser.
  • Inject the required drugs to reduce fat in the injection lipolysis technique.

During Surgical Body Contouring

Most cosmetic surgeries take place in the surgeon’s office, surgical centre or a hospital, which can take from 45 minutes to several hours.

For a surgical cosmetic procedure, the team will:

  • Mark the region to be operated upon prior to the surgery
  • Conduct safety checks while administering anesthesia, local or general.
  • Make incisions in your skin to conduct the surgery as required.
  • Cut, reposition or shape tissue or excess fat to get the desired appearance the client has requested, as realistically as possible.
  • Tightening the muscles through abdominoplasty
  • Remove extra skin
  • Suction excess fat with liposuction or in along with other methods
  • Close any incisions after completion of the surgery and dress the area.

What are the Benefits of Body Contouring?

While the surgical method may show you immediate results, the non-invasive method looks more natural as it is a gradual process. Both of them walk towards the same results, giving you:

  • Better defined and well-shaped body parts.
  • Younger and slimmer physique.
  • Supple skin that looks more youthful and bright.

What are the Risks Involved in Getting Body Contouring Surgery?

Any procedures, be it lifts or tucks, have their own set of disclaimers and risks, even if they are uncommon. The risks include:

  • Asymmetry in results
  • Side effects of anesthesia, such as nausea, vomiting, or trouble waking up.
  • Excessive bleeding or undesired clotting
  • Nerve, muscles, blood vessels, or organ damage
  • Hair loss near the incisions
  • Hematoma that may need to be drained
  • Incisions healing unevenly of getting infected
  • Nerve injury that leads to inflammation, numbness, or discomfort depending upon individual experience.
  • Pain or inflammation that lasts longer than usual.
  • Problems with lungs or heart
  • Scarring, rippling, or discoloration of the skin.
  • Skin irregularities and discoloration.

With non-surgical options, risks are much more limited and include:

  • Hives or a rash
  • Pain and  soreness
  • Redness of the skin and inflammation
  • Undesirable results that need to get repeat sessions.

Recovery Time Post Body Contouring Surgeries

Recovery from surgical cosmetic treatments like body contouring can take from weeks to months, depending on the intensity of surgery and how extensive the incisions are.

Non-surgical methods have a short or no recovery time needed where most people are allowed to go back to their normal life after the treatment.

Conclusion

Body contouring can bring back your self-esteem after eliminating excess fat and shaping the body when diet and exercise aren’t working. While people prefer non-surgical treatment due to the low recovery time and gradual process, surgical methods are also popular because they can give you your dream appearance overnight. It completely depends upon the person on what they expect from body contouring to take up either. Now that you’ve read all about it, you can visit your healthcare provider to discuss your options and how to go about it.

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