When Weight-Loss Surgery, Not Plastic Surgery, Should Be Considered

Many people mistakenly believe that they will lose a lot of weight with surgeries
like liposuction or a tummy tuck; however, you’ll rarely see a significant change
on your bathroom scale. In fact, most people will actually weigh more
immediately after surgery because of the swelling that occurs. (Of course, that
extra weight will go away once the swelling goes down.)

Start with Your BMI

A typical specimen of the tissue we remove during these procedures only weighs
two to five pounds. You might look as if you’ve lost twenty pounds because of the
way the surgeon has contoured your body, but fat and skin don’t weigh a lot per
inch removed. For the most part, you can expect to lose less than five pounds on
the scale even though you might look significantly different. That’s why it’s
important that you’re in an acceptable BMI range before the surgery, because
having surgery alone is not going to do the trick.

There are surgeries that can help with excess weight, but they are not usually
done by plastic surgeons. If your goal is to lose a significant amount of weight on
the scale, you should speak with a reputable doctor and consider weight-loss
surgery (also called bariatric surgery) before plastic surgery, though it’s important
to understand that the two types of surgery often go hand-in- hand. If your BMI is
over forty and you really feel that there’s no way you’re going to lose the weight
on your own, then it can be an option to pursue bariatric surgery.

Learn more about what is the best next step for you by getting your own copy of
my book, “Making the Cut” available for purchase on Amazon.

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