Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery in Malaysia is available at leading hospitals.  These mostly private hospitals and plastic clinics  provide bariatric surgical approaches such as  gastric banding or gastric bypass surgery, plastic surgery and liposuction.  The plastic surgery and liposuction methods involve removal of body fat.  The Bariatric surgery method involves modifying the stomach to reduce its size to reduce food intake.

Surgery is an invasive approach to a health problem where the surgical team cut into your body and perform tasks to resolve that health problem.  Surgery is usually done under anaesthesia.  The patient goes to sleep under medication and then brought out from the sleep.

There are many risks associated with surgery such as infection, poor wound healing and scarring and negative reactions to the drugs.   And not forgetting the pain killers.  Because of these risk associated with surgery, this approach is taken as the final resort, if all other methods fails.

It should be noted that visceral fat cannot be removed via surgical methods as this fat is wrapped and interlaced with the intestines and the liver.  Surgical attempts to remove visceral fat is high risk and can result in excessive bleeding and loss of life, thus it is rarely or never performed.

Liposuction

Liposuction is a weight loss surgery method that involves the removal of subcutaneous fat from the body.  It  can only remove fat from under the skin.  This involves cutting into the area of the body where fat is to be removed and sucking out that fat.  It can be a painful postoperatively and only a limited amount of fat is allowed to be removed at any one time.  The excess skin may look like its hanging on you.  All the associated surgical risks will remain.

Tummy Tucks

Plastic surgery procedures such as tummy tucks or abdominoplasty are a fast way to remove excess subcutaneous fat and firm up the abdominal or belly muscles.  It gives a great flat tummy look.  However this is a major surgical procedure with scars visible for 3 to 6 months.  And all the associated surgical risks will remain.

Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery is a specific weight loss surgery method done to control food intake for the clinically obese who have failed at other weight loss programs.  Bariatric surgery achieves weight loss by reducing the size of the stomach, thus limiting the amount of food and fluids taken.   This reduction in size is through several invasive methods such as gastric bypass or gastric banding.  The surgeon cuts in to reach your stomach and then does the resizing procedure on it.   All the associated surgical risks will remain.

The long term weight loss results are good.  Weight loss is achieved, underlying medical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease improve and mortality rates reduce.

However, you will need to change your eating habits after this surgery.  You will not be able to eat much and any excess food or fluids will cause you to vomit.  You will need to take nutritional supplements such as vitamins and minerals as you are unable to get sufficient quantities from your reduced food intake.  You will also need to drink small quantities frequently to avoid water loss or dehydration.

Bariatric surgery is quite successful in weight loss management especially for the obese who have not achieved their goals at other diet, exercise and supplements weight loss programs.