Body Contouring & Weight Loss Surgery

New Zealanders, like Australians, Americans and other Western Society people are getting bigger. This change is not just decade by decade, but now year by year according to the statistics.

There are a number of reasons for this individual and population weight gain. As numerous as the undesired weight gain are gym memberships, personal trainers, miracle diets and now weight loss (also known as bariatric) surgery.

New Zealanders are catching onto weight loss surgery in ever increasing numbers; in the US in 1993 17,000 had weight loss surgery while in 2009 this increased up to 229,000. Weight loss following bariatric surgery can be extraordinary, but so can the body shape changes.

Small weight loss in a youthful person may leave no undesirable features but massive weight loss may lead to unattractive body contours, often due to excess skin as sagging skin folds. Sagging skin can lead to mental anguish after all the commitment to lose the initial weight, it can also lead to physical problems such as discomfort or rashes. Getting clothes to fit once the ideal weight has been gained can be difficult due to the skin folds. These folds can be located in the arms, trunk, abdomen, legs, buttocks and breasts. There are a number of potential procedures to correct folds in different body areas.

Which areas to treat are decided according to need and health, you will be guided by your Plastic Surgeon as to what is realistic and when these procedures should be performed. Often these procedures are staged over a number of months to allow recovery and fit in with the patients lifestyle, work and family. It is important that the patient has a stable weight and has the full support of the Bariatric Surgeon before committing to body contouring surgery.

This process from initial weight loss surgery through to completion of the body contouring surgery is a journey, you must be comfortable with both your Bariatric and Plastic Surgeons as you will be spending a good deal of time with them.

If you have any specific requests regarding cosmetic surgery topics that you would like discussed on this blog, please feel free to email me: chris@breast-body.co.nz