You have been successful in your quest to drop a lot of unhealthy weight you had been carrying around. Great job! But, one thing may be left hanging (excuse the pun!) -- unattractive loose skin.
Plastic surgery to reshape and tighten your new body can give a tremendous boost to your appearance and your confidence -- and, studies show it can also help you keep the weight off.
Researchers from Henry Ford Hospital -- who presented their findings at the annual conference of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons -- discovered that formerly obese patients who lost massive amounts of weight after bariatric surgery were much more likely to maintain their weight loss if they had follow-up body contouring procedures.
"Bariatric surgery has a measurably significant positive impact on patient illness and death," explained Dr. Donna Tepper, senior author of the study. "However, even with the technical and safety advancements we've seen in these procedures, their long-term success may still be limited by recidivism. There is a high incidence of patients who regain weight after the surgery."
The study tracked the results of 94 patients who had bariatric surgery at Henry Ford from 2003 to 2013 -- 47 of whom followed their weight loss with body contouring procedures. The researchers recorded each patient's Body Mass Index (BMI): a weight-to-height ratio used to determine degrees of obesity.
In the patients who underwent contouring surgery, their BMI decreased an average of 18.24 at 2.5 years after the procedure. In those who did not, the change in BMI dropped just 12.45.
"As plastic and reconstructive surgeons, we are encouraged by the idea that improved body image can translate into better long-term maintenance of a healthier weight, and possibly a better quality of life for our patients," Dr. Tepper said.
For weight-loss patients, Dr. Schulman Plastic Surgery offers a wide range of procedures to remove the excess skin and tissue left over from your formerly overweight body, including facelift, neck lift, arm lift, breast lift, thigh lift, tummy tuck / Smooth tuck, SCOOP Lift buttock contouring and Brazilian Butt Lift in New York City.
Examples of some of Dr. Matthew Schulman's many satisfied clients can be viewed in our lower body lift before-and-after photos and upper body lift before-and-after photos.
Contact Dr. Schulman Plastic Surgery to find out how we can help you put the finishing touches on your new body.
