The National Institutes of Health report that an estimated 133.6 million Americans are either overweight or obese. With millions of people seeking to lose weight, many find success. Typically most people lose weight through a combination of diet and exercise, although some morbidly obese individuals may undergo one of the different types of bariatric surgery. Regardless of one's method for losing weight, people who lose a large percentage of their body mass will be left with a considerable amount of excess skin, states the University of Minnesota. A person will need to undergo a surgery, to remove excess skin.
During the Procedure
After consulting with a surgeon ahead of time to discuss the nature of the surgery and where on the body the skin will need to be removed, a person can then go under the knife. According the EMedicine, the extent of the procedure will depend on how much excess skin a person has on his body. For relatively small amounts, the surgery can be done at an outpatient facility. Most people, however, have a considerable amount that should be removed and therefore it must take place in a hospital. The patient will be placed under general anesthesia, where the doctor will begin to remove folds of skins in various areas of the body, says the University of Minnesota. The areas that tend to have the largest concentration of excess skin typically are the upper arms, the neck, the stomach, the breasts, and the thighs.
Following the Procedure
While it depends on how extensive the surgery was, the patient should expect to remain in the hospital for 24 to 48 hours following the procedure, cautions EMedicine. Beyond the initial stay in the hospital, it will be weeks before regular physical activity can be resumed. After roughly a week, any remaining sutures and bandages can be removed from the body. Doctors recommend walking in order to get the body back to normal, unless the procedure involved the thighs. After several weeks of gradual reintroduction to regular activity, the patient can expect to begin to complete regular tasks as the wounds heal, says the University of Minnesota.
Risks and Results
As with any medical procedure, there are risks. The most widespread one is infection and loss of blood, says DocShop.com. Following a doctor's instructions and proper self-care can greatly diminish the possibility of complications. Most people will see a noticeable change in their appearance and so will other people. According to EMedicine, those who are slightly to moderately overweight will see better results than those who are severely obese due to scarring and the limited nature of the surgery. Severely obese individuals will normally have a longer healing time and more scarring, but will notice the greatest change, especially in their mobility.
