Liposuction after Bariatric Surgery
Many people do not realize the seriousness of bariatric surgery for weight loss. This surgical procedure is not designed for people who only need to shed a few pounds. On the contrary, it is meant for people who need to lose a dramatic amount of weight to prevent health issues as a result of any number of obesity-related health issues, such cardiac disease or complications from diabetes.
Patients who undergo bariatric surgery will still lose weight for up to a year following surgery, even though they have improved their lifestyle habits with regular exercise and a balanced, low-fat diet. However, there are often still pockets of fat that do not properly respond to either bariatric surgery or an improved wellness lifestyle.
Our surgeons at Jefferson Plastic Surgery suggest that bariatric patients who are looking to address this issue so that they can proudly show off their efforts to lose weight and improve their health consider a liposuction procedure to remove those areas of excess fat. Here are some considerations if you are looking at liposuction to get you to your final body shape goals after bariatric surgery.
Different Types of Fat Cells
When you think of body fat, you probably only focus on the kind of fat that you can see, such as the fat that forms those love handles around your hips or abdomen. However, there is more than one type of fat in your body, and each type must be addressed in different ways.
Visceral fat is deeper within the body, wrapped around vital organs such as the liver or pancreas. Patients who undergo bariatric surgery almost invariably have life-threatening amounts of visceral fat.
Subcutaneous fat is essentially that “love handle” fat which is just below the surface of your skin that you can readily see and feel. Subcutaneous fat is not as dangerous to your overall health as visceral fat. After bariatric surgery, you may be left with areas of subcutaneous fat on your body, such as the abdomen, hips, and buttocks. This can leave an uneven, dimpled appearance to your skin. Liposuction is designed to address this problem by specifically removing the subcutaneous fat.
Getting the Best Results
Once you have fully recovered from your bariatric surgery, you will need to take about nine months to a year to heal, adjust to your new wellness lifestyle, and maintain your weight. At that point, you can consider undergoing liposuction to remove any remaining subcutaneous fat. Our surgeons feel that this combination of bariatric surgery, followed by liposuction, will get you the best possible results for safely and effectively losing a significant amount of weight and keeping it off.
Your health is paramount, so the goal of bariatric surgery is to remove visceral fat, which is linked to life-threatening cardiac disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Once your health has improved and your weight has stabilized, you can then address the subcutaneous fat with liposuction to improve your body contour so that you will look as good on the outside as you feel on the inside.