For anyone who has achieved their goal of significant weight loss, post-bariatric skin removal surgery can eliminate excess skin that hasn’t shrunk back into place. This surgery creates slimmer contours and a more natural look, but some patients worry about scarring following surgery. Skin removal surgery does cause scars, but they may be less visible based on factors like surgical technique and post-operative care.
At our office in Minneapolis, board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. George Landis uses his extensive surgical skill and decades of experience to place incisions in less visible areas to expertly camouflage them in your natural creases. Below, discover what this surgery entails, what causes scarring, and how you can help your incisions heal and scars fade.
What Is Post-Bariatric Skin Removal Surgery?
When you lose considerable weight, your skin may not shrink back to its original size and shape. This extra skin left behind may hang from anywhere you’ve experienced massive fat loss, like your arms, breasts, flanks, stomach, buttocks, and thighs.
During post-bariatric skin removal surgery, also called a body lift, your surgeon makes carefully placed incisions and removes excess skin. Once the skin has been removed, the two edges are brought back together and secured with sutures or staples.
Why Does Skin Removal Surgery Leave Scars?
As your body heals your incisions and fuses your skin back together, a protein called collagen forms a scar. This rebuilding is a normal part of the healing process, and many scars fade over time. Although surgical scarring is impossible to prevent, the appearance of scars from skin removal surgery is minimized through Dr. Landis’s expert surgical technique and incision placement.
What Types of Incisions Are Used in Post-Bariatric Surgery?
Post-bariatric surgery involves a few different types of incisions, depending on location and how much skin needs to be removed. These include:
Anchor (Inverted-T) Incision: Most often used in tummy tucks, this incision runs across the lower