Semaglutide is a medication that aids in weight loss by reducing appetite and increasing feelings of fullness. While it supports fat reduction, it doesn’t directly address body shape or contours. This is where body contouring procedures come into play.
If you’ve lost weight with semaglutide and want to refine your transformation, body contouring can help shape and tone areas that may still have excess skin or stubborn fat. By combining both, you can enhance your progress and achieve a more defined, confident appearance.
How Does Semaglutide Work?
Semaglutide was originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes but has shown significant promise as a weight loss treatment. It is a peptide that mimics glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and helps regulate blood sugar and appetite. By activating specific receptors in the brain, the medication reduces hunger, increases feelings of fullness, and slows gastric emptying, leading to decreased food intake.
Additionally, the medication helps individuals maintain long-term weight loss by encouraging healthier eating habits. With reduced hunger and cravings, many find it easier to make mindful food choices and stick to a balanced diet, contributing to sustained weight management.
How Body Contouring Can Help Enhance Results
While semaglutide supports overall weight loss, it doesn’t directly target specific areas. As with any reduction in weight, certain areas may develop redundant loose skin while retaining fat due to genetic factors. Body contouring procedures can address these problems, which range from limited areas to expansive excess in almost all areas of the body. This will enhance your weight loss results and create a more balanced appearance.
These treatments refine the body’s shape by removing remaining stubborn fat or excess skin. By complementing the effects of the medication, body contouring can help you achieve a final result that aligns with your desired appearance, helping you achieve your weight loss goals.
Popular Body Contouring Procedures
Several procedures can complement your progress after weight loss with semaglutide. Below are some of the most popular options:
Body Lift
A body lift, or a belt lipectomy, the term that Dr. Al Aly prefers, is the most common and appropriate surgical procedure utilized for patients who experience massive weight loss either due to semaglutide or other means of weight loss. It is a circumferential procedure that treats excess skin spanning from the chest to the pelvic region. It flattens the abdomen and lifts the pubic area, the front and outer thighs, and the buttocks.
A body lift is an extensive surgery. It can offer lasting results by restoring a more balanced and natural body shape, but it is essential to choose a qualified plastic surgeon like Dr. Aly to ensure the best results possible. Dr. Aly pioneered the belt lipectomy surgery and has been performing this specialized procedure for over 25 years.
Upper Body Lift
Like all other massive weight loss patients, those who lose a significant amount of weight through the use of semaglutide often experience excess of the upper trunk, which is a combination of excess of the upper arms, upper and mid back, and deformities of the breast or chest, depending on the sex of the patient.
Dr. Aly invented and coined the term “upper body lift” specifically to treat all of these areas in one operation. In some patients, all three areas are treated in a single operation, but in others, they may have to be broken up into separate components for safety reasons. An upper body lift can be thought of as the belt lipectomy of the upper trunk.
Arm Lift (Brachioplasty)
An arm lift, also known as brachioplasty, focuses on reshaping the upper arms by eliminating excess skin and tissue. It can be performed by itself or in combination with other procedures included in an upper body lift. The procedure tightens the skin and reshapes the area, improving the arm’s contour as well as the axilla, or armpit.
During an arm lift procedure, Dr. Aly makes an incision along the back of the arm, creating transformative results. Recovery time is generally quicker for an arm lift compared to more extensive procedures, such as a tummy tuck, body lift, or upper body lift.
Thigh Reduction (Lift)
The thighs are another area that often bothers patients who experience massive weight loss with semaglutide. A thigh reduction procedure can be performed to improve the contour of the thighs and eliminate excess. There are a variety of procedures that can be utilized to treat the excess of the thighs, often combining liposuction for greater improvement.
Liposuction
Liposuction is one of the most well-known and popular body contouring procedures. It involves removing excess fat from specific areas, such as the abdomen, thighs, hips, or arms. In certain situations, liposuction can create more defined contours and improve overall proportions. However, it is almost never utilized by itself in the treatment of massive weight loss patients. If it is required at all, it is usually combined with one of the above procedures. It should be noted that surgeries such as a belt lipectomy, upper body lift, and brachioplasty not only remove excess skin but also all the underlying fat, all the way down to the muscle, thus typically not leaving behind any fat to remove via liposuction.
Tummy Tuck
A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a popular contouring procedure that is sometimes utilized for patients who experience massive weight loss. In general, it is better suited for patients who have had a couple of babies and were never overweight.
Often, it is wrongly utilized in massive weight loss patients because it does not address the circumferential nature of the massive weight loss patients’ excess. Dr. Aly has had to revise a large number of patients who received a tummy tuck after massive weight loss. This usually requires conversion to a belt lipectomy to address the lack of improvement of the flanks, waist, thighs, and buttocks. Although Dr. Aly typically utilizes belt lipectomy for almost all massive weight loss patients, he routinely performs tummy tucks on patients who have not experienced massive weight loss and is considered an expert in this area of body contouring.
Interested in Enhanced Body Contouring in Dallas, TX?
If you’ve achieved weight loss with semaglutide and want to boost your results, body contouring may be the next step in your journey. Dr. Al Aly is a recognized world expert in body contouring procedures after massive weight loss, and he will work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan that complements your weight loss efforts. Schedule a consultation today by calling (214) 645-3565 or completing our online form.