Abdominoplasty, also known as  tummy tuck  is a surgical procedure aimed at removing excessive skin from the abdomen. This surgery removes the extra fat and skin, thus making the abdomen flatter, resulting in tighter muscles near the walls or border of your abdomen. You should consult your doctor and strictly follow prescribed procedures before and after the surgical process. It must not be confused with liposuction i.e. the cosmetic surgery which removes excessive fat deposits in the body. 

Abdominoplasty or tummy tuck is beneficial to you, 

If you possess good physical health. 
If you are a non-smoker or have recently quit smoking. 
If you have a stable health and realistic expectations about the outcome of the surgery. 
If you have been pregnant previously and now need to lose weight and fat deposits. 
The surgery is not suitable for the following cases: 

If you are planning to get pregnant, then it is recommended to perform the surgery after delivery. This is due to the fact that your muscles can be stretched again after the surgery. 
If the appearance of scars after tummy tuck is a problem, consult your doctor about the scar replacement procedure. 
If you still smoke or are absolutely unable to quit. 
Types: 

There are two procedures of tummy tuck. These are decided by the surgeon during your consultation and some pre-surgery medical tests. The procedures are: a) Complete Abdominoplasty and b) Partial or mini abdominoplasty. 

In Complete Abdominoplasty, the surgeon cuts the abdomen from hipbone to hipbone and your skin, tissue and muscle will be operated. In the case of partial or mini abdominoplasty procedure, the fat deposits are usually located below the navel region and the surgeon may not move your belly button. The entire procedure may take around two to three hours. 

Aftercare: 
Proper nutrition and healthy meals are required for this surgery. You must follow a balanced diet and focus on post-operative care.

Tummy Tuck Surgery - Abdominoplasty!

Being overweight is becoming a common sight. However, opting for bariatric surgery is not the first option for everyone who is obese. Also to remember is that morbid obesity is not an isolated condition. It affects a person s overall physical and mental health in various ways, and therefore bariatric surgery becomes an option only as a last resort. 

Some defining criteria for this surgery would be:

A male who is at least 100 pounds overweight for his height or a female who is at least 80 pounds overweight for her height. This puts them at a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40.
If the BMI is in the range of 35 to 39 and if there are significant health issues like metabolic syndrome, then bariatric surgery can be done. For BMI less than 35, other conservative measures are usually tried before resorting to a surgical approach.
Most people with BMI in the range of 35 and above will have health issues like sleep apnoea, heart disease, lipid disorders, and metabolic syndrome.
Conservative measures to lose weight including diet changes and exercise have failed to produce any desired results.
The person, in addition to physical health, should also be emotionally strong to undergo the demands of bariatric surgery. There are changes involving almost all body systems including digestive, respiratory, cardiac, and musculoskeletal, and so the person needs to be prepared for a lifestyle change.
Strict lifestyle changes including diet and exercise are required, so the person needs to be counseled and convinced about these. A person who can see the long-term benefits will be willing to take the effort.
It is also essential that the person has a strong social support system. For immediate post-op care when skin flaps need to be managed, and for long-term emotional support to manage emotional issues, it works wonders if there is a strong social network. The results are usually better in such people.
A person s overall health would be screened to make sure the lab tests are well within acceptable limits before surgery. It would be unreasonable to get these numbers within limits, if they are way too beyond acceptable limits.
Not the least consideration, but bariatric surgery is an expensive affair. It requires not just surgical costs, but also post-op costs. The good thing, however, is that overall healthcare costs would come down, once the results are visible.
Identifying the right candidate for a bariatric surgery is very essential, as doing this extensive surgical approach on an unsuitable candidate would be a failure.

Bariatric Surgery - Who Is Eligible For The Same?

Obesity can shorten your lifespan by decades and also limit and reduce the quality of your life. Obesity cannot always be controlled by dieting and exercise and thus more complicated means such as bariatric surgery has to be employed.

