Hagopian Plastic Surgery: Thomas Hagopian, MD
99 Krog St. NE, Unit C110
Atlanta, GA 30307
Phone: (404) 885-8542
Tuesday–Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Losing a significant amount of weight is an achievement worthy of celebrating. However, the skin often doesn’t “snap back” after weight loss, leaving you with loose, hanging skin on the abdomen, buttocks, and thighs that shrouds your new, slimmer body. Board-certified plastic surgeons and body contouring specialists Dr. Thomas Hagopian and Dr. Courtney Cripps can help you make the most of your hard-earned shape with a lower body lift at our Atlanta, Georgia, plastic surgery practice.
This feature contains nudity. Please click OK to confirm you are at least 18 years of age and are not offended by such material.
VIEW PHOTOSA lower body lift removes redundant skin on the mid and lower body, making it one of the most comprehensive options for skin removal after weight loss or those who have skin laxity following lipedema surgery. This customized body contouring procedure improves skin tone and reveals smoother, firmer contours by combining a buttock lift, thigh lift, and an extended version of a tummy tuck.
While a body lift typically focuses on the excess skin, you can also sculpt away any underlying stubborn fat by combining your procedures with VASER® or SAFELipo® liposuction.
A 360 body lift, also called a circumferential body lift, removes excess skin around the entire midsection in a single, continuous procedure. This differs from treating the front and back separately, and may be a good fit for patients with excess skin extending around the full circumference of the torso. Our surgeons will discuss whether a circumferential approach or a staged combination of procedures is the better fit for your goals during your consultation.
You should be in general good health, not pregnant or planning to become pregnant, and at or near your ideal weight before pursuing lower body lift surgery. You should have maintained a stable weight for at least 6 months, and your body mass index (BMI) must be lower than 40.
As a leading expert in body contouring and lipedema care, Dr. Hagopian is known for his compassion and exceptional results. For combinations targeting the lower body, Dr. Hagopian typically stages surgeries over two procedures. Popular options include:
A tummy tuck addresses only the abdomen, while a lower body lift is more comprehensive. It includes a tummy tuck component but also lifts and tightens the thighs and buttocks in the same procedure. If your excess skin is limited to the abdomen, a tummy tuck alone may be enough; if it extends into the thighs and buttocks, a lower body lift is typically the better fit.
Cost varies significantly because a lower body lift is an extensive surgical procedure tailored to the patient’s needs. Lower body lift cost will vary depending on the complexity of the procedures and other factors. Our surgeons will give you a personalized price quote at your consultation.
Many patients use health care financing to make their procedures more affordable. Please see our Fees & Financing page to explore your options.
Plastic surgery is the perfect field for Dr. Hagopian, who has a knack for fixing things and helping people. He’s a former firefighter/paramedic, and he had a business building highly sought-after custom taillights in medical school. He met his wife, Nurse Hagopian, at Emory University, and they bonded over many shared interests, including a commitment to exceptional patient care.
Meet Dr. Thomas Hagopian
Georgia native Dr. Courtney Cripps has returned home to bring her expertise in facial, breast, body, and reconstructive plastic surgery to Hagopian Plastic Surgery. With advanced training at NYU Langone Health and a personalized approach to patient care, she is dedicated to helping every patient achieve natural-looking results that reflect their goals and lifestyle.
Meet Dr. Courtney CrippsDr. Hagopian and Dr. Cripps perform this procedure while you are under general anesthesia. During the abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) portion, he removes excess skin, repairs any muscle separation in the “six-pack” muscles, and creates a taut and smooth profile with a natural-looking belly button.
Thigh and buttock lifts are similar, addressing redundant skin and effectively lifting the skin for a more contoured lower body. In most cases, our surgeons will use liposuction to further sculpt your physique.
You can return to desk work about 2 to 3 weeks after a lower body lift, but you will need about 4 to 6 weeks of recovery to resume exercise gradually. Dr. Hagopian and Dr. Cripps use progressive tension sutures, so you won’t need post-surgical drains, and they employ several ERAS (enhanced recovery after surgery) protocols to ensure a safe, smooth, and comfortable recovery.
Swelling may take weeks to months to resolve. However, you can encourage healing and recovery by wearing your compression garments continuously and receiving weekly lymphatic drainage massages.
Our surgeons take care to place your body lift incisions along natural creases or in areas easily hidden under clothing. While scarring is an inevitable part of any skin removal surgery, our practice offers scar therapies such as steroid injections, microneedling, and Silagen® silicone gel strips to minimize it. Many patients find that lower body lift scars after a year fade significantly.
Most patients find it comfortable to sleep in a slightly reclined or elevated position during the initial weeks of recovery, often with pillows supporting the back and knees to reduce tension on the incision areas. Sleeping flat on your stomach is generally not recommended until you’ve healed further. Our surgeons provide specific positioning guidance based on the extent of your procedure.
Body lift results are typically long-lasting, especially if you maintain a stable weight and healthy lifestyle habits. That said, natural aging and future weight fluctuations may affect your results over time.
At Hagopian Plastic Surgery, you won’t need drains after a lower body lift. Instead, our surgeons use progressive tension sutures, which eliminate the need for drains altogether. This results in a more comfortable, manageable recovery for most patients.
A lower body lift typically combines a buttock lift, thigh lift, and extended tummy tuck, which does not automatically include the pubic area. If you have specific concerns in that area, a mons lift can be added to your surgical plan. This is something Dr. Hagopian or Dr. Cripps will discuss with you during your personalized consultation at Hagopian Plastic Surgery.
If you would like to learn more about your body contouring options with a body lift expert, please call (404) 885-8542 or request a consultation online. We look forward to helping you celebrate your new shape.
