Surgery to remove excess skin is indicated for patients who experience large weight loss and who, as a result, have skin that has lost elasticity and has not lost sufficient surface area.
When there is a large weight loss there is a resulting excess skin. This occurs when the elasticity of the skin has been exceeded, so that, as volume is lost, the skin does not lose sufficient surface area and excess skin is produced. The areas most affected by this phenomenon are usually the abdomen, back, arms, thighs, breasts and pubis.
Surgery is available to remedy the resulting excess skin. It is only recommended when the patient’s weight is stable and, ideally, if the body mass index is less than 30. During the procedure the excess skin is removed and anchored in the deep tissues. Sometimes it can be combined with other treatments, such as liposuction, or as flaps to fill the buttocks.
Scars and postoperative period
The disadvantage of this operation is the resulting scars, which, although they depend on the areas to be treated, are usually long. Even so, the aesthetic and functional improvement offered by the procedure compensates the patients for a long time.
Postoperative care is the same as for any major surgery and sometimes with some specificity, such as the use of pressotherapy garments in surgeries of the abdomen, arms, thighs or orthopedic bras in breast surgery. The pressotherapy garment is intended to prevent edema and redistribute fat correctly.