"After all that hard work to lose the weight, I looked terrible because I had so much hanging skin from all those years of severe weight gain and loss. I only weighed 135 pounds, but my upper arms flapped. My thighs slapped together. I couldn’t wear a bathing suit or short sleeves. Clothes didn’t fit right. I looked smaller but not better. “I knew if I didn’t have cosmetic surgery to remove the excess skin I would likely regain the weight once again,” Jamie says. “At 51, I decided it was now or never and it would be well worth the money to finally have the figure I had always wanted.” Jamie had consulted with Dr. Levens some years ago after a major weight loss but never had surgery because she quickly regained the weight. In February, 2003, she and Dr. Levens mapped out a strategy for a total body contouring—tummy tuck, thigh lifts and arm lifts. The
Surgery
Dr. Levens: “The abdominoplasty was done first. Normally, the incision
is 3” to 8” long, just below the bikini line. In Jamie’s case, it encircled
her entire body because there was so much excess skin front and back.
We also had to accommodate major vertical and horizontal scaring from
the gastric bypass surgery, an ovary removal and a tubal ligation. After
the incision, skin and fat were lifted off the underlying musculature
of her abdomen. Facia, the tissue that interconnects the muscles, was
tightened, essentially reshaping the abdomen. The skin was pulled downward,
excess skin removed, and the belly button repositioned.” Six months later, Dr. Levens performed Janie’s thigh lifts, and did her arm lifts just before Christmas. For the thigh lifts, incisions were made at the top of Jamie’s thighs at the panty line. Skin was drawn upward and excess skin removed. Incisions for the arm lifts began in the center of the armpit down the inside of Jamie’s upper arms to the elbow. 3” incisions were also made vertically on the side of her chest where the arm rests. Excess skin was removed via the incision sites. The Results
“It was a fairly long process, but Dr. Levens and his patient coordinator,
Diana, made it smooth and positive,” James says. “Dr. Levens was incredibly
caring each step along the way. Diana even took care of a hospital billing
problem for me so I wouldn’t have to deal with it. I can’t say enough
good things about Dr. Levens and his staff.”This time, was all the effort worth it? “Oh definitely!” Jamie says. “Those nasty bulges are gone. I look good in clothes. People who didn’t know me when I was heavy can’t believe I was ever overweight. “In fact, when I rented a car recently, the agent was stunned when she saw the photo on my license which was taken before my weight loss. Apparently it made a real impression because when I returned the car a week later, she yelled over to the agent who was helping me that he should ask to see my license because he wouldn’t believe it. “That’s an awfully nice feeling.”
... Results typically last from 4-12 months as opposed to 6 months maximum for Botox® and collagen. Fat injections can last months to years but are higher in cost and downtime. Dr. Levens offers each of these treatments, choosing the one (or combination) that best suits the specific need of each patient. |
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