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George Bitar, MD
You’ve Lost The Weight Now What?
Bitar Cosmetic Surgery Institute
. http://www.bitarinstitute.com

You’ve Lost The Weight Now What?

You’ve Lost The Weight Now What?

Losing a lot of weight is a great achievement as it requires will power and determination. People can either lose massive weight by dieting and exercising or via bariatric surgery such as lap banding or gastric bypass in one form or another. The disappointment happens after the massive weight loss because instead of having a fabulous sexy body, usually there is a lot of excess unwanted skin. What is the solution?

When someone has excess fat, it can be lost via diet and exercise. But when the muscles are very loose, such as abdominal muscles after child birth, or when the skin is loose, such as the state after losing massive weight, then exercise, unfortunately, offers little help. The most effective answer to remove the loose skin and tighten the muscles is plastic surgery.

The most common procedures requested by massive weight loss patients are tummy tucks, neck lifts, arm lifts, thigh lifts, breast lifts (with or without implants), and lower body lifts. A detailed consultation with a plastic surgeon is very important to lay a good foundation for the patient’s expectations and the desired objectives. Also, a plastic surgeon has to be clear about what can be realistically and safely achieved via plastic surgery and in what time frame. Sometimes a long term plan is discussed to address multiple areas. For example, the decision can be made to proceed with a tummy tuck and arm lifts in an initial operation, wait a year, and then perform the thigh lifts and breast lifts. This is a common and realistic scenario because it addresses multiple areas to be improved in a safe approach.

A tummy tuck is the most frequently requested procedure by those who have lost a massive amount of weight. Patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery with an upper midline incision/scar can develop a hernia. The good news is that the hernia can be fixed at the same time as a tummy tuck and does not require mesh to fix it in the vast majority of cases. The abdominal muscles themselves are sutured over the hernia defect to close it and create a strong supportive layer. The rest of the abdominal muscles are tightened and the excess skin is removed, giving a very nice abdominal contour and a significantly improved waistline.

For more information about your options after massive weight loss, consult a board certified plastic surgeon.

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