Gastric Bypass Tummy Tucks

Severe obesity is a chronic condition that is difficult to treat through diet and exercise alone. Gastrointestinal surgery is the best option for people who are severely obese and cannot lose weight by traditional means or who suffer from serious obesity-related health problems. The surgery promotes weight loss by restricting food intake and, in some operations, interrupting the digestive process.

• Currently, 65 percent of all Americans are overweight or obese
• Overweight and obesity are included in the key risk factors for developing diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease and some forms of cancer
• A person is morbidly obese if they weight at least 100 pounds over ideal body weight
• A morbidly obese person faces a death rate 12 times that of a non-obese person
• In 1991, 12 percent of Americans were considered obese
• In 2001, 20 percent of Americans were considered obese: 21.4 million men and 22.9 million women
• Weight loss surgery is recommended for morbidly obese people with a BMI of over 40, or for obese people with a BMI of over 35 and severe health conditions: For a five-foot-eight-inch person, BMI of 40 is weight over 262 pounds, For a five-foot-eight-inch person, BMI of 35 is weight over 230 pounds

Malabsorptive operations are the most common gastrointestinal surgeries for weight loss, and gastric bypass is the most common and successful malabsorptive surgery procedure. Gastric bypass surgery involves creating a small stomach pouch to restrict food intake. Next, a section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch to allow food to bypass the lower stomach, and the first and second segments of the small intestine (duodenum and jejunum respectively). The bypass reduces the amount of calories and nutrients the body absorbs. After gastric bypass surgery, approximately 60% of weight is lost within the next two years.

In 2003, more than 103,000 people underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2003, compared with 67,000 patients who had the surgery in 2002, according to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.

However, despite the massive weight loss after gastric bypass surgery, some of these patients continue to face health concerns related to the large amount of excess skin and fatty tissue that remains around the waist. This can be cause back and postural problems. This excess skin can prevent patients from exercise and daily activities and puts them at risk of recurrent skin infections and skin breakdown.

Consequently, as requests for gastric bypass surgeries increase, body- contouring surgeries, such as tummy tuck surgery (abdominiplasty) has become a major focus of the plastic surgery community. There has been a steep increase of people who now undergo tummy tucks after gastric bypass surgery to remove excessive skin in the abdominal region. Removing this excess skin and fatty tissue can be extremely rewarding to the person who has just lost over 100 pounds and feels great except for this large roll of tissue around their midsection.

Although there are some cases of simultaneous gastric bypass and tummy tuck surgeries, it is generally advised amongst surgeons and specialists to wait 12-24 months after gastric bypass surgery before undergoing tummy tuck plastic surgery. This provides significantly less complications including fewer wound infections and less wound reopening. In addition, 20% of patients who had simultaneous gastric bypass and tummy tuck surgery had the surgery repeated later due to additional weight loss.

Removal of the excessive skin and fat is more than an aesthetic issue. As previously mentioned, skin breakdown and infections are serious health concerns and excess skin, especially in the abdomen, can prevent patients from regular activity and exercise, which is a crucial component to weight loss and future health. These problems have led many insurance companies to consider tummy tuck operations and other body contouring procedures as a covered operation and not just a cosmetic surgery. Insurance can usually cover the operations with an appropriate pre-authorization letter. Therefore it is wise to consult your insurance company prior to the operation.