Urinary Incontinence

Currently many patients are taking GLP-1 medicines to help lose weight. These are very effective at reducing fat and then there is hanging excess skin, everywhere. Many of these patients come to plastic surgery for correction of the excessive skin. During these consults, patients report many symptoms and problems with the hanging skin. Some patients are reporting ptosis (drooping of the mons and vaginal area of their bodies).  Some patients have also stated that they have started to leak urine with the hanging skin. 

Many of these patients have seen urology about correction. Some have had urology surgery and still have some urinary incontinence. These patients typically also have a very hanging, ptotic, mons and vaginal area of their body.

Some of these patients are seeking correction to their abdomen excess skin. They undergo abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) or a circumferential lower body lift (360 body lift) and in the months after surgery they report resolution of the urinary incontinence. This is an unexpected, but nice benefit from the body contouring procedure. There are a few patients that learn that this is a possible outcome and it was the deciding factor to sign up for the abdominoplasty procedure. 

While these procedures are not guaranteed to improve urinary incontinence, it is a factor to consider when deciding to do a tummy tuck or circumferential lower body lift. If urinary incontinence is a problem.