PLASTIC SURGERY AFTER DRAMATIC WEIGHT LOSS
Also known as post-bariatric surgery or body contouring after massive weight loss
Plastic surgery after dramatic weight loss reduces excess skin and fat left behind after major weight loss. Its goal is to restore attractive proportions by removing the sagging skin around the face, neck, upper arms, breasts, abdomen, buttocks and thighs that creates a misshapen contour. Although these procedures leave scars, most patients find them to be an acceptable tradeoff for an improved appearance.
WHEN TO CONSIDER PLASTIC SURGERY AFTER DRAMATIC WEIGHT LOSS
* If you have experienced dramatic weight loss from bariatric surgery or diet and exercise.
* If you have sagging skin in multiple areas, including the face and neck, breasts, arms, abdomen, back and thighs.
* If your weight has stabilized following bariatric surgery or diet and exercise. This may be 18 months or more after your weight loss.
ARE YOU A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR PLASTIC SURGERY AFTER DRAMATIC WEIGHT LOSS?
There may come a time after dramatic weight loss when your weight is stable, but you are distressed by sagging and overhanging skin. If you are considering plastic surgery to improve your body contour, these characteristics make you a good candidate:
Your weight has been stable for at least six months with no further weight loss expected. For optimal results, body contouring should not be done for approximately two years after the start of any dramatic weight-loss program. This time allows your skin to shrink as much as possible and your nutrition to be stabilized and optimized, factors that will aid in your recovery.
You are in overall good health without chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease. People in poor health are not good candidates for body-contouring procedures. Get clearance for plastic surgery from your primary care physician or from doctors treating you for medical conditions.
You have a healthy diet; problems such as protein deficiencies can interfere with healing.
You do not smoke; smoking slows down the healing process and increases the risk of serious complications during and after surgery. If you smoke, you must quit at least six weeks before surgery.
You have mental stamina; surgical contouring procedures require patience and endurance.
You have realistic expectations; surgery will lead to marked improvements in your shape, but it is impossible to restore the skin or body to what it would have been without the weight gain or to what it was in your teens or twenties. Even after body-contouring surgery, skin continues to sag over time as part of normal aging.
