What happens to the skin after weakened? Dr. Cosmin Buzea, MedLife surgeon: “The second stage of obesity surgery is as important as the first”

Quick weight loss, either by drastic diets, or through modern treatments or by bariatric interventions, it does not end with the decrease of kilograms. The kilograms disappear, but leave other challenges behind: excess skin, body imbalances and image changes that can affect both health and emotional state. Dr. Cosmin Buzeageneral and plastic surgeon within MEDLIFE Brasov Hospitalexplains for HotNews what it means healthy weight loss, why body remodeling interventions are an integral part of spectacular weight loss treatment and how this process should be addressed in Romania.

Bariatric surgery has become, in recent years, one of the most effective solutions for obesity patients. Procedures such as gastric sleeve or gastric balloon drastically reduce the volume of the stomach and help a quick and significant weight loss. But very few patients and even doctors openly discuss about what follows after this stage: the surplus of skin and body imbalances that appear inevitably after losing tens of pounds.

Gastric sleepy, the beginning of a new life for people with surplus of weight

“The gastric sleep is one of the most requested interventions for weight loss in the case of people with big weight problems. In our center there are also procedures for mounting the gastric balloon, digestive derivatives or reinterventions, depending on the patient. However, regardless of the method, after the spectacular weight loss, the second stage appears: the excision of the body,” says the excess of the body.

The excess skin-gray does not mean only the abdominal apron, but also surplus in the arms, thighs, chest or back. “On average, it is removed between 2 and 5 kilograms of tissue. In extreme cases I have even removed 8 kilograms from the abdominal area. There are no minor interventions: I suppose important fluid losses, sometimes liposepiration is needed, and corrections may also include repair of abdominal muscles or any possible,” explains the doctor.

Most of the time, patients reach the target weight at 6-9 months after the bariatric intervention, and then need a period of stability for several months before entering the plastic surgery phase.

Plastic surgery interventions cannot be done in a single stage. Patients usually go through two or three surgical sessions, each combining procedures such as circular abdominoplasty, brachioplasty (“lifting of arms”), mastopexia (lifting breast) or thigh lifting.

Plastic surgery should be part of obesity treatment

In Romania, post-bariatric plastic surgery interventions are considered aesthetic and are not settled by the Insurance House. “The reality is that they have a functional and health role, not only aesthetic. If they were settled, 98% of patients would return for the second stage,” says Dr. Buzea.

By comparison, in the Western European countries, obesity surgery is regarded as a complete process-from the reduction of the stomach, to the body remodeling and psychological support-all being part of the standard treatment for obesity.

Emotional impact and adaptation to new body

Sudden body change also comes with a psychological impact. Many patients discover that although they have escaped kilograms, they are not fully reconciled with their image. “At first they are excited, but after eliminating the abdominal apron, they begin to be disturbed by the arms or thighs. It is a gradual rediscovery of the body. This is why it is important to be prepared, even before the surgery for treatment of obesity, that this stage will follow,” the surgeon points out.

Weight loss, whether it occurs through surgery or other rapid weight loss methods, is also reflected in the face: loss of volume in the eye and temples area makes patients seem more tired or aged. “Reversal the triangle of youth: the lower part of the face is widened, what we call appears Bulldog does. The phenomenon is more pronounced in people who suddenly lose weight after 30 years, when the texture of the skin is already fragile, ”explains the doctor.

For those with small surplus of weight: slow weight loss and constant movement

The surgeon points out that for people who want to lose 10-15 kilograms, the solution is not a surgery, but the change of lifestyle, which leads to a gradual weight loss.

“The rapid weakening leads to the skin left and aging. The healthiest is to gradually lose weight, with diet adjustments and physical activity. Three sessions a week, 30 minutes, can be more efficient and safer than intense cardio workouts, if they are not properly supervised,” recommends the doctor.

How to prepare a patient for bariatric surgery

And in the case of surgery, the actual intervention is planned after a first preparation. For optimum results, the training begins six weeks before the intervention, according to the doctor Cosmin Buzea. The patient must adopt the new lifestyle, gradually lose weight and take vitamin supplements that will be deficient after surgery.

“The postoperative evolution is much better when the body is prepared. We have the rule of the five: small meals, five times a day. The stomach is no longer a tank, but an elongated tube, and the patient must get used to it,” explains Dr. Buzea.

A multi -step road but with long -term benefits

Bariatric surgery is not an isolated intervention, but the beginning of a complex process that includes training, the operation itself, body remodeling and psychological support.

“Patients who understand that weight loss does not end with the loss of kilograms, but continue with the remodeling and maintaining, are the ones who get the best long -term results,” concludes Dr. Cosmin Buzea.

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Read also other informative articles, on medical topics, in the section we do Romania well.

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