Body Contouring Following Massive Weight Loss

Abstract

O besity has become a worldwide epidemic and a major health concern. Today, more than 1.7 billion people worldwide are classified as overweight and at least 400 million are obese. It is a multifactorial disease which increases the risk of comorbidities, the most prevalent of which are diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular abnormalities, respiratory problems, hepato-biliary disease, cancers, psychological abnormalities, and social malfunctioning. The rising prevalence of obesity along with the high failure of non-operative techniques in weight reduction has led to the rise in the number of bariatric surgeries. So that the demand for and success of bariatric surgery now matches the annual caseload of appendectomy which is striking. Bariatric surgery is the most reliable treatment for morbid obesity. It is reported to cause a very high percentage of excess weight loss (EWL) around 47–70% in the long term. Intentional weight loss improves many of the medical complications associated with obesity. Moreover, many of these beneficial effects are apparent after only modest weight losses of 5 to 10 percent of initial body weight.