Body Contouring
Body contouring covers liposculpture, abdominoplasty, and post-weight-loss surgery. It is a set of tools for reshaping — not a substitute for a settled weight or a healthy routine. Dr Hoffmann plans each procedure around the tissues in front of him: skin quality, fat distribution, and muscle tone.
◉ Fig.03 · Marking diagram — front and side, drawn not photographed
Both, planned together
Most post-weight-loss and post-pregnancy plans combine the two: the flanks and upper abdomen are contoured with liposculpture, while the loose lower skin is excised. Planning both in one drawing is what keeps the transitions smooth — treating them separately is what produces a flat front and untouched sides.
Why the marks are made standing
Fat and skin move. Marks made on a lying patient describe a shape that does not exist upright, so the drawing is done standing, in front of a mirror, on the morning of surgery — and it is the drawing, not the imagination, that is followed in theatre.
What contouring is not
Neither procedure is a weight-loss method, and neither is a substitute for a stable weight. Dr Hoffmann asks patients to be within a few kilograms of their usual weight for at least three months before surgery, because a contour drawn at one weight does not hold at another.
Anaesthesia
Performed under general anaesthesia in an accredited hospital theatre. Length of stay is typically one to two nights for abdominoplasty and combined cases; smaller liposculpture procedures may be day cases depending on volume treated.
Recovery timeline
◉ Drag to move along the timeline
Risks
All surgery carries risk. General considerations include the risks of anaesthesia, bleeding, infection, delayed wound healing, scarring, altered sensation, asymmetry, and — in a small proportion of cases — the need for revision. Dr Hoffmann will discuss the specific risks relevant to your procedure and your health in detail during consultation. Results vary between individuals; no outcome can be guaranteed.
◉ Fig.03b · Drawn plan — pre-operative outline vs planned vectors
An illustration of the planned change, not a patient photograph. Treatment zones are marked on you, standing, on the morning of surgery.
What a realistic result looks like
Contour surgery changes shape, not weight. Swelling masks the result for the first six weeks, the contour becomes recognisable at about three months, and scars keep fading through the first year. The result holds as long as your weight does; significant weight gain afterwards will change it again.
- Localised fat in defined zones — flanks, abdomen, thighs — reduced and blended
- Loose lower abdominal skin removed, and a separated muscle wall tightened
- Waist definition in profile and from the front, within your skeletal frame
- Comfort in clothing, and skin irritation from overhanging tissue after weight loss
- Body weight in any meaningful sense — this is not a weight-loss operation
- Skin elasticity; skin that has lost its recoil will not tighten on its own
- Cellulite, which sits in the skin's structure rather than in the fat removed
- The need for scars — abdominoplasty always leaves a low horizontal line
Dr Hoffmann will show you photographs of comparable cases during your consultation, so you can see realistic outcomes for anatomy like yours. In line with HPCSA guidance, those photographs are not published online. Why there are no before-and-after photographs here.
Common questions
Request a consultation with Dr Hoffmann
Every plan begins with an unhurried conversation, an examination, and drawn markings — never a quote over the phone.