Friday, June 5, 2009

Prevent Skin Surgery After Bariatric Surgery

Although not usually dangerous, loose or hanging skin can be an uncomfortable, embarrassing and unsightly side-effect of bariatric surgery. However, the truth is, you'll probably be left with some saggy skin after surgery due to rapid weight loss. Patients who want to avoid a painful (and costly) trip to the plastic surgeon after their operation will want to place special emphasis on diet and exercise to reduce the presence of hanging skin.


Instructions








Prevent Skin Surgery After Bariatric Surgery


1. Skin is at its most elastic and flexible when you're young. Deciding to undergo bariatric surgery at a younger age increases the probability that skin will remain firm and tight, decreasing the necessity of nips and tucks, body lifts and other plastic surgery procedures.


2. Toning and strengthening exercises are particularly important after bariatric surgery. When an individual loses a lot of weight rapidly, muscle tone is usually lost. Skin tends to become loose if there isn't enough muscle tone underneath the skin. In order to preserve and build muscle tone to keep skin firm and tight, it's important to do toning and strengthening exercises such as weight lifting, resistance training or Pilate's/yoga at least four times a week.


3. To keep skin healthy and firm, it's important to get plenty of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. Eat plenty of fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and complex carbohydrates.


4. Drinking at least 6-8 glasses of water a day helps keep your skin hydrated and hydrated skin is less likely to hang that dehydrated skin.


5. This may seem impossible after bariatric surgery because the stomach is often reduced to the size of a walnut. However, ít's important for patients to eat 5-8 small meals a day. Even though you won't be able to eat very much in one sitting, eating multiple small meals a day helps ensure you're filling your nutritional needs and getting enough to eat. When weight is lost too quickly, your skin is not able to keep up with your changing shape, resulting in loose, hanging skin.


Even though you may want to lose the weight as fast as possible, remember that losing 80 pounds in four months will most likely leave you with saggy skin that requires plastic surgery.

Tags: bariatric surgery, hanging skin, muscle tone, After Bariatric, after bariatric, After Bariatric Surgery, Bariatric Surgery