Getting your new body after major weight loss.

Getting your new body after major weight loss.

Scottsdale – The popularity of gastric bypass and lap band surgery continue to rise. As a result, patients continue to seek plastic surgery after major weight loss. The breasts are one part of the anatomy which requires special attention in women after the weight comes off. Several techniques have been developed to deal with the breasts in these situations. However, very little has been published on the safety and efficacy of these techniques. For the blog, I am discussing an article which uses a innovative technique with very good results and low complications.

Breast deformities after weight loss vary significantly, but many patients report the classic changes with deflation of the breasts, medial localization of the nipple-areola complex and lateralization of the breast roll. The article published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, reviews how the technique is performed, including the key steps, while summarizing the experience with this technique in 91 patients over the follow up period.

The technique is different from other breast lift techniques in that it uses several dermal flaps to raise the position of the entire breast gland and nipple complex. In fact, the central gland is elevated first and sutured higher via the dermal flap to the lining of the 2nd rib in the center. Then a medial and lateral flap is elevated and used to give the breast a round shape. Extensive dermal suturing is performed to reshape the gland even more to establish the desired shape. The standard anchor pattern is used for the surgery.

I have used this technique since it was originally published in a previous article, but was glad to see a well performed review. The breast related complications were only eight and included seroma (3), wound separation (3) and skin flap necrosis (2) of the T junction. In this series, most of the breast patients had other procedures performed including body lift, thigh lifts and arm tucks.

The before and after photos in the article are impressive and demonstrate that the upper pole can be maintained over the length of the follow up period. The authors concluded that implants are not necessary to achieve a good breast shape and nice upper pole volume in patients after major weight loss. On the other hand, 17 additional patients had breast lift with implant placement. This second group of patients had a statistically lower body mass index at the time of surgery. This suggests that, in this second group, the breast were more emptied out and required volume addition via the placement of the implant.

In my opinion, dermal suspension is a useful technique that is ideal for treating major weight loss patients which can be carried out safely with low complication rates.

For more information on Scottsdale breast augmentation surgery and breast lift in Phoenix go to www.bellabreast.com