Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Universal Body Contour Wrap - Does it Work?

Universal Body Contour Wrap - Does it Work?

Alright, the answer to the question "Does the universal body contour wrap work? is yes...and no. The universal body contour wrap is great if you want to lose a few inches fast, however, the inches that you will be losing are not made up of fat, they are purely water weight that you will gain back almost as soon as you lose it.

How does the Universal body contour wrap work? Well, you will go to a therapist who is specifically trained in body wrapping. When you get there, the therapist will take around 30 elasticized bandages that are pre-soaked in a special warm mineral rich clay solution, created by Dr. Richard Strem, and wrap them around your body. This process will take around 45 minutes. These bandages are supposedly supposed to tone and sculpt your body during the hour that it takes for the minerals to be absorbed into your skin and for the clay solution to draw out the toxins in your body.

The Universal Body Contour Wrap Pros:

  1. You are guaranteed to lose at least 6 inches.
  2. These inches are supposed stay off of you for at least 30 days, and, if you don't lose the 6 inches promised, you will not be charged for the treatment.
  3. If any of the 6 inches do come back before the 30 days are up, you will get another universal body contour wrap for free, provided you didn't gain inches back because of weight gain.
  4. The clay used in the wrap draws the toxins out of your body.
  5. You feel as if you have had a full body massage.

The Universal Body Contour Wrap Cons:

  1. The inches will come back if you gain weight.
  2. The inches are measured over your entire body, including, neck, arms, bust, stomach, hips, thighs, calves. That is a lot of body parts that can contribute to the 6 inches they promise you will lose.
  3. You may feel claustrophobic while wrapped (remember the wrapping process takes 45 minutes, plus the hour you have to sit all wrapped up.
  4. You have to avoid soap, hot showers, creams and lotions, sugar, tea, coffee, salt, alcohol, fried fatty foods, and carbonated drinks for 5 days after the treatment.
  5. This is not a permanent weight loss solution, the inches you may lose with the universal body contour wrap will come back after the 30 days are up.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

What to Expect After Your Body Contouring Surgery

What to Expect After Your Body Contouring Surgery

With the euphoria that often comes with the anticipation of major body contouring surgery after a lot of weight loss (and who can blame you after all this time and effort you have put into it), is the reality of what plastic surgery can and can not do. I have observed that all body contouring surgery in the weight loss patient will have a very profound effect. This is unlike some cosmetic surgeries in the non-weight loss patient where the problems are smaller...and the results are subsequently smaller. It is not really possible to remove a lot of sagging skin and fat and not see dramatic changes. And most extreme weight loss patients appropriately see the 'big picture' as opposed to some smaller details which may be a focus for other types of patients. For this reason, body contouring patients are usually pretty satisfied with their results.

Despite the largely satisfied patient, body contouring like all surgery has some realities that every patient needs to know. First, the surgery is basically a trade-off of one problem for another. You are exchanging loose hanging skin for scars. And, in general, most of these scars are not great by plastic surgery standards. That is the nature of body contouring surgery.....a lot of scars. If you combine a lot of different procedures together or in stages (for example, circumferential body lift and arm lift) there is going to be a dramatic change but at the price of substantial scarring. Some scars may look great but many others won't. You must be prepared for the scars...and the time it takes for them to mature and settle down. (6 months to a year)

Secondly, many body contouring surgeries take longer to recover from than one may anticipate. This is particularly true in often often performed combination surgeries. Your bariatric surgery may have been done laparoscopically with small incisions and a reasonable recovery, but body contouring surgery is quite different. Long scars, tightening up body areas, and drains make for a significant recovery. While the actual recovery will vary dependent upon what procedures are performed, circumferential body lifts, abdominoplasties, and the various forms of thigh lifts need 4 to 6 weeks for a really complete recovery. Complete recovery means getting past some healing nuisance issues such as seromas, small wound openings, and spitting sutures. When you think about returning to work, plan on 1/2 days for the first week back and full days the week after. A big surgery means...a big recovery. Don't underestimate it!

