Upper Body Lift

An upper body lift is a combination of three body contouring procedures. The surgeon removes excess fat and skin from the chest/breasts, the upper back, and the arms during the same procedure. Upper body lift surgery is designed for individuals who have excess upper body skin and hanging tissue. Most often, this excess skin is the result of significant weight loss due to bariatric surgery procedures. Other times, individuals develop drooping skin in the upper body as a result of aging or pregnancy. 
Typically, patients are placed face down during the first portion of an upper body lift procedure. Excess tissue is removed from the upper back before the person is turned over. Then, the surgeon targets the chest/breasts, and ends with an arm lift procedure. Upper body lift surgery takes approximately 6-8 hours, uses general anesthesia (the patient is asleep), and requires an overnight stay in the hospital or surgery center.
Surgeons typically use two drains in the back and two drains in the chest to avoid fluid build up and speed healing after the procedure. Usually, the drains in the chest/breast are removed the day after surgery.  The drains in the back are removed after 3-5 days. Some surgeons have patients use a body compression garment in addition to light dressings over the incisions.

Most individuals who have upper body lift surgery take 2 to 3 weeks off from work. Normal activities can usually be resumed in 4 to 6 weeks. Scars from an upper body lift tend to run horizontally across the back and chest, and up the inner portion of the arm. These scars tend to fade across time and become less noticeable. 

The best candidates for an upper body lift are physically and mentally healthy adults who have excess or loose sagging upper body skin that have experienced significant weight loss (100 pounds or greater). Individuals interested in an upper body lift should have realistic expectations about typical results; surgery will not completely reverse the effects of significant weight gain or create a “perfect” body.  Also, the benefits of surgery are not permanent, as skin naturally sags and loosens across time. However, most individuals are thrilled to be able to wear short sleeves or sleeveless clothing. 

Individuals who are planning on becoming pregnant, or loosing or gaining significant amounts of weight should delay upper body lift procedures, as these situations can stretch or loosen the skin and detract from the positive benefits of surgery.