The weight has gone. What’s next?
Body contouring after weight loss.
Losing a significant amount of weight is an achievement, and it often brings a different set of concerns with it — loose skin, reduced tone, stubborn areas that stayed put, and changes in skin texture. Portland takes a combined approach, selecting treatments around the areas you actually want to address.
- Four pathwaysAssessed individually
- Combined plansUsually more than one treatment
- Non-surgicalNot a substitute for surgery
- Cardiff35 Park Place
How we approach it.
Most people arrive with more than one of these concerns. They are treated as a single plan rather than as separate appointments.
Why the body changes after weight loss
Skin has a limited capacity to retract. When it has been stretched over a long period and then the volume beneath it reduces, the collagen and elastin that would normally allow it to spring back may not fully do so — which is what leaves reduced firmness behind.
At the same time, weight loss often takes muscle as well as fat, so an area can look softer even once the fat has gone. And fat does not leave the body evenly, which is why one or two areas commonly stay put regardless of how much has come off elsewhere.
None of this means the weight loss did not work. It means the body that is left has a different set of concerns from the one you started with, and those concerns need different treatments.
Start where the concern is.
Most people arrive with more than one of these. They are treated as a plan rather than as separate appointments.
Reduced tone
Loss of muscle tone and definition once the weight has come off.
Remaining stubborn fat
Areas that stay put even when the rest has changed, treated where suitable.
Stretch marks / skin texture
Textural changes in the skin left behind by weight change.
Significant loose or excess skin may not be suitable for non-surgical treatment. Where that is the case we will tell you at your appointment rather than proceed with a course that will not deliver what you want.
Loose skin
Reduced skin firmness is the concern raised most often after significant weight loss, particularly across the stomach, arms and thighs.
Portland treats this with DermaPro RF and HIFU. Both work on skin firmness but in different ways — DermaPro RF delivers radiofrequency through fine needles and also addresses texture, while HIFU uses focused ultrasound at depth with no downtime.
An important limit: where excess skin is substantial, non-surgical treatment will not achieve what surgery achieves. We will tell you that at your appointment rather than proceed with a course that will disappoint you.
Reduced tone
Weight loss often takes muscle with it, which is why an area can look softer even once the fat has gone.
Wonder Body uses electromagnetic muscle stimulation to build and tone muscle across the abdomen, arms, thighs and glutes. Where the glutes specifically are the concern, the Wonder Butt Lift is the focused version of the same technology.
This is muscle development rather than fat reduction, so it builds progressively across a course rather than appearing after one session.
Remaining stubborn fat
Most people who lose a significant amount of weight find one or two areas that stay put regardless. That is normal, and it is not a sign the weight loss did not work.
360 Fat Freezing is the usual starting point for larger areas, with injectable fat dissolving — Aqualyx or Lemon Bottle — for smaller or more defined ones.
Neither is a weight-loss treatment. They are for localised areas once your weight has settled.
Stretch marks and skin texture
Rapid weight change stretches skin faster than the underlying collagen can accommodate, which is what causes stretch marks. They are extremely common and not something to feel awkward about raising.
Stretch mark treatment uses Dermapen microneedling or DermaPro RF, chosen according to the area and the age of the marks.
Treatment aims to improve appearance and texture. It does not erase stretch marks, and newer marks generally respond better than older, settled ones.
What a combined plan looks like
Post-weight-loss concerns rarely arrive one at a time, and the order they are treated in changes the outcome.
Assessment
We look at all four concerns rather than the one you came in about, because they interact.
Sequence
The order matters. Treating fat before tone, or firmness before texture, changes what each treatment has to work with.
Course
Most pathways are course-based, so a plan usually runs over months rather than weeks.
Review
We review as the plan progresses and adjust rather than committing you to everything up front.
When non-surgical treatment is not the answer
Non-surgical treatment does not replace surgical body contouring. Where there is a substantial amount of loose skin — particularly if it folds or hangs — a course of skin tightening will not achieve what a surgical procedure achieves.
We would rather tell you that at your appointment than proceed with something that will disappoint you. Where we think surgical advice is what you need, we will say so.
Equally, plenty of people are told they need surgery when a non-surgical plan would serve them well. The only way to know which applies to you is an assessment.
Post-weight-loss results.
Genuine before and after photography from Portland Body Clinic. Individual results vary.
Frequently asked questions
If your question is not here, message the clinic — a real person answers.
Do you offer weight-loss injections or medication? +
No. Portland does not provide weight-loss medication of any kind. This page is about body contouring after weight loss has already happened.
Do I need to reach a particular weight before treatment? +
No. Suitability depends on the area, the tissue and whether your weight has settled rather than on reaching a specific number.
Will these treatments remove excess skin? +
No. Non-surgical treatments work on skin firmness and quality. Significant excess skin is a surgical matter, and where that is what we see we will tell you plainly rather than sell you a course.
How do I know if I need surgery instead? +
Where there is a substantial amount of loose skin, particularly if it folds or hangs, non-surgical treatment is unlikely to achieve what you are hoping for. We will give you an honest view at your appointment, including recommending you seek surgical advice if that is what we think you need.
Can I address more than one concern at once? +
Often, yes — most post-weight-loss plans combine approaches. The order matters, and we will map that out at the start of your appointment.
How long after losing weight should I wait? +
It depends on whether your weight has stabilised. Treating while weight is still changing means treating a moving target. We will discuss timing with you honestly.
Is it too late if I lost the weight years ago? +
Not necessarily. The assessment is the same regardless of when the weight came off, and plenty of people come to us years later.
Does it matter how I lost the weight? +
Not for the assessment itself. Whether the weight came off through diet, exercise, surgery or medication, what we are looking at is the tissue in front of us and what is realistic for it.
How long will a full plan take? +
Most pathways are course-based, so a combined plan usually runs over months rather than weeks. We will set out a realistic timeframe before you commit to anything.
Start with a conversation.
Your appointment begins with a consultation and suitability assessment, and where you are suitable and happy to proceed, treatment can take place during the same visit. Not sure which treatment you need? Message us and we will help you decide.