What Do Patients Want After They Have Experienced Massive Weight Loss?

In a recent study published in the Australia New Zealand Journal of Surgery looked at what symptoms patients experienced from massive weight loss following bariatric surgery. Over one hundred patients at least two years out from bariatric surgery replied to a mailed out questionnaire. An overwhelming number of patients experienced day to day problems with hanging, drooping, deflated skin and the majority were interested in surgery to correct this. The type of surgeries that could be offered to these individuals would be abdominoplasties, breast lifts, arm reduction surgeries and even facelifts.

Well run research papers have shown that patients experience a significant improvement in their quality of life following body contouring surgery. There is an improvement in ability to exercise, reduction in skin infections and improvements in sex life. There is also evidence that there is ongoing weight loss after Plastic Surgery above and beyond the quantity of tissue removed at the time of surgery.

Mr Jonathan Wheeler comments on the paper, “We ran the study with a view to finding out what the patient experience is following bariatric surgery and massive weight loss. Although we see a number of patients for body contouring surgery after massive weight loss, there is little information available to the medical community about the total number of patients who may benefit from these procedures”.

The study was a collaboration between the Departments of General Surgery and Plastic Surgery at Middlemore Hospital which was one of the first hospitals in New Zealand to offer publicly funded bariatric surgery. Recent cases of patients going overseas to have their abdominoplasty surgery completed have been given a high social media profile.

If you are interested in further information about whether body contouring surgery (abdominoplasty, breast lift, thigh lift, arm reduction) please contact our nurses at [email protected] for further information.