Body Contouring In the Post Bariatric Patient

When weight loss isn’t enough, patients seek the expertise and skill of Phoenix Plastic Surgeons and Scottsdale Plastic Surgeons to make the contour difference!                                                                            
 Like many bariatric patients, Andrea lost a hundred and twenty pounds after having gastric bypass surgery.  She incorporated a healthy diet and worked out on a regular basis, and for the most part, was with her results, except for one thing he saggy skin hanging on her lower abdomen. 
 
 No matter how much she exercised, this flap of skin was not going to go away.  In many ways, this took the joy out of the progress she had made and she began to focus on the negative aspects of her unpleasant body contour.
 No matter what your age, patients who have undergone bariatric surgery such as laparoscopic gastric band or gastric bypass often lose excessive amounts of weight and have extra skin which hangs uncomfortably. This overhanging or draping skin can cause discomfort, embarrassment, rashes and hygiene problems. 
 As the director of a successful bariatric clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, I have had many patients share the disappointment they feel with their end result.  They have worked so hard to get where they are and now it is almost impossible to enjoy the reward of all the effort and life changing choices they have made.
 
 Arizona Weight Loss Solutions has referred many of its patient to Dr. Steven Gitt and Dr. Dominic Heffel of North Valley Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgeons in Scottsdale and Plastic Surgeons in Phoenix, that have done many Post Bariatric Procedures. Andrea was referred to Dr Heffel and had a consult which was followed by a panniculectomy with a tummy tuck.
 
 The panniculectomy is the surgical procedure that removes the large apron of skin that hangs from the abdomen. This is the most common procedure that bariatric patients discuss or ask about.  In many cases this procedure is often covered by insurance for the bariatric patient due to health conditions that are created by the heavy flap of skin. 
 
 The tummy tuck portion (abdominoplasty), Andrea paid for,  ut of pocket?since it was considered a cosmetic procedure.  This procedure includes tightening the abdominal muscles, which is similar to creating an internal corset which produces a flatter abdomen and shapelier waistline.
 
 Andrea dropped in for a visit recently and was ecstatic about her results.  I was truly impressed with what I saw?ot only did she look great, but I think the most important difference was in her air of confidence and attitude.  The  loud?that seemed to hang over her was completely non existent along with the air of negativity that seemed to govern her life, even after the weight was gone. 
 
 It was as if she had come full circle and I was thrilled for her.  The biggest reward I get in my profession has nothing to do with me, but rather the hard work and commitment I see in our patients each and every day.  Choosing bariatric surgery is not the easy way out as some would think, but rather a difficult journey that often does not end at a weight loss goal.
 
 I am a proponent of being the best you can be and if after having lost your weight you want to make your body look better, I believe that is a decision only that individual can make.  I can only share what I have seen and the positive results and impact it has on our patient? lives. 
 
 Andrea is not the only patient that has had this type of success and gone on to explore other options.  Each person has their own likes and dislikes based on their individual body form, size and weight loss, and I applaud them for taking the next step to allow the true person inside to emerge.
 
 Hard work and a little help can go a long way to bring out a new attitude and a better you!
 
If you are a Post Bariatric Patient who has experienced excessive weight loss and now wants to explore options to help improve those results then go to http://www.nvpsaz.com/body/post-bariatric to learn more.
Morgan Cooper, Bariatric Program Director                                                   Arizona Weight Loss Solutions                                          480.991.6877                               www.azwls.com     
 
 Steven Gitt, MD, FACS
 North Valley Plastic Surgery
 Phoenix, Arizona
 www.nvpsaz.com