Weight Loss Surgery After Bariatric Surgery

Gastric bypass procedures (such as bariatric surgery) are often performed on people suffering from extreme obesity or those with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher. These procedures entail surgically changing a person’s digestive system to limit the amount of food he or she can eat, thereby resulting in weight loss.

A recent study published in the journal JAMA Surgery confirms that such surgeries are safe and can markedly improve a person’s health. Yahoo.com, which reported on these findings, wrote that:

“Patients’ presurgery weight averaged 274 pounds. More than a quarter of patients had diabetes, nearly half had high blood pressure and almost 30 percent had high cholesterol. Seven percent had heart disease and 25 percent had sleep apnea.

Chang’s group found that patients’ BMI

[body mass index] dropped by an average of 12 to 17 points within 5 years after surgery. The researchers also found that diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea improved significantly.

Between 86 percent and 92 percent of patients with diabetes experienced remission of the disease. The same happened for about 75 percent of those with high blood pressure.

High cholesterol and heart disease were rolled back at slightly lower rates, but sleep apnea disappeared or improved dramatically in more than 90 percent of those who had it pre-surgery.”

While the bariatric surgery was able to improve key health indicators such as blood pressure, BMI, and cholesterol levels, people who undergo weight loss surgery are often greeted with another problem in the aftermath—excess, sagging skin.

After losing a massive amount of weight, the skin may look flabby or unsupported since the fat it used to store is now gone. As such, body parts such as the neck, stomach, upper arms, chest, and thighs may take on a deflated look as they now harbor excess skin. In most cases, the only way to get rid of these unsightly folds is by getting after weight loss surgery, which is sometimes referred to as body contouring.

However, undergoing bariatric surgery already entails a huge cost. Adding other body contouring procedures on top of this is often too big a burden for many patients. With the advent of medical tourism though, patients can go to Mexico for after weight loss surgery at a more affordable rate than found in the US and Canada.

What’s great about established plastic surgery centers in Tijuana like CosMed Clinic, is that they are staffed with highly skilled , experienced and board-certified surgeons as well as highly trained medical personnel, so patients need not worry about the quality of care they’ll receive despite the savings.

(Source: Weight loss surgery safe, beneficial: study, Yahoo! News, December 24, 2013)