‘Full-Body Facelifts’ On the Rise

‘Full-Body Facelifts’ On the Rise



IOWA CITY, Iowa (Wireless Flash) – Obese folks who lose hundreds of pounds are happy to melt off the fat, but they’re often left with a big fat problem: an abundance of loose skin. Take 49-year-old convenience store manager Kathie Saurbrey of Greeley, Iowa. After losing more than 150 pounds, she was left with rolls of skin that itched when she walked and got stuck in the zipper of her jeans. She only found relief through a procedure known as a “belt lipectomy” – a kind of like a full-body facelift. University of Iowa plastic surgeon Dr. Al Aly did Kathie’s surgery and says the skin-trimming procedure eliminates the unsightly “Shar-Pei dog” look as well as the uncomfortable rashes. Dr. Aly currently performs one or two belt lipectomies a month, but he expects that number to triple within the next year because of the rising number of people losing weight by getting their stomachs stapled.

Tue 05-28-02