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Latest Weight Loss Surgery News

Plastic Surgery May be the Key to Long Term Success After Bariatric Surgery

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Bariatric surgery is regarded as a highly successful weight management tool by medical professionals around the world. Recent studies explore the results of combining this procedure with plastic surgery. The resulting research has shown positive outcomes for patients who choose to pursue both procedures. 

One such study, completed by a specialized department at the University of Geneva, indicates that 50% of the people they studied had regained some of the pounds that they had shed following weight loss surgery. Within several years, surveyed patients experienced a weight regain of 10 to 15%.

Participants in the study were divided into two groups of approximately 100 people each. One group underwent body contouring to supplement their gastric bypass procedure, while the other group did not. Seven years later, the group that had undergone body contouring were experiencing noticeably improved results. Members of this group had gained an average of 3.6% of the weight back, while members of the non-plastic surgery group had experienced a weight regain of 10.8%.

The findings of this study are important for a number of reasons. First, they demonstrate the measurable difference plastic surgery can have on long-term weight loss success. Second, they contribute to the argument that, in many cases, body contouring and other plastic surgery procedures should be considered reconstructive operations that can help patients overcome health-threatening obesity. We look forward to many more studies in this field in the coming years as researchers examine how we can best help patients address potentially life-threatening weight issues. 

RESOURCE:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24076675