Surgeries after major weight loss
Once the patient has lost weight, the skin does not contract in the same way as fat does. It hangs, creating wrinkles, irregularities… Like tablecloths hanging and wrinkled in different parts of the body.
Weight loss is beneficial to health when initially starting from a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25.
If the weight loss is very large, or has occurred in very short periods of time, it can lead to laxity and accumulation of stubborn fat in unwanted areas.
Both factors generate folds of hanging skin and fat that have negative effects on a social and personal level, such as difficulties in social relations, self-esteem problems, the appearance of aging skin, discomfort and discomfort when playing sports, intimate hygiene problems and even infections in the folds of excess skin.
Many patients who come to our office to solve these problems, both functional and aesthetic, found in the excess skin. Most of them present these sequelae due to weight loss after bariatric surgery (stomach reduction or gastrointestinal bypass), some cases also get it by changing their diet and exercise habits.
Keeping in the right weight range has great health benefits: it reduces cardiovascular risk (acute heart attack, cardiac angina, stroke, etc.), improves circulation in the legs, reduces the risk of osteoarthritis, improves respiratory capacity, reduces the risk of cancer or type 2 diabetes, improves mood and social relations, etc.
And in plastic surgery, it has been scientifically proven that it greatly reduces the risk of postoperative complications.
For all these reasons, it is very interesting to lose weight and a specific treatment should be carried out for each person because each body can respond differently to different treatments, techniques or diets.
Remember to ALWAYS follow the advice of a medical professional and a specialized nutrition team that will provide you with the best options to treat overweight or obesity.
Comprehensive treatment of the silhouette
When we admire the beauty of a painting, a sculpture, music, or the human body itself, we do not focus on each of its individual components, but rather we observe it in an integral way, as a whole.
When planning a surgical intervention, it is important to take this aspect into account. But how do we apply it in body contouring surgery?
Patients come to the consultation with the initial idea of wanting to improve the appearance of their abdomen, but end up wanting to improve their overall body silhouette. Therefore, it is always advisable to carry out a comprehensive treatment by anatomical areas, not by individual components.
Therefore, in many cases, it is necessary to combine treatments applied to the flanks and even the back, such as liposuction, to achieve the desired result.
We can safely say that we have the latest generation of methods in terms of body surgery. This makes us different from other body surgery surgeons and also makes us excellent in this type of surgery. The secret is to use a combination of cutting-edge techniques and technologies. This allows us to approach the intervention taking into account the patient's overall silhouette and not isolated areas.
If you are looking for a clinic to undergo surgery to modify your body contour, you have found us. What makes us different is that we never carry out an intervention that is reduced to removing fat from a specific area, nothing more. The more areas are treated, the more natural the result.
“If liposuction is only performed below the navel, as the only area treated, it will be discordant with the rest of the belly. That is why we always treat complete anatomical areas.”
Dr. Marc Illa says.
What are the most affected areas?
B/A Case 1
B/A Case 2
B/A Case 3
B/A Case 4
B/A Case 5
Have you lost a lot of weight and need surgery?
Frequently Asked Questions
The answer is: IT DEPENDS on each case
- When to decide “NOT to wait to be a mother”: This is the preferred option for patients who do not feel comfortable or identified with the shape and irregularities of their body at the present time. For many patients, for example at 20 years of age, it is not worth spending another 10-15 years (until the age at which they want to be mothers) with a body that they do not feel comfortable with. It is true that the body changes over the years, with sudden weight changes or pregnancies. For this reason, many patients decide not to wait and to intervene on their body at the moment when they do not feel comfortable with it.
- When to decide to “Waiting to be a mother”: This option is recommended for women who only want to undergo surgery once. In this case, it is best to wait until you have had all the children you want before undergoing body surgery. The price to pay will be spending several more years accepting the shape and irregularities present in the body that you are not completely comfortable with.
This type of surgery involves remodelling the fat and, usually, the skin of the body. For this reason, it is common to have alterations in sensitivity that usually last at least for the first 6 months, then they usually recover within 12-18 months.
