Body contouring.

Body contour surgery concerns the correction of diverse morphological abnormalities of the body which may occur due to various acquired and congenital etiologies. The concept of surgical body sculpting has achieved widespread recognition and acceptance because it safely alters such deformities yielding functionally aesthetic results. Several factors account for the current popularity of body contouring. Foremost among them, is the considerably increased exposure of the body which is seen in most modem cultures, particularly in warm climates. In no other period in the history of western civilization have men and women been so revealingly attired. In addition, today's competitive society strongly encourages the maintenance of a lean athletic body, as a symbol of good health, youth and vigor. The reality of achieving this physical ideal becomes increasingly less likely because of current sedentary lifestyles and dietary excesses. These factors combine to create a disturbing disequilibrium between an individual's desired condition and his actual state. Regular adherence to proper diet and exercise must be stressed, but unfortunately some of these deformities remain resistant to the most sincere of such efforts. Subsequently, there are increasingly greater numbers of people who seek surgical correction for specific abnormalities. Body contour surgery is also an important reconstructive tool in the correction of extremely lax skin in obese patients who have recently undergone dramatic weight loss.