Obese people may need special plastic surgery

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

After weight loss surgery, people may need to have their loose flesh lifted with a special operation.
Weight loss - or bariatric - surgery is becoming increasingly common. It improves health but leaves people with a cosmetic problem. Their skin sags and a standard 'tummy tuck' just isn't enough to deal with the issue.

Doctors at Montefiore Medical Center now report upon an operation called circumferential abdominoplasty which is an all-round body lift. This involves trimming excess skin from the stomach, thighs and buttocks in one operation. Later, plastic surgery is done on the rest of the body. The staged approach has good results, especially when it comes to quality of life.

The team has done more than 300 of these proceures over the last five years. There are few complications although there is more operating room time and more blood loss in this procedure.

Source
Plastic Reconstrucive Surgery June 2006

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