When to have surgery?

I’m often asked when is the best time to have plastic surgery following weight loss. The simple answer is to wait until you’re weight has stabilized. For some this may be 12 months, while for others it may be several years. Everyone loses weight at different rates. Gastric bypass patients often lose weight the fastest leveling off in as little as 12-18 months. Lap-Bander’s usually lose weight more gradually leveling off in 2-3 years. Obviously, there will be exceptions, but these are pretty good estimates. Other less commonly performed procedures such as duodenal switch will cause you to lose weight  at rates comparable to gastric bypass patients. While it is never to early to come in for a consultation in order to learn more about plastic surgery following weight loss, definitive planning for surgery needs to wait until your weight has leveled off for several months.

It is tempting to start planning for plastic surgery once you start seeing you’re body change, but these changes are dramatic and progressive. Surgical planning is difficult until you have reached your final stable weight. The exact type of procedure will change depending upon how much of your excess weight has been lost. Another reason to wait is because of wound healing issues. By definition, while you are losing weight, you are malnourished. That is why you lose weight. Individuals recovering from surgery have greatly increased demands for calories in order to heal properly. If you are malnourished, you won’t heal well. You will have an increased risk for infection and other complications. I don’t want to scare anyone, but these problems can be significant if not properly managed. Once you’re weight has leveled off, it has reached a kind of homeostasis, where your caloric intake is adequate for your metabolism. At this point you stop losing weight because you are no longer malnourished. Now you will have the best opportunity to heal properly and minimize your risks.

You have spent a great deal of time and effort to get this point. Don’t comprimise the results that you can enjoy for the rest of your life.

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~ by drkrieger on February 9, 2010.