Hips, Waist, Thighs, and Buttocks

Houston Plastic Surgeon Dr. Henry Mentz offers body contouring surgery to restore an attractive, well-proportioned look to the body.

The Goal of Body Contouring Surgery

The purpose of body contouring surgery is to restore attractive proportions and contours to the body for both men and women. Genetics, weight fluctuation, pregnancy, and aging are all factors that can cause your body to sag, droop, and accumulate unwanted fat over time. Many individuals find that, despite following a diet and fitness regimen, certain areas of the body retain stubborn fatty deposits, while no amount of dieting or exercise can return a firmness and elasticity to skin that is loose and sagging.

In a body contouring procedure, Dr. Mentz utilizes liposuction, skin excision, and lifting and tightening techniques to lift, smooth, and resculpt your area of concern. Patients enjoy not only the physical changes of body contouring: a more attractive body and clothes that have a more flattering fit, but also a strengthened sense of self-confidence.

Body contouring to improve the shape and proportions of the hips, waist, buttocks and thighs may include one or more of the following procedures: liposuction, lower body lift, tummy tuck / abdominoplasty, thigh lift, buttocks lift, and buttocks augmentation.

Many patients choose to combine body contouring with other procedures such as breast enhancement surgery or stem-cell enriched fat grafting, a procedure in which fat that has been liposuctioned from a patient's own body is used to add volume to the face, lips, or buttocks. In many cases, multiple procedures can be combined in a single operation. Dr. Mentz performs all body contouring procedures at his private AAAASF-certified SurgiCentre facility in Houston, Texas, where you will be carefully monitored and cared for by a board-certified anesthesiologist and Dr. Mentz's highly trained surgical staff.

Houston Plastic Surgeon Dr. Henry Mentz

An Innovative Leader in Body Contouring Surgery

As the nation's first triple board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Henry Mentz is respected nationwide for his introduction of innovative liposuction and body contouring techniques. Dr. Mentz, who is considered a world authority in the specialized liposuction technique, Abdominal Etching®, authored the first paper on Abdominal Etching® in 1993 and contributed a chapter on the subject for a plastic surgery text. The procedure is designed to define the contours of the abdominal muscles to create the athletic appearance of a "six-pack." He followed this with the development of Pectoral Etching®, a liposuction method which gives the male chest a more muscular appearance.

Dr. Mentz introduced a groundbreaking new method to improve buttocks augmentation surgery to the respected International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery at its 2010 meeting. The technique utilizes a special pump to speed the process and volume of fat that can be grafted into the buttocks, resulting in a fuller, more shapely contour than can be achieved through the more limited and cumbersome syringe method of fat grafting.

In recognition of his body contouring expertise, the prestigious American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) has invited Dr. Mentz to present his liposculpting techniques to plastic surgeons at its annual meetings each year. In the popular lipocontouring course, Dr. Mentz focuses on Abdominal Etching® and buttocks augmentation, a topic which he teaches with the world authority on buttocks enhancement, plastic surgeon Constantino Mendieta.

Dr. Mentz has presented his techniques to advance body contouring's safety, recovery, and results through numerous presentations and publications for plastic surgeons. He wrote the first paper introducing the use of a marcaine pump after tummy tuck surgery to reduce postoperative pain. In addition to authoring three book chapters on liposuction, he has written papers on large volume liposuction and the use of blood thinners after liposuction to reduce blood clots. The ASAPS and Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation jointly awarded Dr. Mentz the "Best Journal Article of 2008" for his article which presented risk assessment for liposuction based upon a review of 3871 consecutive cases.

Body Contouring Procedures

Liposuction • Thigh Lift • Body Lift • Buttocks Lift • Buttocks Augmentation

In a body contouring procedure, Dr. Mentz utilizes one or more of a combination of techniques to resculpt the body. Liposuction is employed to reduce excess fat and resculpt more attractive contours. To improve sagging body parts and loose skin, Dr. Mentz will remove the excess skin and tighten and suspend the underlying tissues in order to restore a smoother, lifted appearance. The length of surgery varies, ranging from 1 hour to 5 hours or more depending on the number and complexity of the procedures that are performed and the physical condition of the patient.

