Breast Reshaping after Bariatric Surgery

Abstract

Severe obesity is associated with multiple comorbidities that affect every organ in the body. They reduce the life expectancy and markedly impair the quality of life. Many methods have been developed to manage morbid obesity. Most of them are successful in reducing extra weight and thus minimizing the incidence of morbidities and mortalities. Proper education of patient by bariatric surgeon, nutritionist and plastic surgeon regarding the changes that occur in the body during the process of weight loss "wax in a melting candle" beside the necessity of following up with a specialized nutritionist to supply them with proper diet and supplements to lead a healthy life in preparation for plastic surgery procedure when needed. The deformities after MWL affect all areas of the body in variable degrees. Many scaling systems are used to describe these deformities which helps in the management plan and thus in the follow up of these patients. Breast deformities that develops after massive weight loss are variable depending on; the rate of weight reduction, absolute change, and current BMI, age, general health and fitness, familial and gender-specific fat depositions, skin elasticity and its relation to underlying fascia, muscular status and skeletal form. These changes will affect the breast parenchyma, the skin envelope, the adjacent tissues, lateral chest wall and the IMF position. With the wide range of breast deformities developed after massive weight loss, it is crucial to wait until the patients reach stable BMI for a sufficient period before proceedings in any recontouring surgeries.