The third in our series with highly experienced plastic surgeon Dr David Ross explores how body-contouring procedures can help restore shape, function and confidence after weight loss, pregnancy and the natural effects of ageing.
For more than 30 years, Dr Ross has been providing plastic surgery to people across Melbourneโs Bayside and Mornington Peninsula communities. That depth of experience has given him extensive expertise in body-contouring surgery, along with an understanding that every patient and everybody is different.
Following our previous articles exploring facial aesthetic procedures, this month the focus turns to the body, including the abdomen, breasts, chest, arms, thighs and trunk and the ways carefully considered surgery can create significant physical and psychological benefits.
Achieving substantial weight loss is a major accomplishment. However, losing more than 20kg, or more than 20 per cent of initial body weight, can leave significant excess skin, laxity and folds. For some patients, body-lift surgery is the first stage in reshaping the trunk, removing redundant skin and tissue while improving abdominal contour and, where necessary, repairing weakened abdominal muscles. It is a major procedure requiring several hours of surgery, a hospital stay and weeks of recovery, but the resulting transformation can be profound.
Further procedures may include arm, thigh and back reduction surgery, male breast reduction or, for women, breast reduction, breast lift or augmentation to restore proportion and shape.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding can also create lasting changes to the breasts and abdomen. Following completion of childbearing and an appropriate period of recovery, some women consider surgery to restore shape and proportion. Dr Ross has extensive experience in breast augmentation, including an endoscopic technique performed through the armpit, leaving no scars on the breast itself. Breast reduction and breast-lift procedures can also address changes in size, shape and drooping.
Pregnancy may also affect the abdominal wall, leading to muscle separation, hernias, excess skin, stretch marks and stubborn fat deposits. Abdominoplasty can address several of these concerns simultaneously, creating a firmer and more defined abdominal contour. In selected cases, Medicare and private health insurance rebates may apply.
Ageing affects the body as well as the face, with skin gradually losing elasticity. Procedures such as arm and thigh reductions, selected abdominoplasty procedures, male breast reduction and breast surgery can help restore a more balanced body contour.
For Dr Ross, however, surgery is never simply about the procedure. Trust, experience and careful consultation are central to achieving safe and realistic outcomes. Patients generally attend at least two consultations before proceeding, allowing time to discuss goals, recovery, expected results and potential risks.
After more than three decades of practice, Dr Ross believes the most important first step is an informed conversation, providing clarity, realistic expectations and confidence in the journey ahead.
Warning: All invasive surgical procedures involve risk, which need to be understood before proceeding with surgery.
