Contrary to popular belief, plastic surgery cannot solve every issue you may have with your appearance. Although every plastic surgeon wishes that he or she could wave a magic wand and make any problems patients have with their weight disappear, the truth is that most of them will encourage you to be close to or at your ideal weight before surgery. Why? Some surgeries flat out can’t safely or effectively be performed if your Body Mass Index (BMI) or weight exceeds a certain amount. There are also significant benefits to being as fit and healthy as you can be before your procedure. Let’s take a look at what those are to understand better how you can set yourself up for a successful procedure in the future!
Most of us consider plastic surgery in the first place because we want to improve, enhance, or alter some aspect of our face or body. But, it’s important to appreciate that if you want the best results, you’ll need to put in some work before surgery if you’re currently overweight. Although the numbers on the scale may go down after some plastic surgeries, it should never be viewed as a weight-loss method.
For example, tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) surgery is one of the most popular procedures performed worldwide. Many of us are on the quest for a smoother and flatter stomach, and this particular surgery helps hundreds of thousands of people achieve that goal each year. But, tummy tuck surgery focuses on removing excess skin. If you are 20-30lbs overweight, your midsection may have thick, firm skin with underlying fat, not loose and sagging skin. In some cases, liposuction can remove some of this fat, but even it has limitations for how much fat can safely be removed with one surgery. Your best bet? Lose weight before surgery to be relatively close to your ideal weight and one that you can maintain to achieve truly outstanding results with a tummy tuck!
Even other surgeries, like breast augmentation, can significantly benefit from you being at or close to your ideal weight before surgery. Unfortunately, when we lose weight, we can’t decide where the fat disappears. Our body will spread the effects of your weight loss, leaving you a smaller version of your old dimensions. Because breasts are predominately comprised of fat, their size may fluctuate significantly with weight loss and weight gain. If you are considering the right implant size for your breast augmentation, or you are interested in breast lift surgery, you’ll want to be at your healthiest possible weight and one that you can maintain.
Excess weight not only puts a strain on our bones and joints; it also affects our skin. If you are healing from a surgery with a long incision, like a tummy tuck, you’ll want as little strain as possible pulling along your sutures. Being in a healthy weight range before surgery can improve how your skin heals around an incision. In addition, being in great physical shape before your surgery improves all other aspects of your recovery and may even decrease your downtime. Being at a healthy weight also reduces your risk of certain complications like infection, incision healing problems, and blood clots.
It’s important not to be discouraged if your plastic surgeon recommends that you lose weight during your initial consultation. Realize that they want you to get the best results from your surgery too! This means proceeding as safely as possible and respecting the limitations of some surgeries regarding a patients’ body weight. It also means anticipating your health and comfort during recovery. An experienced and credible plastic surgeon will always recommend that you be in the best state of health possible before embarking on your surgical journey. They want this to ensure that you get the best surgical results and because they care about YOU as an individual and know the benefits that being at a healthy weight can bring to all aspects of your surgery.
Schedule a complimentary in-person consultation with an Edina Plastic Surgery surgeon by calling (612) 688-3177 or CLICK HERE to get started!
