Body Surgery, Atlanta
Body Lift in Atlanta
Celebrate your weight loss journey with smoother, firmer contours, beautifully restored by Atlanta’s all-female plastic surgery team.
CONSULTATION:
Required
SURGERY LENGTH:
3 to 4 hours
ANESTHESIA:
General
SETTING:
Northside, with a 23-hour hospital stay
BACK TO DESK WORK:
About 2 weeks
PROCEDURES:
Lower body lift, thigh lift, arm lift
The Approach
A Body That Reflects Everything You Have Achieved
When you have worked hard to lose a significant amount of weight, you deserve to feel incredible in your own skin. Yet skin does not always contract to match your new shape, leaving loose, sagging skin around the abdomen, hips, back, thighs, or arms that no amount of diet or exercise can tighten.
A body lift removes that excess skin and reshapes the underlying tissue, revealing smoother, firmer contours that reflect your transformation. At Artisan, body lifts are performed by board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Bernadette Wang Ashraf, who brings Johns Hopkins training and more than 20 years of body and breast surgery experience to every patient, with a compassionate, personalized approach from your first visit through your final follow-up.
Candidacy
Is a Body Lift Right for You?
The ideal body lift candidate has reached their goal weight and maintained it for at least six months. A stable weight allows your surgeon to create the most beautiful, lasting result.
Because recovery involves several weeks of limited activity, it is helpful to arrange support at home before your surgery date, especially during the first week.
You may be ideal if you:
- You have loose, sagging skin on the abdomen, hips, back, flanks, thighs, or arms after significant weight loss
- You have reached your goal weight and maintained it for at least six months
- You are in good overall health with no conditions that could impair healing
- You are a non-smoker or willing to quit before surgery
- You can plan for help at home and several weeks of limited activity during recovery
BEFORE YOU BOOK
If You Take a GLP-1 Weight-Loss Medication
Please Share This Well Before Your Surgery:
This includes Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, or a compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide. Many body lift patients have achieved their weight loss with the help of these medications, so we ask every patient.
Why It Matters:
These medications slow how quickly your stomach empties, which raises the risk of aspiration under general anesthesia. For your safety, we require pausing the medication before surgery and following a liquid diet for a full day beforehand. Because we offer our own medical weight loss program, our team understands these medications well and will coordinate the timing with you.
The Procedure
Your Personalized Body Lift
Every body lift is designed around the areas that matter most to you. Your surgeon may recommend one procedure or combine several for a balanced, harmonious result.
Lower Body Lift
Restores: a smooth, sculpted midsection
A lower body lift combines a tummy tuck with a lift of the back, flanks, and buttocks, removing excess skin around the entire lower torso. It is often chosen by patients with an apron of skin around the midsection after significant weight loss.
Thigh Lift
Restores: firmer, more toned thighs
A thigh lift removes loose skin and tightens tissue along the thighs, including sagging skin near the knees. It pairs beautifully with a lower body lift for a seamless result.
Upper Arm Lift
Restores: sleek, toned arms
An upper arm lift, or brachioplasty, removes loose skin and excess fat along the underside of the arm, restoring a firmer shape so you can wear sleeveless styles with confidence.
Liposuction is often added to refine the back, flanks, and other areas, creating smooth transitions between each part of your plan.
Choosing
Body Lift or Tummy Tuck: Which Is Right for You?
Body Lift
360-degree contouring
- Removes excess skin around the abdomen, hips, back, and flanks
- Ideal after significant weight loss
- 3 to 4 hours, with a 23-hour hospital stay
- About 2 weeks before returning to desk work
Tummy Tuck
Front of the abdomen
- Removes excess skin and repairs separated muscles on the front of the abdomen
- Ideal after pregnancy or moderate weight change
- A shorter procedure focused on one area
- About 1 to 2 weeks before returning to desk work
If loose skin is concentrated on the front of your abdomen, a tummy tuck may be the ideal choice. If it extends around your hips, back, and flanks, a body lift creates smooth, balanced contours all the way around. Your surgeon will help you choose the approach that best suits your body and your goals.
SCARS
Thoughtfully Placed Scars
A body lift does involve longer scars, which your surgeon carefully places along natural contours so they are concealed by most underwear and swimwear. A lower body lift scar typically wraps around the lower torso, while thigh and arm lift scars follow the inner thigh and underside of the arm. Scars soften and fade over the first year, and for most patients, the transformation is well worth it. Your surgeon will show you exactly where your scars will be placed at your consultation.
Recovery
Your Body Lift Recovery
Here is what to expect, so you can plan ahead with confidence.
