According to an article published by U.S. News & World Report last June 1st, the growing popularity of weight loss surgery in America has led to a boost in the number of tummy tuck and lift procedures performed to get rid of the loose skin often left over after a major weight loss. Plastic surgeons across the country saw increases in the number of arm lifts, thigh lifts, breast lifts, and tummy tucks compared to last year. It’s not a surprise. Bariatric procedures are so effective at helping patients lose weight that a patient’s fat cells may shrink faster than the elasticity of the skin can adjust to these new levels. This can often lead to stubborn, loose skin that only plastic surgery can deal with. At BHP, we are uniquely positioned as it relates to these growing trends, because we are one of the few facilities that perform both body lift procedures and the life-saving bariatric surgeries that help so many obese people lose weight.

In fact, many of the patients that come to us for various lift procedures came to us first for a bariatric procedure. Currently, the sleeve gastrectomy is the most popular option for bariatric surgery, because it helps patients lose weight quickly, with fewer complications than a gastric bypass. Now, while not all weight loss surgery patients experience loose skin, it is more common with patients who are older, or those who lose weight at an especially rapid pace.

At BHP’s weight loss clinics, we make sure that the option of lifts and tucks are known to patients so that no one puts off bariatric surgery just to avoid the possibility of loose skin. Obesity is far too dangerous to ignore, and pursuing weight loss surgery has been proven to be one of the best ways to lose weight and move away from many of the potentially life-threatening health co-morbidities caused by excess weight. Patients can always choose whether or not to have a lift done, depending on the results of their bariatric surgery, but the decision to have the weight loss surgery in the first place should always take priority.