Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Every week, I see patients in my office who seek plastic surgery for body contouring. While it is commonly known by patients that plastic surgery is recommended after weight loss, many patients may mistakenly desire surgery to jump start their weight loss plans.

A week ago, I saw a patient; let’s call her Susie, whose sister I operated on successfully. The patient was pleased with her sister’s abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). Susie was 5’2” and 250 pounds unlike her sister who was closer to her ideal body weight. Susie had two previous tummy tucks by credentialed plastic surgeons but was still unhappy with the results of surgery and felt she could remove more.

Prior to contemplating surgery, I frequently refer patients to a Body Mass Index (BMI) chart. This is not to embarrass but to educate my patients. Please click below for a link to a BMI calculator: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Susie’s BMI was 45.7. When I pointed this out to her she was not concerned. Why should she be? Well, an elevated BMI (over 30 means obese) increases your risks of complications from surgery. An elevated BMI means a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol or other lipid disorders, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and certain cancers. Even a small weight loss (just 10 percent of your current weight) will help to lower your risk of developing those diseases.

In fact, two recent articles in the New Enlgand Journal of Medicine support findings that bariatric surgery can enhance one's lifespan after undergoing bariatric surgery (lap band, gastric bypass or gastric stapling, etc) for morbid obesity. Click the following link for more information:
Bariatric Surgery may prolong life

So Susie said “If you perform a tummy tuck, it will help me lose weight and reduce my BMI!” What’s wrong with this logic? Well in the average cosmetic tummy tuck , anywhere from 2 to 10 pounds is typically removed. After massive weight loss, I have occasionally removed more or when medically indicated for severe infection or sores or skin breakdown. In Susie’s instance, a 10 pound resection would take her weight down to 240 pounds. Returning to our calculator, we come up with a BMI of 43.9. Although she may look better, the surgery will produce a small overall cosmetic difference and do very little to improve her health.

There are exceptions and individuals do undergo cosmetic surgery when they are not at their ideal body weight.

If you are contemplating cosmetic surgery prior to planned weight loss, rethink your options. If diet and exercise do not work, seek the advice of a your physician who can guide you in a medically supervised course of weight loss utilizing supplements or pharmaceuticals. If this is insufficient, referral to a specialist or bariatric surgeon (for lap banding or stapling, or bypass) may be your best and healthiest solution.

Following weight loss, you may be a candidate for a variety of procedures including tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), arm lifts (brachioplasty), breast reduction (reduction mammoplasty), trunk lift (circumferential belt lipectomy), thigh lift, buttock lift, etc. Abdominoplasty is a good method of reducing extra skin or tightening muscles following weight loss or pregnancy. It is best to wait until you have achieved a stable weight for at least a six month period.

If you would like to learn more about how the plastic surgery following weight loss, please call or email Otto J. Placik, M.D. serving patients in Chicago and surrounding areas of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Northwest Indiana.