Liposuction

Liposuction is effective at reducing the unwanted bulges that are difficult to diminish through diet and exercise alone. The procedure's primary purpose is to restore more attractive contours and proportions to the body through the removal of excess fatty deposits.

In the liposuction procedure, a sterile solution containing anesthetic to reduce pain, and epinephrine to minimize bleeding and bruising is injected into the areas of localized fatty deposits. Through small incisions, a thin hollow tube called a cannula is used to suction out the unwanted fat. To minimize scarring, these incisions are typically no more than one-quarter of an inch in length, and they are placed in inconspicuous areas such as natural skin folds and creases.

Thigh Lift

A medial thigh lift restores a firmer, proportionate appearance to sagging inner thighs. The incision placement for this procedure depends upon the extent of excess skin and fat that must be removed. For patients with a moderate amount of excess skin, the incision is commonly placed in the groin fold. When the amount of excess tissue is more significant, an incision may be necessary along the length of the inner thigh.

Lower Body Lift

A lower body lift restores attractive contour lines and proportions to the waist, hips, and buttocks. To comprehensively improve the lower body's appearance, a body lift is frequently combined with tummy tuck surgery and an outer thigh lift, while an inner thigh lift is performed as a separate procedure.

A technique that is commonly used to lift the lower body is a belt lipectomy. This procedure is designed to correct loose skin and excess fat in the back and abdominal area and to restore a smoother, firmer, and more proportionate appearance to the waist, hips, buttocks, and thighs through the removal of excess skin, fat, and tissue tightening.

Buttocks Lift / Buttocks Augmentation (Brazilian Butt Lift)

Shapely, perky buttocks are a key characteristic of an attractive, youthful figure. Unfortunately, as a result of aging, gravity, pregnancy, genetics, and / or large weight loss, the buttocks often develop a sagging, flattened appearance that lacks roundness and definition. Buttocks lift surgery gives the buttocks a firmer, lifted appearance through techniques to remove excess skin and tighten sagging skin and tissues.

A buttocks lift is most often combined with butt augmentation using fat grafting (Brazilian Butt Lift) to improve the contour of the buttocks. In some cases, butt augmentation, alone, can be all that is needed to give the buttocks a more lifted appearance, through fat grafts to add volume to the upper portion of the buttocks. The combined procedures provide the following benefits:

Body Contouring Recovery

Following your surgery, Dr. Mentz may recommend an overnight stay in one of his SurgiCentre's recovery suites, where you will be cared for by our highly-trained registered nursing staff. If you live within 30 miles of our facility, Dr. Mentz will offer a visit to your home by a plastic surgery nurse who is trained to assist you with your recovery. The nurse will monitor your recovery, change any dressings, assist you with your medication, and provide Dr. Mentz with an update on your condition.

To reduce swelling and help your body conform to its new contours, you may be fitted with a compression garment which will be worn for approximately four weeks. In some cases, Dr. Mentz may also place small drain tubes under your skin to collect excess fluid. Any drain tubes and stitches are removed in about one to two weeks.

Recovery can range from 5-7 days for liposuction and up to two weeks for more extensive body lifting procedures. The results of body contouring are typically long-lasting provided that a stable weight is maintained.

The Added Touch Medical Spa

Services to Support Your Recovery

30-Minute Post-Surgical Therapeutic Massage

The massage therapists at Dr. Mentz's Added Touch Medical Spa offer a special post-surgical massage that is designed to support and speed your body's natural healing process after a cosmetic surgery procedure. A combination of lymphatic and Swedish massage techniques are used, which work together to relax you and stimulate the lymphatic system to help reduce bruising, swelling, and numbness.

Scar Therapy System

To help diminish postoperative scars, we have designed a Scar Therapy System, which consists of three products to be applied daily in the weeks following surgery. This package includes two SkinMedica products: TNS Recovery Complex and Tri-Retinol Complex, and an advanced scar treatment gel. As an added benefit, the SkinMedica products can be applied to the face as part of a long-term daily routine to improve the skin's tone and texture.

We invite you to contact us to schedule a consultation to discuss your body contouring goals with Dr. Mentz. E-mail or contact his office by calling 713.799.9999.

 

Body Contouring Before and After Photos

Before After

Before After
Before After
Before After