What is Post Bariatric Surgery?
Post bariatric surgery is the general name of aesthetic operations applied for excess skin sagging that occurs in the body after obesity. This condition, which occurs when the skin loses its former elasticity after excessive weight loss, can negatively affect both the physical and psychological health of people. These surgeries, which are applied with modern plastic surgery techniques, offer an important solution to improve the quality of life of patients and help them regain their self-confidence.
Today, some reasons such as city life, transportation vehicles, desk work, eating habits bring along the problem of obesity. This leads to deformities and some deformations in the body. There are non-surgical and surgical solutions to get rid of excess weight. Non-surgical solutions are usually based on the combination of diet and exercise programs with some non-invasive devices developed for this purpose. Although these methods can work in patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 30-35, success rates are low in patients with high BMI. In recent years, patients with high BMI can be treated very successfully with bariatric surgery.
No matter how patients with borderline obesity lose weight, sagging may occur in some body parts. These areas include the abdomen, breast, inner thighs, arms, back, buttocks and face.
Post Bariatric Surgery Operations
Post bariatric surgeries are a series of aesthetic surgical procedures performed to correct sagging and excess tissues in the body after obesity treatment. These operations are performed to reshape the body contours of people who have experienced severe weight loss and to restore their normal appearance.
It basically includes the following procedures:
- Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)
- Arm lift (brachioplasty)
- Thigh lift
- Breast lift and augmentation
- Back stretching
- Butt lift and shaping
- Face and neck lift
It is not possible to perform all of the above-mentioned surgeries in a single session. Post-bariatric surgery is the general name for combined surgeries in which multiple surgeries are performed in sessions with certain combinations. The sessions are planned in consultation with the doctor and the patient, according to the priority of the patient and the surgeries are planned to be compatible with each other. When planning the sessions, one surgery is usually selected from the upper part of the body and the other from the lower part. Sessions are planned with at least 3 months between each session.
Generally preferred session combinations are as follows:
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Session: Starting post bariatric surgery sessions with tummy tuck surgery is usually the preferred approach. After excessive weight loss, abdominal skin sagging, abdominal muscle laxity and diastasis may occur. These deformities can be corrected with abdominoplasty. If there is sagging in the buttocks along with tummy tuck and the patient has a request in this regard, tummy tuck can be combined with butt lift. This combination is also called lower body lift, belt lipectomy or 360 lifting. The second area that can be combined with tummy tuck is the arm area. Weight gain and loss can cause sagging in the arm area and create an extremely uncomfortable appearance. Tummy tuck surgeries can be combined with arm lift in patients who do not have a demand for buttocks. Since the excess skin in the arm area cannot be hidden, especially in the summer months, patients can get rid of this discomfort with this surgery.
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Session: In this session, breast lift is primarily planned. One of the areas most affected by excessive weight gain and loss is the breast. Breast lift surgeries are performed to treat laxity in the breast skin and to give the breast back its lost shape. If necessary, breast augmentation surgery can also be performed together with breast lift. If there is sagging in the back area, it can be addressed in this session. Back lift is one of the surgeries that can be combined with breast surgeries. One of the areas that can be addressed in this session is the thigh area. One of the most dramatic effects of weight gain and loss is experienced in this area. Excess skin, especially in the inner thigh area, also affects the social lives of patients. With thigh lift, patients get rid of this excess skin and become more self-confident.
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Session: Surgeries or facelift procedures that cannot be performed in the above sessions are added to this session.
These surgeries are usually:
- After bariatric surgery
- After excessive weight loss by natural means
- Applied on average 6 months after reaching the target weight