Surgery day
Three to four hours of surgery under general anesthesia, followed by a 23-hour hospital stay at Northside. An Exparel nerve block provides about four days of significant comfort.
First week
Minimal activity, with gentle walks every hour while awake to support circulation. Limit stairs to once up and once down per day for the first 72 hours. Sleep on your back with your head elevated, and wear your abdominal binder at all times except when showering.
2 weeks
Most patients return to non-strenuous work.
3 to 4 weeks
Most patients have their drains removed, typically between two and six weeks, with weekly visits until then. You may switch to a compression garment of your choice.
6 weeks
Return to the gym and sports as cleared by your care team. Compression continues for six weeks, or two weeks after your last drain is removed.
3 months and beyond
Most swelling resolves by six to eight weeks, with final contours continuing to refine over six months to a year. Your final follow-up with your surgeon is typically at three months.
Your Experience
Your Personalized Surgery Experience
Consultation
Your surgeon reviews your goals and medical history, examines the areas of concern, and designs a personalized plan, including where your scars will be placed.
Surgery
Three to four hours at Northside under general anesthesia, combining the procedures in your plan. All sutures are dissolvable.
Hospital stay and early recovery
A 23-hour observation stay, then home with a detailed recovery plan, drain care instructions, and weekly visits with our medical team.
Results
Noticeable improvement right away, with smoother, more defined contours emerging as swelling resolves over the following months.
The Practice
Why Patients Choose Artisan
Led by Dr. Bernadette Wang Ashraf
A board-certified plastic surgeon trained at Johns Hopkins, with more than 20 years of body and breast surgery experience and meticulous attention to detail.
Female Surgeons Who Understand
A body lift is a deeply personal milestone, and our all-female surgical team brings warmth, compassion, and understanding to every step.
Hospital-Based Care
Your surgery takes place at Northside Hospital with a 23-hour observation stay, an important safety advantage for a comprehensive procedure.
Support From Start to Finish
Weekly visits during recovery, detailed instructions, and a care team available to answer your questions every step of the way.
FAQ
Body Lift FAQ's
What is a body lift?
A body lift removes excess, sagging skin and reshapes the underlying tissue after significant weight loss. A lower body lift typically treats the abdomen, hips, back, flanks, and buttocks, and may be combined with a thigh lift, arm lift, or liposuction.
Am I a candidate for a body lift?
Ideal candidates have reached their goal weight, maintained it for at least six months, are in good overall health, and are non-smokers or willing to quit before surgery.
Will I stay in the hospital?
Yes. Body lifts are performed at Northside Hospital, followed by a 23-hour observation stay for your comfort and safety.
I take Ozempic or another GLP-1. What do I need to know?
Please share this well before your surgery date. GLP-1 medications slow stomach emptying, which raises the risk of aspiration under anesthesia, so we require pausing the medication and following a liquid diet for a full day before surgery. Our team will coordinate the timing with you.
How should I prepare for surgery?
Stop blood-thinning medications, NSAIDs, and supplements at least two weeks before surgery, avoid eating after midnight the night before, arrange a ride home, and plan for someone to help you at home, especially during the first week.
Will I have drains?
Yes. Most patients have drains for three to four weeks, though this can range from two to six weeks. You will visit our medical team weekly until they are removed, and you will take a prescribed antibiotic during that time.
How long is recovery?
Most patients return to non-strenuous work in about two weeks and to the gym and sports at about six weeks. Swelling largely resolves by six to eight weeks, with final results refining over six months to a year.
Will I have scars?
Yes. Body lift scars are longer than those of many procedures, and your surgeon places them carefully so they are concealed by most underwear and swimwear. They soften and fade over the first year.
When will I see results?
You will notice an improvement immediately, with your contours becoming more defined as swelling resolves over the following weeks and months.
When should I call the office during recovery?
Call (404) 851-1998 if you experience severe pain not relieved by medication, uneven or excessive swelling, a growing spot of bright red blood on your bandage, incisions that appear to be opening or are red and hot, fever or chills, darkening of the skin, or calf pain or swelling in one leg. For shortness of breath or chest pain, seek emergency care right away.
Can a body lift be combined with other procedures?
Yes. A body lift is often combined with a thigh lift, arm lift, liposuction, or breast surgery. Your surgeon will discuss whether combining procedures is safe and appropriate for you.
Your Transformation, Beautifully Completed
Visit us for a consultation, and your surgeon will design a personalized body lift plan to help you feel as confident in your skin as you do in your accomplishment.