Patients Experience Body Contouring Improvements and Long Term Weight Control After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Patients Experience Body Contouring Improvements and Long Term Weight Control After Gastric Bypass Surgery

Body contouring surgery is a plastic surgery procedure used in order to remove excess skin or fat from the body after excessive weight loss. This surgery helped to improve long-term weight control in patients after weight loss surgery as reported in a study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, an official American Society of Plastic Surgeons journal.

The head researcher Dr. Ali Modarressi and his colleagues at the University of Geneva in Switzerland believe that patients with body contouring surgery present a better outcome in terms of keeping the weight off. The researchers believe that the procedure should be considered reconstructive surgery rather than cosmetic for those who have lost a lot of weight as a result of weight loss surgery.

About the Study

The study evaluated 98 patients who had weight loss surgery then body contouring surgery and 102 patients who just had gastric bypass surgery by itself with no cosmetic surgery.

Body contouring surgery is typically of a tummy tuck with other procedures that remove skin and tissue from legs, upper arms, thighs and breasts. Within just two years after gastric bypass surgery, patients lost an average of 100 pounds. The study showed that those who had reconstructive surgery regained less weight just an average of a pound per year compared to four pounds per year for those who just had the weight loss surgery.

Seven years after gastric bypass, patients who had body contouring weighed an average weight of 176 pounds while the weight loss surgery individuals weighed an average of 200 pounds. Body contouring patients regained 4% of their initial body weight compared to 11% for surgery alone patients an average of just 14 pounds compared to 50 for gastric bypass only individuals.

Another study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery shows improvements in the quality of life in individuals that had body contouring after gastric bypass surgery. This new study indicates that patients who had that surgery were more likely to keep the weight off because of their overall attitude toward their body. Because of the improvement in weight control, weight loss surgery procedures also help reduce obesity-related health risks if followed by body contouring, the study reports).

The researchers believe that body contouring should be an essential part of the successful bariatric surgery procedure and should be covered by insurance plans. This is because the chance of regaining weight is lowered, which will keep obesity-related diseases at bay and keep the individual healthier for their lifetime.