Types of bariatric surgery
Most bariatric surgeries either limit your ability to consume food and thus make you feel fuller quickly or limit the absorption of nutrients from the food you eat. Certain surgeries use a combination of the two in varying degrees. Mentioned below are the most commonly employed forms of bariatric surgery  

Gastric Balloon   This is a form of surgery wherein a specially made balloon is inserted into the stomach. In certain cases even two balloons are inserted into the stomach to reduce the room left for food. This causes you to have less food resulting in weight loss over a period of time.
Gastric Sleeve   This is a form of surgery wherein a major portion of the stomach is removed through the procedure. Also known as Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, the surgeon creates a pouch within the stomach which essentially becomes a connecting tube between the esophagus and the large intestine. The reduced stomach size causes fewer hunger related enzymes and hormones to be secreted, causing less hunger and also reducing your food intake capability. This results in weight loss over a period of time.
Gastric Bypass   Gastric bypass uses the combination of two techniques, lesser absorption of minerals as well as reduced intake capacity. In this method, a part of the stomach is rearranged akin to the gastric sleeve. However the leftover portion of the stomach is not removed as it can continue to secrete stomach acids. Because of the reduced size of the stomach, you would eat less and if you happen to over eat, it would cause dumping syndrome (quick and repeated bowel evacuation) which would deter you from eating more.
Lap band surgery   This is one form of surgery where the stomach is not reduced or cut but rather limited by a band that is put around it. This band constricts the stomach and causes the upper part to become smaller. Hence you would feel fuller from eating less, thus resulting in weight loss.
V-bloc therapy   This is a very modern approach to bariatric procedures which works in a very similar way to a pacemaker. A device is placed just under your skin and two leads or wires are connected to the vagal nerve. This nerve is responsible for sending the hunger signals to the brain from the stomach. This device acts as a block to the nerve signals and thus ensures you eat less.
Duodenal switch   This surgery is also known as a Biliopancreatic Diversion wherein the surgeons cut out the part of the stomach similar to a gastric sleeve surgery but also make adjustments to the pancreatic chain and the small intestine to reduce the absorption of minerals.

6 Types Of Bariatric Surgery You Can Think of!

Obesity can make life miserable. From unhealthy eating habits to unhealthy lifestyles and medical conditions, obesity can be an amalgamation of many factors. Obese people are a greater risk of suffering from many serious health complications like type-2 diabetes, mood swings, and depression, cardiac problems, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, to name a few. It does not stop there. More alarming is the fact that obese people are an increased risk of suffering from different types of cancer.

Bariatric surgery comes as a saviour for highly obese people (with a BMI over 40), who have tried every possible treatment under the sun to lose weight without any success. Bariatric surgery has helped many severely obese people attain a healthy weight. Bariatric surgery can be of three types;

Gastric bypass surgery (Roux-en-Y): This is one of the most common types of weight-loss surgery practised worldwide. The procedure involves rearranging (dividing) the stomach into a smaller upper pouch and a larger lower part. The smaller pouch is then connected to the small intestine. The food consumed will pass into the small intestine through the pouch. The idea is to rearrange the stomach in such a way that a person consumes a lesser quantity of food.
Gastric banding (Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band): In this procedure, the surgeon creates a small pouch at the upper part of the stomach by placing a band (lap band or A-band) around it. The pouch, true to its name, is used to hold the food consumed. The purpose of placing a band around the stomach (upper part) is to reduce the intake of food.
Sleeve Gastrectomy (Gastric Sleeve surgery): In Sleeve Gastrectomy, surgeons remove a large portion of the stomach, leaving behind only a small sleeve-like pouch (hence the name). Like the other two surgeries, sleeve gastrectomy also aids in limiting the consumption of food.
Duodenal switch: The fourth type of bariatric surgery, Duodenal switch with biliopancreatic diversion, is not very commonly used. Bariatric surgery has several health benefits. In addition to the weight loss, it plays a pivotal role in lowering the incidences of Type-2 Diabetes, depression, anxiety, coronary artery problems, sleep apnea cardiovascular diseases.
Research also suggest that bariatric surgery has been instrumental in reducing the chances of cancer (especially colon and breast cancer) by as much as 60%. The correlation between weight loss and reduced cancer instances is still a debatable topic. Some researchers and oncologists believe that the weight loss (bariatric surgery) brings about a hormonal modification which prevents the growth of tumour cells. Another study links obesity with an increased inflammation. In many cases, inflammation acts as a catalyst, accelerating the growth of cancer cells. Research is still going on to understand this correlation (obesity and reduced cancer rates) better.

