Lower Body Lift

A lower body lift is a major procedure, and some discomfort is expected in the first few days. You’ll be carefully monitored post-op at the hospital, and your pain will be managed with prescription medications tailored to your needs. Most of our Washington D.C. area patients describe the discomfort as manageable and improving steadily after the first week. With proper aftercare and rest, you’ll find that the soreness fades, while the results continue to improve.

The journey begins with your consultation and continues through a carefully mapped-out follow-up schedule, designed to ensure your safety and success. You’ll typically have an initial consultation, a pre-operative appointment, and several post-operative visits in the days, weeks, and months following your procedure. Most patients are seen the day after surgery, again within the first week, and then periodically over the course of the first year.

You’ll notice some improvement immediately after surgery, especially in the overall contour of your lower body. However, the real transformation becomes visible gradually as swelling subsides over the first few weeks. Most Washington D.C. area patients see their final results take shape between three to six months post-op, with continued skin tightening and refinement for up to a year. Scars will also fade during that time with proper care. It’s a journey, but one that ends in a powerful and permanent reward.

Absolutely—many of our Washington D.C. area patients choose to combine their lower body lift with procedures like an inner thigh lift, upper body lift, arm lift, or even breast surgery, depending on their goals and overall health. 

During your consultation, Dr. Bitar will walk you through the possibilities and help you prioritize based on what will deliver the best results with the least risk.

A lower body lift is a major surgery, and with that comes a higher risk of complications than with smaller procedures. Common risks include bleeding, infection, fluid buildup (seromas), delayed wound healing, and temporary or permanent changes in skin sensation. Numbness around the abdomen or buttocks is a common and often temporary condition that typically improves over time.

Blood clots are rare but serious, and we take every step to minimize this risk through early mobility and the use of compression garments.

At the Bitar Cosmetic Surgery Institute, we take pride in ensuring that we provide our patients with the best possible surgical experience, anticipating potential problems or setbacks and addressing them before they occur. This process encompasses preoperative preparation, the actual surgery, and postoperative care.

• General Complications
  General complications can occur with any surgery. Cosmetic surgery is typically a safe procedure performed on healthy patients and, like all surgeries, carries a low risk. To further reduce the risk of complications, we operate at a first-class hospital with board-certified anesthesiologists and nurses. To avoid postoperative complications, we advocate for early mobilization – patients seen in our office one or two days after surgery- and active participation in their own postoperative care. When we create a partnership, the results invariably improve.

• Bleeding
  In my opinion, the most important step in avoiding infections and wounds is to undergo surgery at a first-rate surgical facility with board-certified anesthesiologists and nurses. Patients receive the appropriate intravenous antibiotic coverage throughout the surgery and during their two-day hospital stay. During the surgery, the patient’s skin surface is cleaned thoroughly. After the procedure, our patients are prescribed a two-week course of antibiotics to minimize infection. As a result of these extra precautions, our rate of infection after a lower body lift is low. Conservative removal of skin is crucial for achieving good aesthetic results while minimizing undue tension on the skin. Small to moderate wounds may occur at a rate of up to 25% in our practice, due to the nature of this operation. They usually heal nicely with dressing changes and antibiotic ointment. The key to a good outcome is patience on the part of the patient, as well as effective communication and follow-up with our office.

• Nerve Injury
  By elevating the skin of a large area in the waist region to perform a lower body lift, the nerves that provide sensation to the areas around the waistline are cut, resulting in the loss of sensation over most of the abdomen and buttocks for months. After a year, sensation usually returns, but not completely. This fact is significant for patients to understand so that they will not apply heating pads or cold compresses to their waist after surgery, as the absence of nerve sensation can lead to a burn.

• Seromas (Fluid Collections Under the Skin)
  When a large area of skin is undermined, fluid collects underneath. Drains are placed to evacuate this fluid. After the drains are removed, fluid may reaccumulate. The treatment involves aspirating the fluid, which is usually sterile, using a needle. This may need to be done multiple times over a few weeks. This maneuver is neither dangerous nor painful, but it is a nuisance, requiring more frequent office visits than usual. The rate of seromas in our lower body lift patients is about 20%.

• Smoking
  Smoking is an absolute contraindication in an overbody lift. The carbon monoxide and nicotine in cigarette smoke cause a severe reduction in blood supply to the skin and tissue during healing. This results in delayed wound healing, wound separation, skin death, and a higher risk of infection. Cotinine testing is performed in patients with a smoking history to ensure that they are safe when having this procedure.