Weight loss surgery without scars – promising, but does it make sense?

Scottsdale, AZ -  A group of  doctors is testing a new kind of obesity surgery performed without incisions on the abdomen.The procedure uses a tube similar in size to a garden hose to snap staples into the stomach. While experimental, the scar-free procedure is promising and creates a narrow passage that slows food as it moves from the upper stomach into the lower stomach. This helps patients feel full more quickly and eat less (SOURCE: AssociatedPress.com).

The new method is part of a medical movement to perform surgery using natural body openings such as the nose, mouth and vagina instead of making incisions via the skin. The researchers hope to reduce risks of infection and post-procedure pain, while creating a speedier recovery. They claim that without scars, there are cosmetic advantages. So far about 300 patients have been included in this new study, which recently ended enrollment. The preliminary results good weight loss and minimal complications. Manufacturer of the device plans to seek federal approval if the research continues to go as planned.

The researchers argue that gastric bypass whether done through a large incision or several tiny ones, is far more invasive and increases chances for malnutrition because it repositions how the stomach attaches to the intestines tract to restrict calorie absorption. That is definitely an advantage of this new endoscopic procedure that I agree with the researches. I am not sure, however, about the cosmetic benefits.

In my plastic surgery practice, which involves a large number of major weight loss patients, the cosmetic procedures to remove excess skin that develops in various regions of the body, require fairly extensive incisions. For most patients, the amount of excess skin that is removed, the tightness that develops and the improved contour obtained makes it worthwhile to have these incisions. However, there are  certainly no “scar-free” types of procedures for major weight loss body contouring . I am afraid that these types of procedures might create another level of HIGH expectations for which most plastic surgeons performing plastic surgery for weight loss will not be able to achieve.