| Only 15 Percent of Bariatric Patients Follow-up With Body Contouring |
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| Wednesday, 16 May 2007 | |
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The report highlights that while most bariatric surgery patients consider plastic surgery to re-contour their bodies after their weight loss, less than 15 percent will actually go through with the aesthetic procedure. The main obstacles cited by the report to undergoing the procedure are the cost of the procedure, a reluctance to undergo additional surgery and the difficulty in having the cost of the procedure covered by medical insurance. "Bariatric surgery is a useful tool for treating obesity and many patients benefit from completing their weight loss journey with plastic surgery every year. However, the data shows that more patients could be helped by these procedures," said Alan Matarasso, MD, ASPS Member Surgeon and lead author of the report. "This is serious surgery that may involve multiple procedures performed over many months, significant recovery time and a financial commitment; however, the benefits are incredibly positive," said Peter Rubin, MD, chair, ASPS Post Bariatric Task Force. "Removing excess skin is not only necessary to achieve optimal body shape, but it's also helpful in improving overall health and quality-of-life. Because of these benefits and the rising number of bariatric procedures being preformed, we expect to see a continued increase in the number of patients who have these procedures." Although the percentage of patients who undergo body contouring after weight loss is less than 15 percent, this amounted to a total of 66,000 contouring procedures last year, and increase of 18 percent on the figure for 2004. The body contouring procedures normally employed after weight loss through bariatric surgery include extended tummy tucks, lower body lifts, arm lifts, thigh lifts and breast lifts. |
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