While bariatric surgery offers a new beginning, Penn Medicine offers several components of long-term follow-up care to help lead bariatrics patients to a lifetime of successes.
Body Contouring
After you lose a lot of weight, your skin might not spring back into place. This can result in extra folds of skin on your lower stomach, thighs, arms, chin and breasts.
Body contouring surgery removes the excess skin left following weight loss, which diet and exercise alone may not be able to remove.
This excess skin may cause pain or interfere with daily activities, ans the procedure may help you live a more comfortable life while also boosting your self-confidence.
Body contouring is elective, and you and your doctor should discuss whether it's appropriate for you. There are a variety of body contouring surgeries available depending on your goals.
Am I a candidate for body contouring?
If you have undergone weight-loss surgery and have excess skin, you may be a candidate for body contouring if you fit the following criteria:
- You are healthy and without any medical conditions
- You've had stable weight loss for a minimum of one year
- You don't smoke or use nicotine in any form
Check with your care team to ensure you are healthy enough for surgery.
Is body contouring covered by insurance?
Post-bariatric surgery body contouring is often regarded as a cosmetic procedure and therefore not covered by insurance.
Insurance providers will often want photographic proof of the extent of extra skin, documentation of recurrent rashes and a history of the patient's treatment.
Your Penn Medicine care team and plastic surgeons can work with you to see if your health insurance may cover this procedure.
Meet the body contouring experts
Body contouring at Penn Medicine is performed by John Fischer, MD, MPH,and Aron Wahrman, MD, MBA, MHCDS, FACS, board-certified plastic surgeons who specialize in body sculpting and reconstruction.
They are highly-skilled, artistic and creative in their personalized approach to cosmetic surgery procedures.
Learn more about the body contouring procedures offered by Penn Medicine.
Join a Graduate Support Group
The Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery program offers post-surgery, “graduate” support groups for all patients six months or more out of surgery.
These support groups are led by a Bariatric Program Provider and are another tool to help you achieve long-term success. During sessions, patients have the opportunity to meet with others who have gone through a similar weight-loss journey, as well as learn about the latest in nutrition and exercise.
See a list of times and locations and sign up for a graduate support group that's right for you.
Exercise
It is important to keep moving after bariatric surgery.
Regular physical activity helps improve your overall health and fitness, as well as limits your risk for many chronic diseases.
Speak with your Bariatric Care Team about what types of exercise are right for you at all stages of your weight-loss journey – from immediately after surgery, to years later.
Very soon after surgery, you'll want to incorporate low-intensity aerobic exercises such as walking and biking into your daily routine. You can increase your distance and intensity when you feel ready.
Other low-impact exercises such as swimming, modified yoga and light weight training are beneficial post-surgery.