What is Body Contouring Surgery after massive weight loss and who is a good candidate?

Obesity is a complex disease which is manifested due to psychological and environmental factors, as well as heredity. Apart from the aesthetic issue, obesity is a severe predisposing factor of other diseases, such as heart problems and diabetes.

Obesity treatment is extremely important for the quality of life of each patient and takes place usually by combining the following:

• Patient’s mood
• Metabolic rate (combination of diet and change of eating habits)
• Exercise
• Bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgical procedures cause massive weigh loss since they change digestive system and essentially the metabolic balance of the body.

Plastic Surgery should take place after stabilization of patient’s weight.

It is important for people to understand that plastic surgical procedures are not methods of weight loss, but the final stage of body contouring.

Therefore, the patient should have stable weight or stable Body Mass Index (BMI) before the first appointment. Indicatively, BMI should be less than 30.

Massive weight loss has multiple benefits. However, several times damaged skin and tissues cannot be restored to a significantly reduced body size, having as a result excess loose skin in combination with stretch marks.

Surgical Body Contouring after massive weight loss includes removal of excess fat and saggy skin, while improving the shape of the underlying supporting tissues. The result is a more natural look and youthful contour.

What to expect at your first appointment?

At your first appointment, you will discuss:

• what exactly is your concern in your appearance after massive weight loss, if you are a good candidate for body contouring operations, as well as the safest method, depending on your case.
• your past medical history, if you are on any medication, vitamins or other herbal supplements, if you have any allergies or any other operations in the past
• if you smoke (if the answer is yes, how many cigarettes per day).

Afterwards, Dr Karmiris:

• will evaluate your general health condition and any other risk factors
• will examine you, he will take detailed measurements and he will evaluate excess or sagging skin as well as your skin quality
• will take preoperative photographs
• will discuss with you all possible surgical options, depending on your case
• will discuss with you all possible results of the surgical procedure and any risks or potential complications, as described in the international literature
• you will discuss about the anaesthetic plan.

Preoperative check:

Preoperative check includes mainly blood tests, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram (ECG) and any other specialized tests, depending on the case.

Also, it will be necessary to stop smoking preoperatively, and immediately post-operatively, as well as avoid taking aspirin and any anti-inflammatory medicine since they increase the risk of bleeding.

The surgical procedures that can be performed either individually, or in combination are the following:

• Brachioplasty
• Breast reduction, either breast lift or in combination with breast augmentation
• Abdominoplasty
• Buttock lift (Brazilian Butt lift)
• Medial thigh lift
• Liposuction (usually in combination with other operations)

Usually, we perform maximum two operations at a time, depending on the case.

The more hours a patient spends in the operating room, the longer the rehabilitation will be. Moreover, the longer the operation, the more difficult for post-op pain to settle and the higher the complication rate they have.

Dr Karmiris, will analyze in detail all the available surgical options, will take into consideration your priorities regarding your appearance and he will suggest solutions based on your safety and the best result.

Post operatively:

Immediately after the surgical procedure, you will have medical gauze or bandages on the incisions which will be reduced, gradually. If drains have been used, they will be removed in a few days. You will need to wear a surgical compression garment post-op, in order to minimize swelling.

In most cases, patients are discharged the following day. Dr Karmiris will give you particular instructions on how to take care of your incisions immediately post-op, what medication you should take and when you will be seen for a follow up.

Risks and safety information:

In general, post-operative complications from the aforementioned operations are stated in each surgical procedure, separately. However, combined operations increase the risk of complications such as delayed healing, as well as general complications such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. That’s why, you should analyze and co-decide with your Plastic Surgeon on how many surgeries should be performed, as well as the optimal sequence of surgeries.

Dr Karmiris will explain you, in detail, the whole surgical procedure and will answer any questions related to that.