Lifting and Slimming the Mons Pubis
The mons pubis is the soft, fatty mound that sits over the pubic bone, just below the lower abdomen. It rarely gets discussed, yet it is one of the areas patients are most self-conscious about. After major weight loss — including the rapid loss many now achieve on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy — or after pregnancy, aging, or simple genetics, the mons can become enlarged, heavy, or saggy. The result is a fullness sometimes called a FUPA (fatty upper pubic area) that bulges in fitted clothing, swimwear, and underwear, and can feel uncomfortable. A monsplasty — also called a mons pubis lift or reduction — restores a flatter, lifted, more proportionate contour to this area. Dr. Rafizadeh has performed body surgery in Morristown, NJ for more than 40 years and approaches the mons the same way he approaches the rest of the body: figure out exactly what the tissue needs, then do that — nothing more, nothing less.
“Patients come in frustrated that they’ve done everything right — lost the weight, flattened the stomach — and this one area still bulges or droops. The mistake I see most often is liposuction performed on a mons that is actually sagging from loose skin, which only makes it look worse. The real skill here is reading the tissue: is this fat, or is this skin? Get that right, choose the smaller operation when it will do, and the result looks natural and balanced.”
— Dr. Farhad Rafizadeh, MD FACS
Why the Mons Changes
A few forces reshape the mons over time. Weight gain deposits fat in the mound just as it does in the abdomen and hips. Weight loss — especially the large, fast loss seen with GLP-1 medications and bariatric surgery — deflates the fat but leaves stretched skin that droops. Pregnancy stretches the lower abdominal and pubic skin, and many women notice the change after delivery. And aging gradually relaxes the skin’s elastic support everywhere, the mons included. The reason this matters is that each of these produces a different problem — extra fat, extra skin, or both — and the right operation depends entirely on which one you have.
Liposuction vs. an Excisional Lift
This is the decision that determines your result. If the mons is full and heavy but the skin still has good tone, liposuction alone can slim the mound through a couple of tiny incisions, with no visible scar and a quicker recovery. If the mons sags because of excess, stretched skin — the typical picture after large weight loss — liposuction alone will not lift it and can actually make the drooping look worse by removing the volume that was holding it out. Those patients need an excisional mons lift, in which a low horizontal incision (placed where underwear hides it) removes the extra skin and elevates the mound to a higher, flatter position. Many patients fall somewhere in between and benefit from a combination. Dr. Rafizadeh will tell you honestly which one your anatomy calls for — and will recommend the smaller, less invasive option whenever it will genuinely do the job.
Your Options
A monsplasty is not one-size-fits-all. The right plan depends on whether the issue is fat, loose skin, or both — and on whether the abdomen above also needs attention — decided together at consultation.
For a full but firm mons with good skin tone, liposuction slims the mound through tiny incisions — no visible scar, the shortest recovery, and a natural reduction in bulk.
When loose, stretched skin causes the mons to sag, a low hidden incision removes the excess skin and elevates the mound to a flatter, higher, more youthful position.
Because the incisions align, a monsplasty is often added to a tummy tuck or mommy makeover for a balanced lower-body result — with shared anesthesia and recovery.
After GLP-1 Weight Loss
The surge in GLP-1 medications — semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) — has brought a new wave of patients who have lost a great deal of weight relatively quickly. Along with the abdomen, the mons is one of the areas that commonly deflates and loosens, leaving a sagging or still-prominent mound that diet and exercise cannot tighten. Two principles guide Dr. Rafizadeh’s approach. First, weight should be stable for several months — operating before the body has settled risks an unsatisfying result. Second, GLP-1 medications can blunt appetite and protein intake, so good nutrition and wound-healing capacity are confirmed before any excisional surgery. For many weight-loss patients, the mons is considered alongside a broader post-weight-loss body-contouring plan rather than in isolation.
The Procedure & Recovery
A monsplasty is performed under general anesthesia or IV sedation, often as an outpatient procedure or as part of a larger operation. Liposuction-only reduction uses a couple of tiny incisions and leaves no meaningful scar. An excisional lift uses a low horizontal incision — the same line used for a tummy tuck, so the two combine without an added scar — to remove excess skin and secure the mons in a lifted position. A compression garment supports healing and helps control swelling.
First days–week 1: After liposuction alone, many patients return to desk work within a few days; after an excisional lift, plan on about one to two weeks. Weeks 4–6: Return to heavier activity and exercise. Months 3–6: Swelling in the mons — which can be stubborn in this area — resolves and the final contour settles. When a monsplasty is combined with a tummy tuck, recovery follows the longer tummy-tuck timeline.
Monsplasty in New Jersey
Dr. Rafizadeh welcomes patients from across New Jersey — Morris, Essex, Union, Somerset, Bergen, and Passaic counties — as well as those traveling from New York City. Because the mons is a delicate, personal area and the right operation depends entirely on your specific anatomy, the first step is always an unhurried, respectful consultation. Many patients consider the mons alongside a tummy tuck, mommy makeover, liposuction, or a full body-contouring plan after pregnancy or major weight loss. You can also read Dr. Rafizadeh’s detailed explainer on why a mons lift matters with a tummy tuck.
Sources & References
- Cleveland Clinic. “Monsplasty (Pubic Lift): Surgery, Recovery & Scars.” my.clevelandclinic.org
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons. “Monsplasty — Aesthetic Genital Plastic Surgery.” plasticsurgery.org
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons. “Looking Into the Future: Plastic Surgery Trends for 2026” (post-GLP-1 body contouring named a leading trend). plasticsurgery.org
- El-Khatib HA. “Mons Pubis Ptosis: Classification and Strategy for Treatment.” Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2011;35(1):24-30. PubMed
- Matarasso A, et al. “Abdominoplasty and the Mons Pubis: Aesthetic Considerations.” Plast Reconstr Surg. journals.lww.com
- American Board of Plastic Surgery. “Verify a Surgeon’s Certification.” abplasticsurgery.org
- Dr. Farhad Rafizadeh, RealSelf Q&A profile. realself.com
