Have you lost a massive amount of weight following gastric bypass or any other weight-loss surgery? Or have you been taking weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro? Or maybe you’ve been dieting and have dropped a lot of weight. That’s great, but now you might have an undesired side effect — hanging skin. With the proliferation of the use of Skinny Shots, people often refer to this as Ozempic face and Ozempic body.
The reality is that you didn’t just lose the fat you didn’t want; you also lost muscle you wanted resulting in skin staying stretched out. For patients who find themselves lighter after massive weight loss, plastic surgeon Lawrence Iteld, MD, explains that even if your body is slimmer and sleeker after a successful fat-reduction surgery, skinny shots, or a lifestyle change, you can have pounds of flesh that literally sag from your arms, legs, belly, buttock, face, and elsewhere.
Post-massive weight loss surgery from Chicago’s Iteld Plastic Surgery will allow patients to remove that unwanted, extra skin and achieve a body shape that is sleek and slim—not hidden under folds of loose tissue. He explains that the way to “fit” in your skin is to surgically trim the excess, and fill in any hollowed areas. Your face will look younger, and you’ll benefit from a refreshed, better-proportioned appearance with smoother contours.
Contact Us Today
Want to learn more about post–massive weight loss surgery? Contact Chicago board-certified plastic surgeon Lawrence Iteld, MD to request a consultation. Send a message online or call 312.757.4505.
How Post-Massive Weight Loss Surgery Works
Post-massive weight loss surgery creates more aesthetically pleasing body proportions for patients who have shed such a large amount of weight resulting in skin that can’t contract and sit firm on their newly slimmer frame. Cosmetic post-massive weight loss surgery may include a thigh lift, arm lift, Brazilian butt lift, tummy tuck, breast lift, or facelift. Any procedure that helps you to show off flatter, better-defined body contours instead of loose, flabby ones can be part of an overall body lift for post-massive weight loss surgery.
Dr. Iteld can perform all these post-massive weight loss surgical procedures with freedom from a reliance on opioids during your recovery after.
We have created a comprehensive document Post “Skinny shots” Effects and Treatments. Click here to read it.
MeetLawrence Iteld, MD
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
RealSelf VERIFIED doctor
Lawrence Iteld, MD, is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and a highly regarded Chicago based plastic surgeon, receiving awards from Chicago Magazine’s Top Docs, and Castle Connolly Top Doctors®.

Lawrence Iteld, MD, is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and a highly regarded Chicago based plastic surgeon, receiving awards from Chicago Magazine’s Top Docs, and Castle Connolly Top Doctors®.
Post-Massive Weight Loss Surgery: FAQs
Excess body weight places a strain on your skin, and if you have been obese for many years, your skin may have become stretched past the point of no return. Stretching skin—especially rapidly—damages collagen and elastin fibers, meaning that it can’t return to its original shape. Chronological aging and sun damage also cause weakened skin, so skin laxity becomes more of a concern the older you get.
Even though you can take steps to make skin look firmer—such as weight training to build muscle that fills out the “empty space”— correcting the problem with post-massive weight loss surgery is reliable, efficient, and can specifically target problem areas.
The goal when you lose a dramatic amount of weight is typically to improve health and reduce risk of obesity-related problems—and achieving a tighter, sculpted body can be part of that. Many successful weight-loss patients are frustrated by folds of extra, sagging skin. That’s why many people who have dropped a significant amount of weight still feel unsatisfied with their bodies and have post-massive weight loss surgery to feel more like their new selves.
The loose skin not only hides proportional contours but can also make it more difficult to fit into clothes and even cause health problems. Rashes, infections, and back pain are some of the symptoms associated with saggy skin. All that heavy tissue can also make it more difficult for you to continue working out, so you may need post-massive weight loss surgery to relieve the literal burden.
Post-massive weight loss surgery is ideal for women and men who achieved a much lower number on the scale via diet and exercise; gastric sleeve, lap band, or bypass surgery; or intragastric balloon.
Patients who have experienced extreme weight loss—whether through bariatric surgery or diet and exercise on their own—who have loose skin in multiple areas on the body, are healthy, don’t smoke, are committed to an overall healthy lifestyle, and who have maintained a stable weight for several months after their weight loss may be ideal candidates for post-massive weight loss surgery.