Complications in body-contouring procedures with special regard to massive weight loss patients: personal observations

With the increasing rate of obese people, the number of patients who again loose massive weight correlates. These patients suffer from their extensive excess of skin and seek for body-contouring surgery. The most common plastic surgical procedures after massive weight loss are abdominoplasties and lower body lifts. In our retrospective review from 2000 to 2010, we present data on patient demographics, operative procedures, early-somatic and late-formal complications, and revision surgeries. Somatic complications occurred in 45 abdominoplasty patients (18 %), surgical revision was necessary in 16 of these patients (7 %). In the lower body lift group, 14 patients (29 %) suffered from somatic complications and 8 (16 %) of them needed revision surgery. Deforming late complications were seen in 25 (10 %) of the abdominoplasty patients and in 1 (2 %) of the lower body lift patients. Revision surgery for formal complications was performed in 21 of the abdominoplasty patients (9 %) and in the 1 lower body lift patient. Sixty-eight additional body-contouring procedures were performed in the abdominoplasty group, 13 in the lower body lift group. With the increasing number of massive weight loss patients, the need for body-contouring surgeries ascends. The larger amount of excess skin in these patients requires adapted operation methods. Therefore, lower body lift procedures are nowadays performed more often in relation to abdominoplasties alone. With the expansion of surgical treatment the rate of complications rise.