Medical Tourism

Sagging skin is a common problem faced by people who undergo significant weight loss after bariatric surgery abroad. This often comes in the way of the positive life that patients look forward to after all the hard work and commitment involved in weight loss surgery in Mexico, Costa Rica, India, Belgium, and other medical tourism centers. For this reason, patients may benefit from plastic surgery after weight loss surgery.

Drooping skin is not just a cosmetic problem. Large amounts of loose skin can hamper how you dress and your other daily chores as well as create health issues like rashes and infection.

Cost of plastic surgery procedures is quite prohibitive in the US, UK, and Canada. Patients looking at cheap plastic surgery after weight loss surgery would do well to go abroad to maximize savings.

Which Plastic Surgery Procedures May be Necessary after Weight Loss Surgery?

Plastic surgery after obesity surgery is often done in several stages. When the weight loss is massive, it leaves loose skin all over the body including abdomen, buttocks, thighs, breasts, arms, face and neck. One or two areas are taken care of at a time. This is to minimize blood loss, infections, and other complications.

Here is the lowdown on plastic surgery procedures for each of the problem areas. Your plastic surgeon will recommend which procedure you need when and how best to go about it.

Abdomen: The most commonly known plastic surgery procedure for the abdominal area is the tummy tuck or abdominoplasty. This involves removal of the loose skin and tightening of the abdominal muscles. In some cases, only excess skin needs to be removed. This procedure is called panniculectomy.

Buttocks and Upper Thighs: Plastic surgery procedures for this area are known as lipectomy. Here the sagging muscles may have to be lifted, besides removing extra skin.

Thigh Lift: An incision from the groin till the knee is made to remove sagging skin.

Breasts: Breast lift is the most common plastic surgery procedure for this area.

Arms: Procedure to remove excess skin from the arm is known as brachioplasty.  It involves making an incision that extends from the armpit to the elbow.  The plastic surgeon may combine this with a breast procedure.

Face and Neck: Cosmetic surgery for face and neck after weight loss is very much like the traditional, aging-related facelift. However, more skin needs to be removed for people who have lost weight. Facial plastic surgery has to be planned very carefully.

Benefits of Plastic Surgery after Weight Loss Surgery

Bariatric surgery involves a major lifestyle change for patients. It is only fair that patients will want this newfound positive outlook to reflect in all spheres. With plastic surgery after weight loss, patients look and feel better, can dress more smartly and enjoy freedom from hygiene issues and infections that loose skin can bring.

Factors to keep in Mind when Considering Plastic Surgery after A Major Weight Loss

There are a few factors specific to body contouring after bariatric surgery that you need to consider.

• You should wait for a year or so after weight loss surgery to undergo body contouring. Significant weight loss happens during the first year. For best results, go for plastic surgery after your weight has stabilized.
• Chronic problems like diabetes and heart ailments do not bode well for body contouring. You need to be in overall good health.
• A proper diet with sufficient nutrition is essential. Protein deficiency can affect healing after plastic surgery. Since the weight loss surgery would have already placed several restrictions on food, you need to choose your diet well.
• You must have realistic expectations from plastic surgery. Marked improvement is likely but do not expect plastic surgery to completely reverse effects of weight gain and aging.

Risks of Plastic Surgery after Weight Loss Surgery

Plastic surgery after weight loss involves making larger incisions than traditional cosmetic surgery, as more skin needs to be removed. You must be aware of the following risks:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Death of skin tissue
• Scars
• Asymmetrical looks
• Rare complications like clots in veins and lungs, pneumonia and heart attack

Cost of Plastic Surgery Abroad

Cost of plastic surgery is much lower in medical tourism destinations like Thailand, India, Costa Rica, and Mexico compared to USA rates. For instance, the tummy tuck procedure costs in the range of $6,000-$8,000 in USA, whereas in India, the average price comes down to less than half of that.

It must be pointed out that cheaper rates in these countries do not mean substandard facilities. Plastic surgeons and weight loss surgeons in Mexico, Costa Rica and India are highly qualified and experienced and work in some of the most hygienic and well-equipped healthcare facilities in the world.

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