Are you overweight or obese? We’d like to discuss the benefits of shedding some of that weight before your scheduled surgical procedure. Did you know that losing weight before surgery can lower your risk of complications? Here’s a closer look at how your weight can affect your surgical results and overall health, along with tips for ensuring a smooth recovery.
First, let’s review the general health benefits of losing weight. Even becoming just a few pounds lighter can decrease joint pain, improve sleep quality and lower your risk for developing chronic health issues like diabetes and heart disease.
Losing weight before surgery offers a host of other health benefits, including:
• Helping you maintain optimal results
This is especially true for body contouring procedures like liposuction. Any weight fluctuations will alter and/or diminish your improvements, so we recommend achieving a target weight and maintaining it for at least a year before undergoing body contouring surgery. This is the same reason why we recommend waiting to undergo Mommy Makeovers or other body contouring procedures until you’ve finished having children.
• Lowering your risk of infection
Excess weight and fatty tissue can interfere with your surgery by reducing your surgeon’s visibility, resulting in more time spent on the operating table. And the longer you’re being operated on, the higher your risk for an infection. What’s more, excess weight also puts pressure on your blood and oxygen flow, making it harder for your wounds to heal by decreasing blood flow.
• Reducing risk of blood clots
Obesity puts you at a higher risk for developing a blood clotting condition called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can lead to a dangerous complication called a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in your lungs).
• Reducing heart attack risk
If you are obese, your heart needs to work harder to provide your body with the blood and oxygen it needs. During surgery, the added stress of your weight combined with the stress of anesthesia puts you at a higher risk for heart attack, stroke or chest pain.
Best of all, you don’t need to lose the weight all at once to reap the rewards. Dropping just five to 10 pounds of excess weight can deliver major health benefits.
Now that you know a bit more about the health benefits of losing weight, here are a few more ways to boost your surgical success: 1) eat a healthy diet that’s high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce inflammation; 2) stop smoking 3) get plenty of exercise and 4) follow your doctor’s instructions!
Our team can’t wait to help you achieve surgical success! We also offer non-surgical aesthetic treatments, administered by the highly trained CNY Beauty Team. To learn about surgical or non-surgical solutions with us, please call (315) 291-0052 to request your personal consultation or complete our consultation form online today.
