Cosmetic procedures may be considered after significant weight loss
After someone loses a significant amount of weight-like fifty to a hundred pounds or more-a new problem arises. You now feel better and you can finally fit into those jeans you haven't worn in years, but excess skin is hanging, well, everywhere. We are seeing more of this every day as weight loss surgeries become more popular. Some amount of excess skin will 'pull back' and look acceptable auto-matically after a massive weight loss. However, a large amount of extra skin such as that on the abdomen, arms, and neck can only be improved with surgery.
Like a lot of cosmetic procedures, surgically removing the excess skin is the only real solution. I tell this to my patients: You can either live with what Mother Nature and life has given you, or you can choose to have a surgical procedure. No amount of lotions, potions, lasers and pills will do the trick. If you want perkier breasts; removal of unwanted areas of fat; a flatter tummy; or to lift your jowls and tighten your neck, nothing is as dramatic and as proven as surgery.
There is no magic number about how many pounds to lose before have these procedures. I want my patients to be at their lowest stable weight, and sometimes this takes a year or more after gastric bypass. Once I have gone over the patient's medical history and physical, the decision is made whether it is a good trade: ie., improved countour and appearance for the scar they will have. This is an important part of any discussion in cosmetic surgery but should be obvious to the patient. It should be a no-brainer that the scar is much better than their current problem. Scars are hidden and will fade with time, but will be permanent to some degree. Patients get an idea of what to expecct by looking at before and after photos of my previous patients who have had similar surgeries and also by marking the patient's body during a consultation.
Some patients need multiple areas improved like abdomen, arms, neck, breasts, thighs and buttocks. For these people, sometimes it is recommended to have staged procedures. The areas of greatest concern are worked on first; for example, the abdomen and arms. Patients are allowed to recover for a few weeks or months, then the remaining areas are worked on. As an example, if a patient has excess skin removed fom their abdomen and a breast lift simultaneously, we ask them to take at least 3 weeks off work and not to expect to be 100 percent recovered for two months.
There is no need to go to a crowded hospital to have this surgery. You can have your procedure performed at IMAAGE offering you privacy in a luxury setting with the same attentive staff from start to finish. Our patients love the fact that their surgery experience is discreet and the personal care they receive is second to none.
This is a very satisfying surgery to perform. After having lost a large amount of weight, it is incredibly rewarding for the patient to realize that their new outer appearance now matches their new and improved inner person.