Liposuction is the number one surgery in the world, and in 2025 it fell 11.4 percent. Upper body lifts rose 38 percent. Buttock lifts rose 39. Lower body lifts rose 22. Arm lifts rose 13. That is the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s survey of procedures performed in 2025, published at the end of September. It never mentions weight loss medication. It does not have to.
We used to only talk about massive weight loss after bariatric surgery, like a Roux-en-Y or a gastric sleeve. But nowadays, massive weight loss also happens with GLP-1s. There is a rapid amount of weight loss, and the loss of volume deflates the skin that was previously stretched out. This ultimately sags and creates contour irregularities.
The Fat Is Already Gone
A lot of these patients losing weight fast are not taking in enough protein, so they’re also losing muscle. About a quarter of the weight loss is going to be muscle mass. So the body loses muscle mass plus the fatty content, and then we have the sagging in the buttock. Some patients have it in the inner thighs, the arms, the back. It’s a 360 thing. It’s the whole body, not just the tummy like most people expect.
Once the skin has been stretched out to a certain degree, it loses its elasticity and really doesn’t react to radiofrequency energy the same way healthy skin would. When the skin laxity is significant, the only option at this point is excisional.
What a Body Lift Actually Is
I think the gold standard for massive weight loss is usually performing an abdominal procedure, which entails a tummy tuck. But more often than not, because of the massive weight loss, this tummy tuck has to be extended circumferentially, so that we can lift the buttock and the lateral thigh, reduce the lower back, and fix the abdomen at the same time.
After a full consultation, we can determine whether you can undergo all the procedures at once, which usually entails an overnight stay and possible blood transfusion, versus breaking them up into parts. I think the most convenient way to break them up is to do the upper body, and then do the lower body.
The Part Nobody Posts
Body contouring surgery does entail surgical scars, but most of them can be hidden by normal clothing. The circumferential body lift can be hidden by swimwear or underwear. There are some procedures whose scars are a little harder to hide, like the arm lift, or brachioplasty.
Oftentimes the patients are willing to have these scars because of the amount of excess skin in these areas, and ultimately they will feel better in clothing than not doing anything at all.
The timing, the staging and the screening are in the full post on the Agullo Plastic Surgery site.
Why Me
Double board-certified, Mayo Clinic trained, Clinical Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Texas Tech, Castle Connolly Top Doctor 2014 through 2026. ISAPS says one surgeon in five performs an upper body lift. I am one of them.
Ready to Talk?
Call (915) 590-7900, text 1-866-814-0038, or book online. #StayBeautiful
Find me at @RealDrWorldWide on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, @Agullo on X, or @AgulloPlasticSurgery on Facebook.