Body Contouring Surgery

Overview

Body contouring refers to a range of plastic surgery treatments intended to rejuvenate and enhance appearance of the legs, arms, torso, chest and back. Perhaps you’ve got excess fat built up that you’re sick of carrying around. Or maybe you’re looking to turn back the clock on father time and revisit that younger you. Regardless of what it is you’re seeking to rejuvenate or improve, there is a body contouring procedure that can help.

Are You a Candidate?

Are you a candidate for body contouring? The only way to determine your candidacy is to schedule a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon. During a consultation, your surgeon can discuss a custom treatment plan that best suits your aesthetic needs and budget. Keep in mind that cosmetic surgery is an elective treatment that is not covered by insurance. Patients are therefore required to cover 100% of the costs.

What Are Your Options?

There is a wide variety of body contouring procedures from which you may choose, each of which can help cater to your particular aesthetic need. Some of the commonly performed body contouring procedures include:

Implants

Bicep, tricep, butt, calf or breast… regardless of your specific target area, there is an implant option at your service.

• Bicep and tricep implants offer an exercise-free solution to getting perfectly toned arms. Silicone muscle implants can be custom-matched to your unique considerations and body shape for the most natural results. The surgery typically requires 60 to 90 minutes and is performed on an outpatient basis. The implants are most often placed via incisions made in the armpits so as to minimize scarring. The average cost of bicep and tricep implants ranges between $4,500 and $9,000.
• Butt implants help add shape to the buttocks. Also referred to as buttock augmentation, butt implants are inserted via a small incision point made along the midline of the buttocks to minimize scarring. The surgery requires a minimum of two hours to perform and costs approximately $4,500.
• Calf implants are a common plastic surgery treatment for men with skinny legs who are unable to develop the toned, muscular calves to match their body. Made of silicone, calf implants are somewhat similar in makeup to those used in silicone breast implantation. The surgery is an outpatient procedure requiring two to three hours to perform. The cost of calf implants tends to range between $3,500 and $4,000.
• Breast implants are the most recognizable and commonly used type of body implants. Made of either saline or silicone, breast implants can be inserted in a number of ways to help minimize scarring and maximize aesthetic value. The cost of breast augmentation varies based on different factors such as the surgeon you choose and where you are located.

Lifting

Body lift, bra-line back lift, butt lift and breast lift are four commonly performed lift surgeries used to tighten and contour sagging or otherwise aged skin.

• Body lift in and of itself refers to a slew of lift procedures performed to elicit a total body enhancement. Rather than targeting a specific area of the body, such as the buttocks or breasts, a body lift seeks to tighten a variety of areas at once. A full body lift can be divided into two separate treatments. A lower body lift, also referred to as a belt lipectomy, refers to treatments targeting the abdomen, thighs, buttocks and back. Alternatively, patients may seek an upper body lift which targets the breasts, and chest and back areas. The body lift procedure may take up to eight hours to perform, and will likely cost upwards of $10,000.
• A bra-line back lift is a popular plastic surgery treatment targeting sagging back fat associated with age, sun exposure or weight loss The treatment gets its name from the fact that incision points for women are made along the “bra line,” meaning that scarring can be hidden by bras and swimwear. The outpatient procedure is performed in 60 to 90 minutes under general anesthesia, and costs between $8,000 and $10,000.
• A butt lift procedure is a fat grafting procedure designed to sculpt and tone the buttocks. Also referred to as a Brazilian Butt Lift, the procedure harvests fat deposits from specific areas of the body to be injected into the buttocks, lifting and shaping its appearance. The outpatient procedure costs between $8,000 and $15,000.
• Breast lifts are common cosmetic procedures for women seeking to improve the appearance of sagging breast tissue. It is a common component of mommy makeover treatments due to the post-pregnancy breast sagging that affects many women. The procedure can be performed in a hospital or on an outpatient basis. It requires more than three hours to perform on average, and can cost as much as $6,000 depending on a variety of factors.

Abdominal Etching

Abdominal etching procedures are a type of plastic surgery treatment typically reserved for men (though available for women) that targets the abdominal area with liposuction surgery. Candidates for abdominal etching must be physically fit with a body fat percentage under 20 percent. Liposuction targets fat deposits that settle between the abdominal muscles, helping to accentuate the “six-pack” look that most men strive for. The outpatient procedure takes approximately one hour to perform and can cost anything from $3,000 to $9,000.

Non-Invasive

In addition to the surgical options, there are a series of minimally-invasive body contouring options from which to choose, including Coolsculpting, Thermage and Zerona. These procedures incorporate temperature, radio waves and laser energy to target specific areas of the body for rejuvenation. The non-surgical procedures are newly developed and have been gaining in popularity in recent years as patients seek the most natural of rejuvenating procedures with no scarring. In the case of Zeltiq Coolsculpting, it is essentially liposuction without removing fat. Rather, fat is cooled to a point that it solidifies and then dissipates naturally. The procedures can cost as little as $500 per treatment or up to $6,000.