Cosmetic Surgery: It's Not a One-Stop, Permanent Weight Loss Solution

As I’ve discussed in previous posts, plastic surgery cannot make an obese person skinny. It may remove problem areas of fat that you have trouble getting rid of with diet and exercise, or remove loose skin that occurs with aging, after losing weight, or after childbirth; but it’s unrealistic to think that plastic surgery can make someone who’s very overweight look thin.

Overweight people who think a surgery such as liposuction or a tummy tuck is going to help them lose a lot of weight on the scale are going to be extremely disappointed. You may actually only lose a few pounds with liposuction or a tummy tuck. Liposuction and tummy tuck procedures are great for contouring the body and taking care of problem areas, often making you look as if you’ve lost
twenty pounds or more.

However, on the scale, you may only see the loss of two or three pounds on average and almost surely less than five. That amount of weight loss is not going to turn you into a thin person if you’re not one to begin with. If you are looking for weight loss, the only solution is to hit the gym and eat a balanced diet. I often have patients who come back for their first postoperative visit (a few days after surgery) surprised and depressed that they have gained weight. I explain to them that the trauma of surgery causes the body to hold on to fluids, causing swelling and weight gain. This process takes a full a month or longer to reverse itself. It may take months to see any significant weight loss, and that occurs only in combination with exercise and diet.

Learn more about whether pursuing a cosmetic procedure is the right choice for you and your body by getting your copy of, “Making the Cut” available for purchase on Amazon.

---