It’s very common for weight loss surgery patients to want to solve their loose skin problem through body contouring immediately after their operation. But surgeons such as Dr. T. Michael Dixon, based in Amarillo, advise against that, since complications may arise. Article continues below video player.
“I think that patients need to have patience,” Dixon said. “We need to be sure as surgeons, as well, that we have the patient’s best interests at heart – that we’re not trying to do too much at once.”
Dixon is well aware of how many weight loss surgery patients hope to cram in as much body contouring surgery as possible into a short schedule – possibly since they’re using work vacation time to address it. But when the patient insists on this, they raise their risk of complications.
“That’s a lot of operating room time, that’s a lot of anesthetic and that’s a lot of areas to try to heal up at once,” he said. “My philosophy is to do these more as staged procedures. We’ll often address the trunk of the body first, and get you totally healed and over that. And maybe three months afterwards, after you’ve healed, talk about moving to the next area.”
Dixon advises waiting until the second body contouring surgery to combine procedures. “My own personal bias is that I don’t like to do procedures that last more than five hours in the operating room – for the patient’s safety.”
Beyond that, he cited some key factors. He feels patients should take the time to arrive at a stable weight before considering any body contouring surgery. Otherwise, the patient will lose more weight after the contouring surgery and experience more loose skin, which could spark the desire for more surgery.
Also, patients need to be aware that they may not recover from body contouring surgery as quickly as those who haven’t also undergone weight loss surgery. Patients should always inform their surgeon of all medications and herbal remedies they may be taking.
More complications are possible when the patient gets hasty. Dixon cited the potential for infection and blood clots in the legs – and also said he advises his patients to quit smoking for six to eight weeks prior to body contouring. The health effects of smoking, he explained, can slow down healing.
Of course, the body contouring surgeries Dixon performs require pain control through medicine. But many weight loss surgery patients have addiction issues, and don’t need the burden of pain medication addiction. To help prevent that, Dixon gives many of his patients a pain pump that delivers local anesthesia over a 72-hour period.