Lastly, few forms of plastic surgery are ever permanent and body contouring changes are no exception. Time, gravity, and changes in your weight will not have a positive impact on your long-term results. After a few months, there is some skin relaxation (never returning to what it once was) so tissues may not feel as tight as right after surgery. (sometimes this is a good thing!) Like the effort that got you through the weight loss, the maintenance of those results and the body contouring changes will depend on maintaining good exercise and eating habits.


Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Body Contouring and Liposuction

Body Contouring and Liposuction

Obesity and overweight issues are common in America and getting worse. Dozens of diet and exercise plans are out there to help millions of overweight people lose weight and they work if you can stick with them. However many people are also turning to surgical procedures like liposuction and body contouring to get the bodies they've always wanted.

One common problem patients have after liposuction surgery is the extra skin left over that they no longer need. Finding a way to remove or firm that skin after liposuction is a common problem.

A popular method for getting rid of the excess skin is called body contouring. It does require several surgeries to complete, however it is very successful and often gives people back the shapely curves they are looking for. As cosmetic surgeons become more experienced this type of procedure has become both more common and more successful.

When liposuction is completed there are several areas of the body that can end up with excess skin. These include the abdomen, breasts, buttocks, arms, thighs and even the face. Through body contouring a plastic surgeon can remove these extra flaps of skin and give the person a more shapely figure. The cosmetic surgeon helps each patient regain their confidence and self-esteem by removing this excess skin and fat.

Before you consider body contouring it's important that your weight is stable for several months. Increases in weight after body contouring can lead to additional excess skin and flaps that will be difficult to remove, even with additional cosmetic surgery.

Before you undertake body contouring you should research to learn as much about the procedure as possible so you know what to expect. Additionally and perhaps more importantly, choosing a skilled, experienced and talented Manhattan cosmetic surgeon can make all the difference in the world with your results.

Complications from body contouring are similar to the complications one would expect from liposuction; swelling and bruising, pain, scarring and infection can happen. One Manhattan liposuction surgeon says that those with high body mass indexes are more at risk than others.

This prominent Manhattan plastic surgeon says she prefers to do liposuction and body contouring on those with a BMI under 30, although she has done successful procedures on those with a BMI up to 35. Patients need to be in good overall health to ensure the best results and to minimize complications.

Both liposuction and body contouring are good ways to reshape our bodies and get the look we wish and envision for ourselves. By choosing the top Manhattan cosmetic surgeons we can increase the chances that the surgery will be successful; and meet our expectations for a more shapely figure.


Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Body Contouring After Weight Loss

Body Contouring After Weight Loss

When people lose a great deal of weight, they generally seem to be healthier, fitter, slimmer and more confident. But often there are chances of having loose or hanging skin following a weight loss surgery or pregnancy, or after weight loss achieved primarily through dieting and exercise programs. In such cases, body contouring surgery can be the ideal solution to your problems.

Achieve a New Positive Body Image through Body Contouring after Weight Loss

Body contouring procedures can tighten and lift loose skin from weight loss, and help you achieve the proportioned and pleasing figure you desire. To remove the excess skin and fat and restore a shapelier contour, multiple body contouring procedures are performed at once. Here are some of the commonly performed procedures that fall under the definition of body contouring:

• Breast augmentation
• Breast lift
• Breast reduction
• Tummy tuck or abdominoplasty
• Liposuction
• Arm lift
• Thigh lift
• Facelift
• Upper body lift
• Butt lift

General anesthesia is normally used and the procedure takes two to six hours to perform, but varies depending upon the degree of contouring required, extent of fat deposit, and or combination of procedures performed. The hospital stay and recovery time also varies, depending on the extent of the procedure and other risk factors. Like all other surgical procedures, body contouring surgery has risks, including bruising, swelling, infection, and burning.