Procedures · Body Contouring After Major Weight Loss

360° Lower Body Lift in Jeddah

Medically reviewed by Dr. Khalid Almutairi, Consultant Plastic Surgeon — last reviewed 2026-08-29

A 360° lower body lift is an extensive body-contouring operation designed to treat circumferential skin laxity around the lower trunk.

Unlike a standard abdominoplasty, which primarily addresses the front of the abdomen, a lower body lift continues around the sides and back to address laxity involving the abdomen, waist, hips, lateral thighs, lower back, and buttock region.

It is most commonly considered after major weight loss but may also be appropriate in selected patients with substantial circumferential tissue laxity. Circumferential lower-body contouring is specifically designed to treat multiple connected regions rather than viewing the abdomen in isolation.

Who May Benefit?

A 360° lower body lift may be considered for patients with:

• Circumferential loose skin after major weight loss.
• Significant abdominal skin excess.
• Laxity around the flanks and waist.
• Drooping lateral thighs.
• Lower-back skin rolls.
• Buttock descent or flattening.
• Pubic or mons laxity.
• Multiple connected areas of lower-trunk skin redundancy.

Patients should ideally have reached a relatively stable body weight before undergoing extensive body-contouring surgery.

What Does the Operation Treat?

Depending on the individual anatomy, a circumferential body lift may improve:

Abdomen — excess abdominal skin is removed and the abdominal wall may be tightened when appropriate.

Waist and flanks — skin excess extending around the sides of the trunk is removed, improving waist definition.

Lateral thighs — upward tension created by the body lift can improve upper lateral-thigh laxity. It does not replace a dedicated thigh lift when substantial skin excess extends farther down the thighs.

Buttocks — the procedure lifts descended buttock tissues. In selected cases, available tissue may be preserved or repositioned to avoid excessive flattening and improve buttock shape.

Lower back — skin rolls and lower-back laxity can be reduced by extending the excision around the back.

The Scar

A 360° body lift requires a circumferential scar.

It usually runs around the lower abdomen, across the hips, and around the lower back.

Planning aims to position the scar where it can reasonably be concealed by underwear or clothing, although its exact position depends on the amount and location of skin excess.

Liposuction

Selective liposuction may be incorporated to refine contour.

However, extensive body-lift surgery places significant demands on tissue circulation, and the amount and location of liposuction must therefore be selected carefully.

Results

A successful lower body lift can create substantial improvement in:

• Abdominal contour.
• Waist definition.
• Lower-back contour.
• Lateral-thigh position.
• Buttock position.
• Overall lower-body proportions.

The objective is not simply to remove the maximum amount of skin.

Preserving shape, circulation, tissue volume, and balanced body proportions is equally important.

Major Surgery Requires Appropriate Planning

A circumferential body lift is significantly more extensive than a routine abdominoplasty.

Operative planning therefore considers:

• Overall health.
• Nutritional status.
• Previous bariatric surgery.
• Anemia or nutritional deficiencies.
• Previous scars.
• Blood-clot risk.
• Amount of planned tissue removal.
• Expected operative duration.
• Postoperative support and mobility.

In some patients, staged procedures are safer and more predictable than attempting to correct every body area during one operation.

Risks

Potential complications include:

• Bleeding.
• Infection.
• Seroma.
• Delayed wound healing.
• Skin breakdown.
• Wound separation.
• Tissue loss.
• Unfavorable or widened scars.
• Changes in sensation.
• Asymmetry.
• Contour irregularity.
• Buttock flattening or recurrent descent.
• Blood clots or pulmonary embolism.
• Need for blood transfusion in selected extensive cases.
• Need for additional revision procedures.

Your Consultation

A 360° lower body lift should be planned as a comprehensive reconstruction of the lower trunk.

The abdomen, flanks, back, buttocks, mons, and thighs are assessed together so that removing tissue in one area does not create an undesirable result in another.