For those who are severely overweight, following a healthy, controlled diet and exercise regimen can be a very effective way to lose extra pounds. However, for some, especially those who are morbidly obese, exercise is very difficult and even dangerous, as their added weight puts great strain on their cardiovascular systems. This makes it very difficult to lose weight on your own.

Today, modern medicine has made it possible for people in this situation to regain control of their weight with surgery. Bariatric surgery is the process of changing the stomach and intestines to facilitate actual weight loss. And these surgeries are extremely effective in most cases, resulting in weight loss of 100 pounds and more.

However, once the weight has been lost, people are faced with another problem that is less dangerous to health, but just as embarrassing: a lot of loose, sagging skin all over the body. After being stretched so much for so long, the skin loses some of its elasticity and hangs over the muscles and bones in an unattractive way. To complete the weight loss transformation, many people opt for cosmetic surgery.

Plastic surgery can be a great way to get rid of that excess skin and create a firmer, more sculpted looking physique. This is accomplished through one or more procedures called lifts. A full body lift is very popular after massive weight loss, but there are several smaller procedures that may suffice.

For example, if you have most of your extra loose skin in your abdominal area, the best cosmetic surgery for you might be a tummy tuck. This involves a few incisions from the pubic bone to the hip bones. The muscles of the abdominal region are tightened with sutures and excess skin is removed, stretched over the abdominals, and reattached at the point of incision. This produces firmer abs and a leaner core appearance.

However, if your main problem is loose skin on your upper arms, an arm lift or brachioplasty may be the only plastic surgery you need. An arm lift requires long incisions along the length of the upper arm, the muscles are tightened, extra tissue is excised, tightened, and re-stitched. While this will remove the flaccid part, it will create long, visible scars. You must be willing to accept that fact before undergoing an arm lift.

If you have unsightly loose breast tissue after massive weight loss, you may benefit more from cosmetic surgery called a mastopexy, or breast lift. The plastic surgeon will make an incision under the breast and around the areola. Excess tissue will be cut, the nipples will be repositioned, and the skin will be sewn to create a firmer, more shapely breast. If you are interested in having larger breasts, you can also have breast implants placed during this plastic surgery.

And if your problem is flab in the thigh and buttocks area, you can get a lower body lift. This means incisions on the inside of the thighs where they meet the pubic bone and extend to the crease below the buttocks. The same process applies: the underlying muscles are tightened and excess skin is removed before the rest is tightened and sewn back into position.

If you’ve experienced massive weight loss, you can round out your satisfaction with one or two plastic surgery procedures to tighten and firm your new, slimmer body.