Bariatric surgery can bring about spectacular improvements to health.
After the satisfaction of weight loss and all its advantages, bariatric patients can be faced with another aesthetic concern-that of excess skin.
A gastric bypass can lead to a weight loss of 6 stones or more. This can often result in overstretched and superfluous skin on areas such as the abdomen, breasts, upper arms and thighs. This can cause distress to patients who may already have body image problems. Aside from the aesthetic concerns, patients can complain of skin infections and rashes in skin folds. They may still have difficulty getting well fitting clothes and be embarrassed when having to undress on holiday or for exercise such as swimming.
The issue of excess skin has given rise to a sub-speciality of plastic surgery; Post bariatric reconstruction.
Plastic surgery is often judged as non essential within the NHS and few operations are funded due to competing demands for cash in other areas. In some cases patients will choose to fund this type of surgery themselves. For women in particular excess skin can be extremely distressing and many people see skin removal procedures as a routine continuation of obesity treatments rather than superficial cosmetic luxuries. However it is not only women that can have problems with excess skin; men can be left with a disorder known as gynaecomastia - womenlike breasts. This can however be corrected by a relatively simple procedure.
For many bariatric surgery patients, excess skin is something they understand they may have to deal with following surgery. Whether a patient has excess skin will come down to factors such as age and in some cases luck! For most bariatric patients they are delighted with the results of their surgery, although excess skin can be a problem for the majority of people the life changing bariatric surgery they have had far outweighs the problem of excess skin.
Streamline Surgical patient Michelle (49) had a gastric bypass and in 18 months has lost nearly 15 stone she comments:
"I have seen an amazing result from surgery. I never dreamed I would go from a size 32 to a 14! Of course with this amount of weight loss and my age I have suffered with excess skin but for me it really isn"t a problem. Although I can"t wear strappy tops and have to cover my arms, all I have to think is that I am literally half the woman I was and that the benefits of my weight loss surgery far outweigh any saggy skin! I would consider having plastic surgery in the future to remove this but right now I"m just enjoying the life I have been given back thanks to the weight loss surgery."