The truth about weight loss and body contouring surgery
Although losing a significant amount of weight will certainly make you healthier, it won’t necessarily make you happier. At the start your weight loss journey, whether it be through diet and exercise alone or through bariatric surgery, the expectation is usually that reaching goal weight will be the pinnacle of achievement.
However, the truth is that many men and women find they are still not satisfied with their bodies. Often patients that visit my Leamington cosmetic surgery clinic comment that they were actually happier, in some ways, with their body previously.
The truth about losing excess weight
Even if you have maintained a steady weight throughout your adult life, the effects of gravity on the skin and other tissues will cause sagging and loss of tone in all areas of the body. However, men and women that have spent even some time significantly overweight will have extensively stretched their skin. Once the pounds are lost, particularly if it is the result of rapid weight loss associated with bariatric surgery, patients will often find that the rolls of fat have been replaced with folds of sagging skin.
Although general health and quality of life will be drastically improved, the excess skin is a constant reminder of their previous self and they can still find themselves restricted in what they can wear or do.
Body contouring surgery procedures
The procedures individually have all been performed for many decades and include tummy tucks and breast, arm and thigh lifts. What is relatively new is the amount of skin that has to be removed and the fact that a number of areas of the body may require surgery.
The first step is to assess whether you are suitable for body contouring surgery. Much depends on the extent of skin elasticity and that will be affected by a number of factors, such as your age, genetics and sun damage. It also depends on where the weight was distributed prior to it being lost. I will also assess your general health to ensure you are fit and well to undergo a surgical procedure. Patients who have previously undergone bariatric surgery may have nutritional deficiencies that can affect their recovery process.
It is also important that you are at or close to your ideal body weight and this has been stable for a while before undergoing body contouring surgery. Any weight fluctuations, either loss or gain, can affect the results you’ve achieved and may make a repeat procedure necessary.
If you wish to discuss in more detail what can be achieved with post weight loss surgery, please book a consultation with Mr Richard Matthews at his Leamington plastic surgery clinic.