Bariatric surgery has its share of risks and demerits. Consult your physician and get yourself thoroughly examined before opting for the surgery.

Does Bariatric Surgery Reduces The Risk Of Cancer?

If you have taken the big decision to go ahead with bariatric surgery, one thing you need to prepare for well in advance is the additional effort that is required after the surgery to ensure it is a success. The results will be evident only after a few months post the surgery. This period requires your constant attention. 

Listed below are some after-care measures that are essential for the success of a bariatric surgery.

Hospital stay: Most patients are advised hospital stay for four days, during which the hospital staff will ensure the sleeve is working fine. No food is allowed for 48 hours. Diet is gradually advanced from water to clear liquids, about 50 ml to 100 ml and then to 150 ml.
Wound care: Depending on whether a laparoscopic or open surgery was done, the number and location of incisions will vary. However, the wound should be maintained clean and it should be ensured that there is no infection of the site. Wound care should be done by the nursing staff if required. Suture removal, if required, should be done as per doctor s advice.
Pain management: Finish the course of antibiotics and pain killers to ensure infection is completely gone. Pain would continue, if the infection is not completely controlled.
Diet: The first two weeks would be a completely liquid diet. The next two weeks will consist of a pureed diet. After these four weeks, solid foods will be introduced.
Foods to avoid after a bariatric surgery include anything with a higher protein content and anything that has too much oil as the stomach s ability to digest these is reduced. Refrain from:

Carbonated beverages
Hard meat
Nuts and seeds
Fried foods
Food items to include post bariatric surgery include those which are easy on the stomach, including:

Liquids such as soups, broth, juice, and milk
Pureed cooked vegetables and eggs
Soft mashed food including meat and vegetables
Adherence to this will reduce complications. While eating, the patient should also remember to chew nicely, eat and drink slowly, increase water intake throughout the day, and avoid fats and sugar. It is advisable to eat three proper meals a day and avoid snacking during the day.

Remember that the need for bariatric surgery arose in the first place due to uncontrolled eating of oily food. After undergoing a bariatric surgery, diet pattern is definitely going to move to a healthier side with reduced fat and sugars. It is not an easy shift, but definitely required, if the surgery is to be a success. Imagine the new you and you will be able to do it!

Bariatric Surgery - Aftercare Tips You Must Follow!

When dieting and exercising fail to help an obese person manage their weight, bariatric surgery may be suggested. One of the most popular types of bariatric surgery is a gastric sleeve surgery or sleeve gastrectomy. The main aim of this surgery is to reduce the amount of food that can be consumed in one sitting. It does not affect the amount of nutrients and fats absorbed from the food that has been eaten. A majority of the weight loss resulting from this surgery happens within 12-18 months.

A gastric sleeve surgery is a relatively safe, straightforward and short surgery. Prior to surgery, few patients would have been given a special diet.  This surgery is always  performed laparoscopically popularly known as keyhole route. More than half the outer side of the stomach is removed. The remaining part of the stomach takes the form of a tube. 

Though recovery from any surgery varies from person to person, most patients are able to walk and allowed sips of water by evening. Though certain amount of pain and discomfort is expected, this remains in bearable range with pain killers. Usually liquid diet is advised for 2 weeks followed by soft foods for 4 weeks.

You will notice that you feel fuller much faster and are able to consume a very limited portion of your normal food intake. It is essential to drink plenty of water to remain adequately hydrated and to prevent constipation.

On an average, this surgery can help people lose up to 70% - 100%% of their excess body weight. However, this depends largely on your understanding and compliance of post operative dietary changes. A dietician can also help you make right food choices, decide meal portions and address the right number of meals needed by your body. For long term weight maintenance it is important not to fall back to your earlier lifestyle and to maintain a positive attitude.

Gastric Sleeve Surgery - What Is The Process Of It?

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