Good candidates for body surgery may include people who:
- They have specific areas of localized fat that do not respond to diet and exercise.
- They have experienced significant weight loss and have excess sagging skin.
- They have areas of sagging or loose skin due to aging, pregnancy, or loss of skin elasticity.
- They have realistic expectations about the results of the procedure and are motivated to maintain a healthy lifestyle after surgery.
- They are close to their ideal weight and have a stable body mass index (BMI) within a healthy range.
- Do not smoke or are willing to quit smoking before and after surgery, as smoking can negatively affect the healing process.
Postoperative
The first postoperative hours The patient is then taken to the hospital's recovery area, where all vital signs are closely monitored. When the patient has fully recovered from the anaesthetic, the pain and dizziness are under control and she is therefore in optimal condition, she is taken to her room with her family and friends. This is where recovery begins in preparation for returning home.
In your room on the ward, the nursing staff will diligently ensure that the patient is comfortable and with minimal discomfort, using the medication prescribed by our anesthesiology team when necessary. The nursing team will help the patient tolerate the intake of liquids and solids, and walking, thus ensuring a safe return home.
The next day we will come to the hospital to check that the patient is in good general condition and that there are no complications of any kind in the areas that were operated on. We will consider the possibility of removing the drains and bandages. If everything is in good condition, we will proceed to deliver the discharge report, which details all the postoperative instructions that the patient must follow and the prescriptions that she will need to give to the pharmacy in order to receive the medication that we recommend.
In the first week after surgery, pain and dizziness are rare, but there are specific times when they can occur and you have to be prepared.
We have to consider them our allies, since they remove the liquid that causes a lot of inflammation if it stays inside and can even increase the risk of complications. They are a nuisance, but there is nothing worse than that. In many of our interventions we leave them, at least until discharge from the hospital. We always leave them longer in abdominal and back surgery than in breast surgery.
It depends on whether we have to touch the abdominal muscles (which we do in 90% of cases). If so, the pain appears when we make movements when getting up or stretching in bed during the first 7-10 days.
During the first 3 months we will have swelling in the abdomen and surrounding areas. From then on we have fairly stable results. Although the result of cosmetic surgery should not be considered definitive until a year has passed from the day of the intervention.
To perform the surgery, we separate the skin from the deep layers of the abdomen and separate the nerves from the skin, which is why the central area of the abdomen is usually numb for the first few months. Sensitivity usually returns progressively between 6-18 months after the operation.
It depends on the type of job. Normally, we allow you to start computer work (secretarial work, IT, telecommunications, etc.) two weeks after surgery. Jobs that involve driving or a lot of movement usually start after three weeks.
We usually allow driving from three weeks postoperatively.
We recommend spending the first five to seven days postoperatively at home, and from then on we allow going out for a coffee or visiting family or friends. Driving or taking long walks from three weeks postoperatively. Sports such as going to the gym or running from four weeks postoperatively. Intense sports such as climbing, swimming, triathlon… from six weeks postoperatively.
Most stitches are subcutaneous or intradermal, that is, they are under the skin, they go inside. We do not normally leave external stitches (only those at the ends of the intradermal suture). If there is a need to leave an external stitch, we normally remove it after 7-15 days.
For 1 month
After liposuction or abdominoplasty, the superficial tissues (skin and fat) are separated from the deep tissues (muscle and fascia). Due to the movement during the postoperative period, these two layers of tissue rub against each other, making healing difficult or causing inadequate healing. To avoid this, we always recommend performing a liposuction.
- Rest for 7-10 days to reduce the amount of tissue friction.
- Orthopedic compression girdle adjusted to the size of each patient for 30-45 days.
The girdle compresses the tissues, preventing friction and movement, facilitating healing in the area of interest. It also reduces edema (inflammation) and postoperative pain, greatly improving patient comfort.
Initially, a few hours of recovery are always needed to remove the anesthesia from our body and reactivate all the functions that have been reduced by the anesthesia and the surgery itself. In combined or long interventions lasting more than 3 hours, such as abdominoplasty or liposuction, it is necessary.
