Despite a mortality rate of 1-2 per cent most patients enjoy benefits including weight loss and the reversal of life-threatening diseases such as type II diabetes. Many overweight patients find the risk-to-reward ratio acceptable and make the life-altering commitment that comes with the surgery. The spin-off of this increase has meant a boom for the plastic surgery field.
Many post-bariatric surgery patients experience an extreme loss in skin elasticity that leads them to have body contouring procedures, which greatly differ from the contouring procedures performed on normal weight patients. After contouring, these patients' skin will still loosen and sag much faster with age.
When a person loses a large amount of weight in a short period of time, particularly after bariatric surgery, the person has large amounts of extra skin. Bariatric surgery isn't just a commitment to weight loss. It often requires an additional two years of body contouring surgeries to help the patient's skin fit his or her new body.
Gastric bypass patients, however, need to be realistic about their expectations. Certified plastic surgeons can only improve the shape of their skin, but it is not possible to eradicate the problem of the extra skin completely.
(Source-Tribune India,14/02/07)
