For many women, excess folds of skin that develop on the back, often located around the bra line, can be some of the most difficult areas to target when you are trying to lose weight. Even if you get regular aerobic exercise and follow a balanced, low-fat diet, those bulges on your back never seem to shrink.

Dr. Paul Pin can treat patients who are seeking out ways to remove back folds. Why are back rolls so difficult to remove through exercise and diet? What are some plastic surgery options that Dr. Pin can offer? Read further to discover how you can reduce the appearance of back folds and bulges above and below your bra line.

Can Back Folds Be Reduced Just with Diet and Exercise?

At one level, it is difficult to “spot reduce” fat in any specific part of the body through just diet and exercise. Your goal should be to reduce your overall weight and percentage of body fat.

That being said, certain areas tend to lose fat at a faster rate than others. One of the reasons that it can be difficult to reduce back fat and folds through just diet and exercise is that it requires weight training to tone the back muscles. Many people don’t want to “bulk up” their back muscles.

Procedures to Remove Back Folds

In most cases, Dr. Pin can reduce excess back fat and folds with a liposuction procedure to remove stubborn pickets of excess fat cells around the bra line.

For this procedure, Dr. Pin will make a series of small incisions in the areas on your back targeted for fat removal. He will then insert a thin, hollow, metal tube through the incisions to vacuum out the excess fat cells. In some cases, lasers or ultrasound can be used to help break up the fat cells, making them easier to remove.

If your skin is firm, removing fat via liposuction will allow your skin to then lay flat against the underlying tissue. This will then remove any excess folds and bulges around your bra line.

However, if you have lost a dramatic amount of weight (such as following bariatric surgery) or you have poor firmness and elasticity of your skin due to aging, a liposuction procedure by itself may not be the best option. In such cases, Dr. Pin recommends combining a liposuction with a skin tightening procedure. This combination will remove excess fat and excess skin.

For this procedure, Dr. Pin will start by making an incision that will allow him to gently lift up the skin and underlying tissue. He will then remove any excess skin, re-drape the remaining tissue and skin, and then suture everything back into place.

If you’ve been diligently working to get your body into shape following dramatic weight loss, it can be frustrating to still have those back folds and fat around your bra line. Fortunately, Dr. Pin can help you put the finishing touches on all your hard work so that you can show off your back just in time for summer.