Over-weight Patients and Cosmetic Surgery
Can I have cosmetic surgery if I’m over-weight?
I advise my patients to be within a few pounds of their ideal weight before having elective cosmetic surgery. According to new research conducted by scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine, over-weight patients are nearly 12 times more likely to suffer a complication following elective plastic surgery than their normal-weight counterparts.
Americans are getting fat. 34% of adults in the United States are now estimated to be obese (those with a body mass index above 30), up from just 15 percent a decade ago. Meanwhile, the number of people nationwide having elective plastic surgery has also increased in recent years – with annual plastic surgery volume up considerably during the last decade. Physicians ought to keep a watchful eye on the scale when it comes to evaluating patients for elective surgery.
Next time: Patient Selection for Cosmetic Surgery
