Philadelphia, Pa. (October 1, 2013) – Body contouring surgery to remove excess skin improves long-term weight control in patients after gastric bypass surgery, reports a study in the October issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
"We demonstrated that patients with body contouring present better long-term weight control after gastric bypass," according to the study by Dr. Ali Modarressi and colleagues of University of Geneva, Switzerland. Since maintaining weight loss to reduce long-term health problems is the key goal of bariatric surgery, the researchers believe that body contouring should be considered reconstructive rather than cosmetic surgery for patients who have achieved massive weight loss.
Better Long-Term Weight Control after Body Contouring
The researchers compared long-term weight outcomes for two groups of patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery. In 98 patients, gastric bypass was followed by body contouring procedures to remove excess fat and skin. A matched group of 102 patients with similar characteristics underwent gastric bypass alone, without body contouring.
Body contouring surgery usually consisted of abdominoplasty ("tummy tuck"), often with other procedures to remove excess skin and tissue from the breasts, legs and upper arms. Within two years after gastric bypass, the patients had lost an average of nearly 100 pounds. In subsequent years, patients who underwent body contouring regained less weight: an average of just over one pound per year, compared to four pounds per year for patients who had gastric bypass only.
Seven years after gastric bypass, patients who underwent body contouring surgery achieved an average weight of 176 pounds, and those with bariatric surgery alone, 200 pounds. Patients who underwent body contouring had regained about four percent of their initial body weight, compared to 11 percent for those who had gastric bypass only. After accounting for the weight of excess skin removed, average weight regain was about 14 pounds in patients who had gastric bypass plus body contouring, compared to nearly 50 pounds with gastric bypass only.
Body Contouring Should Be Considered Essential Part of Bariatric Surgery
Bariatric surgery produces fast, massive weight loss in morbidly obese patients. Unfortunately, many patients regain much of their body weight in the years after gastric bypass, putting them back at increased risk of obesity-related health problems.
A recent study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reported significant improvements in quality of life for patients who underwent body contouring after gastric bypass. The new study shows that patients who have body contouring surgery are also more likely to keep weight off after gastric bypass. Because of this improvement in long-term weight control, bariatric surgery is more likely to be considered an effective procedure—from the standpoint of reducing obesity-related health risks—if followed by body contouring.
Dr. Modarressi and colleagues believe their study adds to the argument that body contouring should be considered an essential part of successful bariatric surgery and, because of its favorable effects on patient health, should be covered by insurance plans. The researchers conclude, "Since plastic surgery after massive weight loss is mandatory for quality of life improvement and weight loss maintenance in many patients, body contouring must be considered a reconstructive surgery for those who have achieved massive weight loss."
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery® is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
About Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
For more than 60 years, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery® has been the one consistently excellent reference for every specialist who uses plastic surgery techniques or works in conjunction with a plastic surgeon. The official journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery® brings subscribers up-to-the-minute reports on the latest techniques and follow-up for all areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery, including breast reconstruction, experimental studies, maxillofacial reconstruction, hand and microsurgery, burn repair, and cosmetic surgery, as well as news on medico-legal issues.
About ASPS
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the world's largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons. Representing more than 7,000 Member Surgeons, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. ASPS advances quality care to plastic surgery patients by encouraging high standards of training, ethics, physician practice and research in plastic surgery. You can learn more and visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at http://www.plasticsurgery.org or http://www.facebook.com/PlasticSurgeryASPS and http://www.twitter.com/ASPS_news.
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