Managing your weight is highly recommended for good health now and as you age. With this focus on healthier lifestyles, men and women adopt all types of diet and exercise strategies to lose weight. Obese people with health concerns may be advised bariatric surgery. However, most find that excessive weight loss results in unsightly, loose folds of skin hanging off the body. This makes them look much older and feeling depressed and disappointed. To resolve these issues, many people are undergoing cosmetic treatments including liposuction after massive weight loss. Recent reports indicate that this is a global trend. Eliminating the excess fat and skin enhances appearance and restores self-image and confidence.
Let’s look at some evidence of the global trend in cosmetic procedures after weight loss:
India: A report from India says that plastic surgeons have noted an increase in demand for cosmetic surgical procedures in people who have lost weight via quick weight-loss diets and bariatric surgery. These treatments are popular among those who have experienced drastic weight loss in a short time.
The report quotes an official of Indian Association of Aesthetic Surgeons as saying “Most people have a very rosy picture in their heads when they undergo bariatric surgeries. Those who lose a large volume of weight have acres of skin hanging off their bodies which require aesthetic corrective surgeries”.
United Arab Emirates: A gulfnews report reveals that post-weight loss aesthetic procedures are also trending in the Middle East. Many people have weight-loss surgery to keep diabetes and other lifestyle diseases at bay, but opt to go in for cosmetic procedures to improve their appearance, self-image and confidence levels. One surgeon says that 50 per cent of the cosmetic surgeries they perform at their hospital are such post-weight-loss operations.
The UK: According to another report, a survey by London-based market research firm Mintel, found that 22 per cent of people who lost weight would consider having either liposuction or excess skin removal to get rid of those last few pounds.
The USA: The American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery reports that each year about 200,000 people in the country choose to have bariatric procedures to reduce their excess weight. American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) statistics show that close to 42,000 people underwent body contouring procedures after massive weight loss in U.S. in 2013. Popular treatments include
- lower body lift to tighten and sculpt areas like the thighs, hips, and abdomen
- thigh lift to address excess skin and fat in the thigh area
- arm lift to remove excess hanging skin from the underarm and reshape the under part of the upper arm
- breast lift to resolve sagging and restore a perkier appearance
- abdomen liposuction to remove excess fat and skin, and restore weakened or separated muscles.
A study published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery indicates that post-weight-loss operations have added benefits. The researchers found that people who have cosmetic procedures to remove excess skin after weight-loss surgery have a reduced risk of gaining weight back. The analysis of about 100 patients who had lost about 100 pounds after weight-loss surgery showed that those who did not have cosmetic procedures to remove the resulting excess skin regained about 50 pounds, while those who did have body sculpting treatments gained back only about 13 pounds.
