Excess skin — the one downside to significant weight loss
Dr Damien Grinsell says the number of procedures for loose skin has gone up fourfold in a decade.
It is one of the outcomes of significant weight loss that rarely gets discussed. It is not the mass health benefits. It is the excess skin that can be left behind when the fat has shrunk away.
Dr Damien Grinsell says the number of surgeries he performs is increasing — in part because of shows like The Biggest Loser.
The director of plastic reconstructive and hand surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne says a decade ago he was performing around 50 procedures a year. Now it is closer to 200.
Many of his patients have lost significant weight — in the vicinity of 20kg and up — largely the result of weight loss surgery.
