Operations have been performed to trim layers of fat from the ankles, abdomen, or some other area. This is a very difficult and by no means always effective method, which is very rarely undertaken only to improve appearance. But if obesity has made a woman's breasts pendulous and quite painful, for example, a plastic surgeon would probably consider removing some of the fatty tissues.

Obesity Surgery

Obesity surgery helps you lose weight by changing the way your body digests and absorbs food. Your body digests food to break down what you eat into small pieces of nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals). When the pieces are small enough, the cells of your body absorbthe nutrients to give you energy to live.

Types of Weight Loss Surgery

There are two types of obesity surgery: 1) restrictive and 2) combined restrictive and malabsorptive. Different ways of performing each surgery, called operative procedures, have been developed. Each type of surgery and operative procedure has its own risks and side-effects.

General Benefits of Weight Loss Surgery

* Improvements in surgical techniques have resulted in considerable progress in safety, effectiveness and long-term integrity for promoting weight loss.
* Within 30 days of surgery, 93.4% of patients from a national registry reported no complications from surgery. * Weight loss usually occurs soon after obesity surgery and continues for 18 months to two years. Most patients regain some weight after this time, however few regain it all.
* After five years, patients have reported maintaining a weight loss of 60% of excess weight.
* Patients will often see improvements in obesity-related medical conditions that they had before surgery such as diabetes mellitus, glucose intolerance, high cholesterol/triglycerides, hypertension, and sleep apnea.
In general, 60% of patients with obesity-related medical conditions are no longer on medication for these conditions three years after surgery.
* Patients have reported an enhanced quality of life, improved mobility and stamina, better mood, self-esteem and interpersonal effectiveness, and lessened self-consciousness.