PLASTIC SURGERY AFTER WEIGHT LOSS

Dr. Moya has dedicated many years of his practice to helping his patients who have lost a substantial amount of weight, the majority through weight loss surgery. He understands that they have often made a significant amount of effort, both mental and physical, in order to make important lifestyle changes, including specific changes to their diet, participating in a regular exercise regimen, and embracing the support they may need to keep moving forward. All of these changes help them accomplish not only their short-term goals, but are also essential for maintaining long-term results, and their monumental effort should be recognized and applauded. Unfortunately, many are left with excess skin that they not only find unattractive (which often takes a toll on their self-esteem), but which also presents a number of significant challenges to their daily lives, including finding clothing to accommodate the excess skin (and thus is usually larger than their new body size), limitations with regard to certain activities, and issues with hygiene. For them, plastic surgery may be the final phase of their weight loss journey.

Important considerations prior to surgery

Removal of excess skin can improve contouring of your face and body. There are a number of things that you need to consider, however, prior to excess skin removal. First is the timing of surgery, which should only be considered once your weight has been stable for at least 3-6 months. Second, the type of weight loss surgery you had (from gastric band to gastric bypass) has an effect on your overall nutritional health, and thus certain laboratory parameters will need to be evaluated in order to optimize your healing, with proper adjustments to your diet or adjustment of supplements if necessary. And finally, Dr. Moya will be sure to discuss with you the expected outcome of each of your individual procedures, so that you will have a clear expectation of your surgical results, as well as your associated recovery process, surgical risks, and financial aspects.

Surgical approach

Dr. Moya offers not only the standard contouring techniques available for excess skin removal, but, because he saw the need for procedures which would better treat particular areas of concern, has adapted most of them and even invented his own, including the Corset Body Lift^®. He firmly believes that, through careful discussion with you as well as a thorough physical evaluation, he will be able to provide you with the best results by tailoring each procedure to your specific needs, rather than trying to make you fit into a particular standard procedure. You may have multiple areas of excess skin (e.g. abdomen, chest, arms, legs, face, etc.) you would like to address. Because of this, Dr. Moya will take into account the length and complexity of each procedure (combining procedures when appropriate) so that if you need multiple stages of surgery, he can arrange the order so that your recovery is smoother and one stage does not interfere with the next.

Use of advanced technology

Dr. Moya recognized years ago that weight loss skin removal, with its more complex surgical approaches, presented unique challenges, and began incorporating into his procedures innovative surgical techniques which utilize advanced technologies in order to minimize potential complications. One of these was HARMONIC® technology, since he noted that the use of this ultrasonic tool provided a dramatic improvement in not only surgical performance (less bleeding), but also with post-operative recovery (simplified, since no surgical drains are required, which are usually necessary when using conventional electrocautery [Bovie]).

The outcome you deserve

Dr. Moya has worked with weight loss patients for many years, and understands that what you desire most is to finally feel comfortable with your body shape, and that you may be willing and even eager to undergo procedures (sometimes extensive) which will help you achieve this. He is thankful for being able to be a part of your journey, and feels privileged to be able to offer you the opportunity to live the life you deserve.