subject: What Is Body Contouring? [print this page] What Is Body Contouring? What Is Body Contouring?
Body contouring is a name given to a number of different plastic surgery procedures that are designed to improve your figure. These surgeries include liposuction, tummy tuck, body lifts, and other procedures. Most people distinguish body contouring procedures from breast surgery procedures, although some consider breast procedures a subset of body contouring.
Top Body Contouring Procedures
Body contouring is one of the most popular procedure areas in the United States. Liposuction is the second most popular plastic surgery procedure practiced, after breast augmentation. Tummy tuck, also known as abdominoplasty, is not as popular as liposuction, it has grown in popularity more than any other cosmetic surgical procedure since 2000.
The popularity of body contouring procedures is partly due to the increasing demand for the procedures. Two out of three Americans are overweight or obese, and though body contouring is not technically a weight-loss treatment, overweight individuals often have concerns about their figure--such as a beer gut, love handles, or otherwise poorly defined waistline--that can be addressed with body contouring.
Body Contouring Benefits and Risks
Body contouring procedures are generally designed to remove or reshape excess material in your body, including excess skin and fat. Liposuction removes fat and is a very flexible procedure, capable of being used on the neck, arms, chest, back, belly, thighs, even calves.
The risks of body contouring are unfortunately high. They may include anesthesia risks, poor healing, poor results, and even death. These risks increase for patients who are significantly overweight or who are smokers or are otherwise in poor health.
Body Contouring and Breast Surgery
Breast surgery does affect your body's shape. In particular, breast surgery can affect the visual or perceived balance of your figure. Large breasts, especially those with significant "lateral chest break" --protrusion over the side of your rib cage--can increase the appearance of an hourglass figure. However, breasts are often treated differently than other areas of the body. The most popular breast operation is breast augmentation, which speaks to the very different perception of this aesthetic area, where size is the primary aesthetic issue, and shape is secondary.
