.--Plastic Surgery: Loose Skin

Plastic Surgery Following Weight Loss
Patients considering weight loss surgery and those who have already undergone a bariatric procedure should be aware of the changes that occur in the body following massive weight loss. With few exceptions, individuals following significant weight loss develop generalized or focal areas of excess skin.


Loose Skin
Probably the most important determinant of how much loose skin an individual will have following weight loss is age. Younger patients tend to have less loose skin. The next most important factor is the amount of weight loss. An individual who loses 250 lbs. is likely to have more excess skin than somebody losing 80 Ibs. Other less important variables include complexion, amount of sun exposure received over a lifetime, heredity and whether somebody is a smoker. Fair skinned people in general tend to develop more loose skin than darker individuals. Sun worshippers tend to sustain more tissue damage over the years and consequently more loose skin following weight loss. Some people tend to have" better" skin than others of similar complexion and lifestyle. This may be the result of hereditary factors that are not readily apparent. Finally, smoking breaks down collagen, a major component of skin and other structural components of the body. Smokers develop more loose skin than their non-smoking counterparts.


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