At Goal
The Skinny on Plastic Surgery
by Terry Simpson, MD, FACS
It is no secret that weight loss surgery is the beginning of getting you to your goal, but it often takes some plastic surgery to help you achieve that goal.Plastic surgery, however, is not weight loss surgery. Using plastic surgery for weight loss is futile—the removal of skin accounts for the loss of only a few pounds. Patients typically lose anywhere from five to 15 pounds, unless they have an usually large pannus—residual skin and tissue that hangs from the abdomen down to the knees.
Plastic surgery is best when you reach your weight goal or weight stabilization. For Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and duodenal switch patients, this is typically between 18 and 24 months after surgery, when the calories burned roughly equal the calories consumed.
If you are two years out and you are still thirty pounds over goal, losing the weight is rough but can be done. If you still have 100 or 200 pounds to lose and you are two years out, then see your bariatric surgeon to determine if you need to reach your goal through a revision.
Lap-band patients are another group entirely for two reasons. First, the band can be “reset? to start over, or it can be adjusted to allow for more weight loss. Second, patients who are having a lower-body lift or “tummy tuck? need to be certain that the plastic surgeon is aware of the tube and port that may need to be removed.
How do you choose a plastic surgeon? Your weight loss surgeon probably knows the plastic surgeons in your area that are well trained and have a special interest in bariatric patients—not just a special interest in your wallet. One plastic surgeon in my area started out as an ear, nose and throat specialist and moved steadily down the body; I do not recommend that my patients go to that surgeon.
So, as you approach your goal weight and your caloric intake and the calories you burn equalize, it is time to first follow up with your weight loss surgeon and then pursue a referral to a plastic surgeon. Check out your plastic surgeon with a consult and browse albums of their successful patients. Don’t be afraid to meet several surgeons. You may go to numerous seminars and talk to many patients before finding the right surgeon for you.
Terry Simpson, MD, FACS is a weight loss surgeon in Phoenix and has authored several books. For more information visit www.drsimpson.net.
Click here for the PDF version of this article from its appearance in OH Magazine
Click here for the PDF version of this article from its appearance in OH Magazine
Most Active
Recent Topics
Interesting Medical Journal Study - WLS & Interpersonal Relationships
Batwingsman · 4 replies · 1301 views
Batwingsman · 4 replies · 1301 views