Health News

The importance of pre-operative screening for patients seeking body contouring after massive weight loss will be assessed in three studies presented at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2008 conference, Oct. 31 - Nov. 5, in Chicago. These studies examine demographic factors that could affect complication rates; specifically, those who have not yet attained their goal body mass index (BMI); those who lost weight through diet and exercise and those who are male.

"With the rapid increase in obesity rates in the U.S. and, subsequently, more people losing large amounts of weight, we are seeing more patients who want body contouring following massive weight loss," said J. Peter Rubin, MD, Chair of the ASPS Post-Bariatric Task Force and co-author of the studies. "Because of this, the need to examine various demographics for differences in how these patients tolerate surgery is ever important to guarantee appropriate patient selection, safety and optimal results."

The first study looked at 449 patients to see if having body contouring surgery while still obese and prior to reaching goal BMI would affect complication rates. The study found being obese did increase surgery complication rates for single body contouring procedures.

"As patient safety advocates, plastic surgeons should counsel their patients to wait for body contouring surgery until they reach their goal BMI," said Dr…