A recent article by the Wall Street Journal reports that, for certain patients, tummy tucks offer increased health benefits. Many people undergo tummy tuck procedures after they have lost significant weight. Exercise and proper diet leads to weight loss, but exercise regimens alone cannot eliminate the excess skin that remains after individuals lose large amounts of weight.
Patients who lose fifty to one hundred pounds often find themselves carrying around excess sagging skin and fat that no amount of diet or exercise will eliminate.
Many patients elect to have tummy tucks after they have had gastric bypass surgery. The surgery reduces the size of the stomach, allowing morbidly obese and obese patients to reduce their weight quickly and reap the health benefits of having a lower body weight.
According to a study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, researchers learned that patients who have had both gastric bypass surgery and tummy tucks were more likely to keep the weight off than patients who just had gastric bypass surgery alone. The study followed 20 patients after their surgeries and monitored whether they were able to enjoy sustained and lasting weight loss. The doctors who performed the study suggested that appetite often affects how much we eat. The removal of excess fat cells in the abdominal area may reduce the presence of appetite-inducing hormones.
Fat tissue secretes appetite hormones, creating a biofeedback loop with overweight or obese patients. Patients who are already overweight have more appetite-inducing hormones in their bodies. These hormones make individuals feel hungry more often. People who eat more, have increased fat deposits in their bodies. These fat deposits secrete more of the appetite-increasing hormones. Tummy tucks reduce and eliminate excess fat, thus removing some of the fat that induces eating.
Patients who have had tummy tuck procedures report feeling hungry less often and feeling fuller sooner.
Gastric bypass patients are not the only candidates for tummy tucks—tummy tucks offer excellent aesthetic solutions for patients who have also lost weight after pregnancy and who wish to sculpt their abdominal area. This research suggests that patients who have had tummy tucks have added motivation to lose weight and to keep off the weight they have already lost.
The authors of the study went as far as to argue that tummy tucks should be considered a form of reconstructive surgery for obese and morbidly obese patients. Reconstructive surgery is covered by most health insurances, while elective or aesthetic surgery is often not covered.
Patients are satisfied with their results following a tummy tuck, often recovering quickly and returning to their normal exercise regimen and lifestyle. Tummy tuck procedures are also quite safe. A study performed at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y. found few complications with patients following their surgeries. Tummy tuck surgery was found to increase quality of life activities in patients, increasing their ability to exercise and keep the weight off.
Dr. Leonard Grossman, M.D. is a plastic surgeon in Brooklyn and Manhattan, N.Y. with years of experience performing tummy tucks. He understands that a tummy tuck procedure can be life-altering for patients who have lost weight. Dr. Grossman has made some major changes in the procedure of tummy tucks: he does not use drains and his patients can usually drive in less than one week after surgery, not requiring pain medications. The procedure increases patient mobility, allows patients to fit into clothes more favorably, and helps patients keep off the excess weight. Contact Dr. Grossman’s offices today to learn more about how you can start seeing the health benefits of having a tummy tuck procedure.
