Upper Back Lift

In an outpatient setting at an accredited surgical facility under a general anesthetic, you will be prepared for your upper back lift lying on your stomach. Making two separate scars, Dr. Vinyard will make the upper back lift incision at the side of each breast (or pec for men) until just before reaching the spine. This will create surgical scars that can be hidden by your shirt, bra, or a conservative bathing suit. These incisions will open up the area so that Dr. Vinyard can remove the excess skin, liposuction some of the fat, and tighten the muscles in the area for a redefine silhouette. The incisions will be sutured shut. Dr. Vinyard may take 1 – 2 hours in the operating room for this procedure (more if it is combined with another procedure). You will also be required to wear a compression garment on the treatment area for 4 – 6 weeks after your surgery (or longer if suggested by Dr. Vinyard).

You will recover for about 6 – 8 weeks but should return to work before then. Dr. Vinyard will assess your progress during your follow-up appointments. Every patient will recover at his or her own pace, especially if the upper back lift was accompanied by another procedure. You may feel some discomfort and tightness in the back, but these symptoms will lessen after a few weeks.

Taking care of your skin in the treatment area will be very important. This procedure does leave a visible scar. If you are a woman, you can conceal the scar with your bra or bathing suit to cover it. If you are a male patient, the scar will have to be covered by your shirt. Excellent scar care can help it heal flat and lighter with each passing day. You may also consider scar revision surgery in the future if it is that bothersome to you. If at any time you have a question or concern about your skin, please give your patient coordinator a call or make an appointment to see Dr. Vinyard.

As an upper back lift is an aesthetic procedure customized for your body, we can discuss the fees and options for what is needed to achieve your results in the consultation. This payment will be applied to your account for Dr. Vinyard’s professional fees. You will have a physical examination and a full review of your health history so that he can determine the best course of action in getting you the results you want. We will discuss how much this procedure will cost with a detail fee schedule.

During your consultation, you should ask about other procedures that you would consider combining with an upper back lift. Each patient situation is different. Dr. Vinyard would be the best to make that call once seeing you in a private consultation. If Dr. Vinyard believes it is not safe to combine these two procedures, then he will recommend alternative options like staging out your surgeries in a series. It is possible to have more than one plastic surgery. Your health and safety are the most important factor in determining the answer to this question. Consulting with Dr. Vinyard would be the best answer so that he could examine you and your case to make a decision if a simultaneous surgery is possible.

We understand that some patients will inquire about nonsurgical options for an upper back lift. While there are noninvasive ways to tighten the skin, the most dramatic results will be produced with a surgical excision of the skin that hangs in this area. Skin that has lost the elasticity will not return to its former firmness because of the severity of damage to the skin. Nonsurgical treatments will produce lackluster results. Make sure to let Dr. Vinyard know if you have an interest in nonsurgical services, and he will talk you through all of your options.

Liposuction alone will not solve the problem of hanging skin. Yes, liposuction is one of the best surgical methods used for fat removal today. However, patients who are candidates for an upper back lift are not dealing with only excess fat, but instead, loose skin. Having an upper back lift is the best ways to achieve the results you want for a flat, toned back. Keep in mind that liposuction is a technique that is used during the surgery to remove small pockets of fat — it is not a means for weight loss.